Paul Najda
Candidate St. Boniface
St. Boniface Ward
Dog Unfriendly
Q1: Please describe what you have done in the past to serve the interest of Winnipeg dogs and dog owners - either in your own ward or in the city.
TBA
Q2: Does your ward have an off-leash dog park? If not, do you know why not?TBA
Q3: If you are elected, will you increase the number of dog parks in your ward. If so how will you do that? If you have specific locations in mind, please identify them. TBA
Q4: Winnipeg lags behind many major Canadian cities in terms of the number and size of its off-leash areas, and level of service and amenities it offers dog park users. Why do you think this has happened? If elected, what would you do to change this? TBA
Q5: Do you support WINDOG’s model for Winnipeg off-leash dog parks? Please provide reasons. If so, what will you do to implement it? If not, why not? TBA
Q6: What specifically should the City do to create off-leash recreational space in older, well-established neighbourhoods? TBA
Q7: If you are elected, what specifically will you do to improve Winnipeg's existing off-leash areas? Please consider the park infrastructure, facilities, and type and level of service the city offers and give examples.TBA
Q8: Winnipeg dog owners have been losing what little off-leash space they have, as it’s repurposed for other recreational users and for municipal profit through the sale and rental of off-leash space. If elected, what would you do to change this? TBA
Paul Najda
I am not pleased with being labelled dog unfriendly. I have great respect for all animals, be they dog, cat or animals in the wild. There are a lot of dogs in my neighbourhood and my wife and I have become friends with many of them. We are not dog owners (we have two indoor cats) but I do see the need for more dog parks. I did respond to your questionaire but in a general statement rather than each individual question but you chose not to post it.
Donna Henry
Hello Paul,
There are two reasons WINDOG did not publish your email. First of all – as a cat owner – you described, for the most part, your position on cats, feral cats, cat licensing and no-kill shelters. WINDOG is about dogs. As an off-leash dog park lobby group, our organization asked candidates to indicate their support for WINDOG’S off-leash area plan for Winnipeg and what they would do to create more high-quality dog parks if elected.
The second reason is that the survey format was designed to allow voters to compare candidates’ responses – it was not intended to be a campaign forum so our policy was not to publish “general statement” that circumvented core issues or were merely statements of self-promotion. WINDOG informed all candidates that, if they chose not to respond to the survey we would conclude that dog parks were a low priority. You responded to this saying, “I do regard your statement “WINDOG will consider that candidates who do not respond to the survey regarding off-leash dog parks as a very low priority” as a form of coersion.
WINDOG made every effort to accommodate you. When you advised me that you were a late entry into the campaign and had not had time to complete the survey I offered you the following option: “WINDOG has extended the deadline until Saturday, September 20 at 6pm so that those candidates who did not have the opportunity to respond to the survey by the deadline don’t receive the same “dog-unfriendly” designation as those who simply chose not to respond because dog parks are not a priority for them.” You declined this offer.
Donna Henry
Vice President – WINDOG