Parks and Trails

During the month of May, Township Operations Staff begin the tasks of opening our seasonal park washroom buildings, cleaning our parks, trails and sporting fields and ensuring that park amenities like picnic tables and garbage cans are all in place by the May long weekend.

By-law 2019-50 Section 3.0 - Dogs in Municipal Parkland reads:

3.1: No person shall enter a public beach area as defined by the Local District Health Unit with a dog either under control or at large, with the exception of a service animal, in the following Municipal Parklands unless in designated areas posted by sign:

• Albert Street Gazebo Park
• MacKenzie Park
• Magnus Beach
• Waubaushene Pine Street Beach
• Patterson Park

What does this mean?

Dogs are not allowed on the beach or in the water at the above listed beaches. They are allowed in the park area and must be on a leash.

When was this by-law enacted?

The by-law was enacted on June 26^th 2019.

Where can dogs access the water in the Township?

The following is a list of areas accessible to water. These areas are not part of the above By-Law. Please note that dogs must be on a leash when not in the water.

Eplett Park – 320 Waldie Avenue

Rope Park – 212 Ruta Road

Bayview Park – 66 Forest Harbour Parkway

This is only a short list of locations, you can review Schedule “A” of by-law 2019-50 for a list of Land Designated as Municipal Parkland or Unopened Road Allowances. Or you can easily call our By-law Department at 705-534-7248 ext. 248 or email them at mleo@tay.ca.

The off-leash dog park is owned and operated by the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. It is located at 5123 Talbot St. in Port McNicoll. Please note that the leash-free zone is closed from 9am to 11am daily for private use by the animal centre. More information available at ontariospca.ca/midland

Trails are a wonderful way to spend an enjoyable day, relaxing and taking in the scenery. There are spectacular views and natural areas that can be enjoyed as you travel the Tay Shore Trail.  The Tay Shore Trail is fully accessible trail that permits walkers, bicyclists, rollerbladers and cross country skiing.

We ask that you follow the user guidelines so that everyone will have a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience this will help preserve the trail for future generations.

New Smoke-Free Ontario Act Regulations effective January 1, 2015

Under the new regulations, the smoke-free area for municipal playgrounds and sporting areas encompasses an area extending 20 meters from the perimeter of each site (including accompanying spectator areas).

Each Fall, in the weeks following the Thanksgiving long weekend, Township Parks crews begin the process closing our Parks and winterizing our seasonal park washroom systems.

As the Washroom building in most of our Parks are seasonal in nature, winterization must occur in order to protect our buildings from winter damage. Some of this work includes: shutting off the water to the building and ensuring the water lines are properly drained. We also ensure each washroom building is reviewed for any broken or damaged fixtures or fittings, so that when we go to open the washrooms in the Spring we know that we have left them in good repair.

In addition, when the Winter weather starts, Parks Crews remove waste receptacles from our various Parks locations.  This is done to ensure that garbage and waste does not collect over the winter months, when there is no collection taking place, as well, uncollected waste receptacle make an inviting location for animals.