Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Will Ottawa Follow Toronto's Lead?
The Ottawa Sun and Globe and Mail report today that six dogs have become ill apparently after eating dried dog food found in two Ottawa parks. While it is not known if this is a copy-cat act, when the City of Toronto fenced off a 21 acre park because of dog poisonings, it let a criminal disrupt an entire community. Unfortunately, there are people who seek this kind of power and attention. Did Toronto's action set a precedent that someone in Ottawa is acting on? Based on the experience in Riverdale and the community reaction that has followed, the City of Ottawa would be wise not to give a criminal the power to further disrupt the way honest people live, work, and play. (Post a comment and let us know what you think)
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Posted by Editor on 02/25
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Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Snow May Stop Planned Inspection
The overnight snow may delay a planned inspection by City of Toronto Public Health workers. Reg Ayre said Monday that his office had planned to "search large areas of the park," this week because of the warmer weather. The Riverdale area received another 8 to 10 centimetres of snow last night.
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Posted by Editor on 02/24
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Real Estate Prices Strong Despite Fence And Signs
A local real estate agent confirmed that the closure of Withrow Park and the posting of "dangerous chemical" signs has not harmed house prices. "Buyers understand that it is a temporary measure," said the agent.
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Posted by Editor on 02/24
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Monday, February 23, 2004
Are There Precedents For The Park's Closure?
The Editors of this site would like to hear from anyone who has experienced, read about, or heard of what other cities do when faced with criminal acts of dog poisoning. Outside of the Portland, Oregon link noted below, there is little available information about responses to this type of act. Are there any precedents? Send us an email if you have information.
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Posted by Editor on 02/23
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Sunday, February 22, 2004
Greenwood Park Invites The Parkless
In a show of neighbourly solidarity the staff of Greenwood Park invited all Riverdale residents to enjoy a family skating party at their unfenced park on Sunday Feb. 22. "We thought that it would be a good idea, given everything that has happened," said Greenwood staff recreationist, Patrick Domagala. Dogs were welcome to the park, not the skating party
.
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Posted by Editor on 02/22
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Saturday, February 21, 2004
New Signs Warn Of Dangerous Chemical
Our City can be proud of the exceptional professionals who have had to make tough decisions with very little data to work from. At last Tuesday's community meeting the police, parks, and public health representatives performed admirably while fielding some tough questions and comments from the community. Does the new sign that has been posted around the park do justice to their hard work?
Friday, the City posted information signs on the newly erected Withrow Park security fence. These signs say that the park is closed until further notice because of the presence of a dangerous chemical. Whatever your opinion of the fence, the signs can only increase the level of fear and uncertainty about the safety of our park.
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Just how dangerous is Withrow Park? We have asked the City for the quantities of Carbofuran found in the tainted weiners and are waiting for that information. Postings on this site argue that the quantities of the chemical found are quite small and, because of that, pose little threat to the neighbourhood through ground water contamination, etc.
While the fence is detrimental to our community's image, it does arguably protect dogs and children from the work of a sick individual. However, what will visitors and the media now think of our neighbourhood when they see these signs? Withrow Park is not a toxic dump site.
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Posted by Editor on 02/21
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Friday, February 20, 2004
Two More Tainted Weiners Found
Don Boyle, Director, Parks and Recreation, South District informed us that two more tainted weiners were found today in Withrow Park. The discovery was made near the leash-free area in the vicinity of the other weiners found earlier this month. Don said the City will have people watching the park throughout the weekend, both inside and outside the fence.
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Posted by Editor on 02/20
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Vandals Attack Fence
Vandals were at work inside the new Withrow Park fence last night. Once inside, they knocked over the metal security fences that earlier had blocked the entrances to the park. They also hung at least one of the security fences over the new chain link fence. Damage appeared to be minimal.
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Posted by Editor on 02/20
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Thursday, February 19, 2004
Latest News About Park Accessibility
This status report is from Don Boyle:
Subject: Re: Withrow Park Fence meeting followup
The pathway from Logan to Carlaw will be open tonight!!! The rink and clubhouse are open now. We are attempting to open the playground by the clubhouse for early next week. We are not going to establish a dog area at this point but will be installing additional garbage cans around the park. Hope that helps.
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Posted by Editor on 02/19
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For a Fence Around Crime Area Only
Please click on "Comments" at the bottom of this message and add your vote for a fence only around the area where the tainted meat was found. Go to "Where Will The Fence Go" on the right sidebar for maps of the park.
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Posted by Editor on 02/19
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