Oak Bay is exploring the option of restricting dogs on Willows Beach.
Under the current bylaw, dogs are allowed off leash on the entire beach during the winter months, but from May through September they are not allowed on the beach at all. But now municipal staff are looking into restricting the dog's access year round, stopping them from going south of Bowker Avenue towards Glenlyon Norfolk School.
Standing on Willows beach at the Bowker Avenue entrance, Oak Bay Councillor Hazel Braithwaite says the idea was brought up by residents involved in the Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
"Their request was that we have a look at the dogs on Willows beach for this specific area, just past Bowker Creek, because of the nesting of the birds in this area. And they feel that the dogs, perhaps, could give up this short little area here."
The proposed section to be restricted is only a small part of the beach, and Braithwaite says she doesn't expect changing the bylaw would cause any issues to the public.
"Even though the sand extends from here (Bowker Avenue) down towards GNS, it's a little bit less so, and there's more rocks. So people tend to only come to this spot where we're standing right now, and then they will go back to perhaps where they parked their cars, or back to the stairs that go back to the main walkway. So it's not really a popular spot for walking."
She adds that the entire shoreline of Oak Bay has been a migratory bird sanctuary since 1923, and it's important to protect the habitat for the 270 different species that live there.
"To me it's really import that we have something that really protects the wildlife here. We need to protect that moving forward. We have lots of different areas within Oak Bay that are extremely special, this is one of those special places. We don't want that ruined. We want to make it so that it's good for the birds, and it's also good for the residents to be able to come down and do the bird watching, or do whatever they choose to do."
Council is waiting for a report from municipal staff, who do not have a timeline set, and public consultations will be held before the bylaw can be amended.