Victoria HarbourCats cry foul over pitch for off-leash dogs at Royal Athletic Park

The field at Royal Athletic Park, home of the Victoria HarbourCats, on April 18, 2022.. (CTV News)

The Victoria HarbourCats are crying foul after they say the City of Victoria failed to consult the team about proposed plans for an off-leash dog area at Royal Athletic Park.

The team says it only heard about the idea secondhand from other community members.

“I’ve had quite a few people come up and joke to me about bringing their dog to the park, and I wasn’t really aware of what they were talking about,” said HarbourCats general manager Curtis Pelletier.

The proposal passed a committee of the whole meeting at Victoria City Hall on Thursday, with a recommendation to staff to report back on the implications of a pilot project for a temporary off-leash area within the park from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The motion was made by Coun. Sarah Potts, who says consultation hasn’t occurred because the idea is still in its very early stages.

“It makes sense that consultation hasn’t taken place yet because at this point council is still contemplating whether or not to even have staff look into it,” she said in a statement to CTV News.

Potts said the recommendation would have to pass at the council level before consultations with the HarbourCats and other community groups who use the park would begin.