Tensions flare at 色色啦 schools over dogs, poop and fields

“It’s a kids versus dogs world here,” says Alisia MacMillan, who’s had heated exchanges with dog owners refusing to remove unleashed pets from a fenced-in turf soccer field at Canoe Landing Park, which is used by students during the day.

“There are signs everywhere that say, ‘No dogs’,” says MacMillan, whose son attends Jean Lumb Public School, adjacent to the park in the downtown CityPlace neighbourhood. Still, she’s been cursed at and told it’s her young son who should be tethered.

After school, she often sees dogs on the field 鈥� sometimes as many as 15 鈥� which means kids can’t play there. It also explains why her son sometimes comes home smelling of dog pee or in poop-stained clothing.

“They just have no respect for the kids,” says MacMillan, who’s seen owners let their dogs use the kindergarten sandpit as a potty spot. “But I don’t think this is new. I think every school is dealing with this.”

One of two dogs plays off-leash on the field of Jesse Ketchum Junior and Senior Public School in the late afternoon, while some children play sports nearby. Despite the TDSB’s no-dogs policy, off-leash dogs remain a concern on school grounds.
Michelle Mengsu Chang 色色啦 Star

色色啦’s public school board has long grappled with what to do about dogs on its properties, despite signs indicating they’re not allowed. There have been incidents of dogs chasing and biting students, staff and members of the public as well as dog poop and doggie bags left on school grounds. Some owners have even ripped open fences and cut locks on gates to let their pets run around.

The increase in the city鈥檚 dog population 鈥� thanks to so-called “pandemic puppies” adopted during the lockdown 鈥� has added pressure to school properties and city parks.

Some worry the poop pileup will worsen after March break, as dogs may have used fields more with schools closed, and thawing snow has revealed mushy turds.

“It’s so annoying,” says Mahdieh Mirvahidi, who’s had to scrub clean her son’s backpack after being placed on the field to serve as a goal post. She’s even thrown out a pair of his shoes caked in poop. She reminds him to be mindful of where he steps and to wash his hands often.

Dog owners argue the real issue is a lack of adequate space for their pets. Though there’s an off-leash area nearby, it鈥檚 small, muddy and poorly lit.

William Morgan, a dog owner himself, says the complaints reflect 鈥渁 very few bad actors鈥� as most dog owners are responsible. His dog runs off-leash on the field outside school hours, but he always picks up after his pet and has trained him not to go on the turf. “This is an issue where one per cent of dog owners cause problems for everyone else.

A “No Dogs Allowed” sign on the fence of a 色色啦 District School Board school in downtown 色色啦. Despite the signage, parents have raised concerns about unleashed dogs and dog waste on the field, which is used by students during the day.
Nick Lachance 色色啦 Star

“The city’s policy towards dogs seems to be dog parks,” he says. “Dog parks are not a good area for dogs 鈥� they’re disease-ridden fight pits for dogs. And a lot of dogs aren’t suited for dog parks.”

At the Catholic and public school boards, , but enforcement is difficult. City bylaws state dogs must be leashed in public,聽unless in designated off-leash areas.聽

The 聽or a dedicated fenced-in enclosure. But it’s awaiting聽聽鈥� the city has more than聽1,500 parks and about 81 off-leash areas. Also expected this spring is another city staff report on the dangerous dog map, the .

TDSB Trustee Michelle Aarts says all schools in her Beaches-East York ward have issues with dogs.聽 She gets complaints from staff聽and聽families “all the time” about feces聽and聽off-leash聽dogs, noting most owners are polite, but some are rude or aggressive.聽

The turf soccer field at Canoe Landing Park, located in downtown 色色啦’s CityPlace neighbourhood, is used by students during the day. Despite the “No Dogs Allowed” sign, off-leash dogs and dog waste often become an issue after school hours.
Michelle Mengsu Chang 色色啦 Star

And there are costs for the TDSB, which pays to repair damage to school grounds, for increased caretaking time and resources to remove feces, and for security staff who respond to complaints after hours. There are also health concerns because pet waste can contain parasites and bacteria.

