City of Port Moody council will debate this upcoming Tuesday on whether to let dogs run free each morning on a newly mapped loop in Bert Flinn Park.
A report headed to the July 8 meeting recommends a one-year pilot that would allow off-leash use from dawn until 10 a.m. on a 960-metre circuit branching off the park’s existing 730-metre gravel dog trail near Heritage Mountain Boulevard and David Avenue.
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Beyond the loop and outside those hours, leashes would remain mandatory. Staff propose clear trail markers, added signs and a public education campaign, backed by targeted bylaw patrols. Officers would track compliance, record incidents, and monitor vegetation and wildlife throughout the trial, then return to the council before any permanent changes are considered.
Three scenarios:
Loop, morning-only.
Loop, off-leash all day.
Entire park, morning-only.
The morning-only loop scored highest in terms of safety, ecological protection, and ease of enforcement. A fenced dog park was ruled out for the pilot because of high capital costs.
The idea stems from a May 2023 council motion directing staff to test timed off-leash access following complaints that had risen city-wide. Bert Flinn alone generated about 65 off-leash calls between 2019 and 2024; none resulted in tickets because patrols demand two officers and an hour on the ground. The report notes that many visitors now treat the entire natural park as an informal dog run, fueling clashes with hikers, nature enthusiasts, and mountain bikers, and raising fears of habitat damage and wildlife encounters.
Staff also leaned on lessons from Coquitlam’s Mundy Park, which permits off-leash dogs only in the early hours on selected trails away from prime habitat.
If the pilot proceeds, data collection is scheduled to begin this summer. Parks crews would log trail conditions and any off-trail disturbance, while QR-code signs invite real-time feedback from walkers and riders. Results will inform Port Moody’s broader dog-management strategy, which is expected to propose bylaw updates once the trial concludes. Council will debate the recommendation at its regular meeting on Tuesday evening.
I think morning dawn-10am and evening 6-9pm should be off leash everywhere like Mundy Park and then have one section designated for off leash all day also like mundy park. I think will respect the rules.
I can no longer walk my dog on leash at Bert Flinn as there are so many dogs running free. Would love if the off leash for morning hours is applied and then no off leash on the utility road anymore for the rest of the day so I can use the Park again with my dog the rest of the day on leash as I am a two minute walk and hardly use my favourite park because of dogs far from owners on the entrance to the trail.
I walk Bert Flinn Park in the mornings around 9 am, as I have a knee issue need to keep it moving. I am hoping the off leash dogs on the park are well trained.
And please no BICYCLES on the off leash area. If it is dogs turn to enjoy so please NO BIKE, NO SCOOTER.