Trustee Alexis Dawson, who represents schools in Davenport and Spadina-Fort York, says the health risks are higher for toddlers and preschoolers who put all kinds of stuff in their mouths. And at one of the schools she represents, a student with a developmental disability ate dog poop.

Dawson says聽public awareness campaigns may prove effective. Two years ago,聽students at Rawlinson Community School put up colourful signs to the front fence saying dogs aren’t allowed. During the few weeks those posters were up, there was less dog poop. (The day after the signs went up, a student was attacked in the evening by an off-leash dog in the yard and required emergency plastic surgery on his lip.)

Dawson has encouraged schools to print children’s messages on weatherproof metal signs. While parent councils would need to fundraise for the cost, she says the TDSB can handle the printing.

Bylaw enforcement officers now patrol schools, thanks to updates in the city’s 311 system to include resident complaints about dogs in school yards. 色色啦 Animal Services uses the data to identify hot spots for off-leash activity and conducts monthly patrols with school board security staff聽at properties with the most complaints. (Incidents of off-leash dogs are investigated if owner information is provided, otherwise the data is used to come up with strategies to improve compliance.)

According to 311 data, there have been about 236 complaints聽about off leash dogs on school properties since June, with Ryerson Community School and Jesse Ketchum Junior and Senior Public School at the top of the list. The system also tracks the failure to stoop and scoop in City parks聽鈥� in 2022 there were 195 complaints, in 2023 there were 197, and in 2024 there were 219.聽

A person walks their dogs on the grounds of Jarvis Collegiate Institute, a TDSB high school in downtown 色色啦.
Nick Lachance 色色啦 Star

Bylaw officers use an education-first approach before issuing a ticket. The fine for not picking up after a pet is $490, and being off-leash is $615. There’s no fine for a dog leashed on school property. Since they began patrolling school properties there have been no charges and聽most dog owners have had their pets on a leash, says a city spokesperson.

At the TDSB, it’s tough to gauge how prevalent pet waste is, but a spokesperson says, “there have been a number of issues over the years where it does become a problem.”聽 Meanwhile, the 色色啦 Catholic District School Board says schools downtown, where there’s less green space, receive the most complaints about dog poop and off-leash pets while school is in session.聽聽

In the heart of downtown, tensions have flared at Canoe Landing Park. Nestled among residential towers near Spadina Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West, it’s owned and managed by the city and features two sports fields, walking paths and an off-leash dog area.

During school hours, the fenced soccer field is for exclusive use by Bishop Macdonell Catholic School and Jean Lumb, which share a building. After hours, it’s open to the community but not for dogs. Still, some owners let their dogs run around because the other sports field is covered in jagged ice and turns into a mud pit in spring. They say the designated off-leash area is woefully inadequate, though a new dog park is planned nearby under the Gardiner Expressway in a few years.

Frustrated parents have called for stricter enforcement and better off-leash facilities.

Izabela Melon, whose son goes to Jean Lumb, says the poop problem worsens in winter because more dogs use the field.聽

“It seems to be easier for people who don’t stoop and scoop to simply kick some fresh snow over their dog’s fresh poop and consider the problem solved聽鈥� out of sight, out of mind聽鈥� when that is not an option at other times of the year,” says Melon, adding the field lacks proper drainage. As snow thaws, she says, it uncovers weeks, if not months, of聽unscooped poop.

Ausma Malik, councillor for Spadina-Fort York, says issues at Canoe Landing Park are among the “most challenging” in the ward, and is committed to ensuring “our park users are safe, especially our youngest.” She’s working to boost compliance of the rules, improve the off-leash area and establish regular visits by bylaw officers聽鈥� last year there were enforcement blitzes that also included police.

During the winter break, parents hung up more than 60 signs from children on the fence around the field reminding owners that 鈥淜ids Play Here鈥澛犫€� but within days, most were gone. It’s unclear if they were removed, damaged by the elements or blew away.

The idea to put up signs came from Trustee Dawson, who represents Jean Lumb. She’d like to see the city acquire more community space so residents and pets can enjoy the outdoors. “That’s the solution: More green space.”