Kilcona Park Dog Club | Kilcona Park Dog Club

20

Jul 2013

Making Kilcona a Greener Park

Posted by Kilcona Park Dog Club / in Information /

KPDC’s Board of Directors is urging The City of Winnipeg to install beverage container recycling bins at Kilcona Park. In a letter to Parks and Open Space Division, KPDC President, Donna Henry issued an invitation. “This is an opportunity for the City and the club to work together to reduce the amount of garbage going into landfills and make Kilcona a “greener” park.”

KPDC volunteers set up recycling bins whenever the club hosts an event. Other than that, there are no recycling bins in Winnipeg’s largest park.

Kilcona Park’s Leslie Eng collects recyclables at KPDC’s BBQ.

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Kilcona’s recyclables end up in trash bins with dog waste.

After KPDC’s spring BBQ, Marketing Committee member, Kevin Gordon, approached the Board with the idea for permanent recycling bins. Kevin recently arranged to have beverage container recycling bins installed at the downtown law office where he works.

Photo credit: CBCRA

The bins are free through the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association (CBCRA) new RECYCLE EVERYWHERE Program. CBCRA is a not-for-profit organization supported by beverage companies. The RECYCLE EVERYWHERE Program’s goal is to insure Manitobans can conveniently recycle beverage cans, cartons, juice and milk boxes, and bottles – no matter where they are.

Photo credit: CBCRA

Kevin Gordon spoke to RECYCLE EVERYWHERE about having bins installed at the park. The bins could be set up as early as this summer. Henry says, “KPDC has applied for bins for the club’s September BBQ and Fundraiser and, as official off-leash area steward has offered to apply for bins for the dog park. Park staff would be responsible for collecting the recyclables from the bins. KPDC will make every effort to promote recycling through its website, Facebook page and the park bulletin board.”

Transcona Councillor, Russ Wyatt, Chair of the Mayor’s Environmental advisory Committee, is a strong supporter of the new program. “It is clear that Winnipeggers want to recycle and that providing more access to recycling is one key to success. With the help of RECYCLE EVERYWHERE, Winnipeggers will have increased access to beverage recycling bins when using city facilities. This arrangement is a great fit with Winnipeg’s new waste management plan that emphasizes increased recycling. The fact that CBCRA is providing the bins at no cost is a bonus for taxpayers.”

Bins have been installed at Kildonan and Assiniboine Parks and three Winnipeg golf courses. Plans are for bins to be installed in various arenas, pools, community centres, and other facilities.

Photo credit: CBCRA

This week Park Services East Area Technician Karl Thordarson, responded to KPDC’s request for bins, “At present there is a pilot recycling program on at Kildonan Park. Public Works position is to complete that pilot program and assess before moving forward with any additional sites. We will be mindful of locations like Kilcona when time comes to expand.”

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12

Jul 2013

Park Your Butts!

Posted by Kilcona Park Dog Club / in Information /

Park Your Butts!

Sign at the entrance to Winnipeg’s McPhillips Animal Hospital

Everyone has heard Health Canada’s warning about cigarette smoking but – what about cigarette eating? Dogs, particularly puppies, tend to eat things first and ask questions later.

Cigarettes and other forms of tobacco products contain nicotine, an ingredient that is extremely toxic to dogs. If left untreated, nicotine can paralyze a dog’s breathing muscles and this can cause death within hours.

Nicotine has been used by gardeners for years as a commercial pesticide and fumigant. Powdered nicotine comes in a can with a wick that, when lit, becomes a smoke that is extremely toxic to anything in the vicinity. Greenhouses that use this insecticide ensure that windows and doors are tightly sealed to keep the smoke from escaping.

Nicotine poisoning is a real concern anywhere that dogs have easy access to discarded cigarette butts and Kilcona Park’s parking lot and off-leash area are littered with thousands of them. At last year’s Spring Clean-up, volunteers filled two large black garbage bags along the north side of the parking lot alone.

The biggest concern is that nicotine from the whole cigarette is drawn into the butt, so butts have a high concentration of nicotine. Eating cigarettes is more dangerous than smoking them because all of the nicotine becomes available for absorption into the body.

KPDC Gold Sponsor, McPhillips Animal Hospital says nicotine toxicity depends on the weight of the dog and the amount ingested. Nicotine is toxic at the level of 0.5 to 1 mg milligrams per pound of body weight, while the lethal dose is 4 to 5 mg.

Small dogs are at greatest risk. Just two to four butts are enough to kill a puppy.

Kilcona Park’s new cigarette butt receptacle will make it easy for smokers to park their butts safely. The receptacle, which KPDC purchased and donated to the park, has an 8,000-butt capacity.

The receptacle is located at the west end of the parking lot – a convenient spot for smokers entering, using and leaving the grassy play area, where the greatest number of people and dogs gather – and far enough away from the picnic tables by the map so that people and dogs that gather there aren’t affected by second-hand smoke.

KPDC Director of Marketing, Jeff Henry and Senior Park Foreman, Chris Olbrecht install the receptacle.

KPDC President Donna Henry and Vice President Susan Argue turn over the keys to Park Foreman Chris Olbrecht.

The initiative is a pilot project, a cooperative effort between KPDC and park staff who will maintain it. If the receptacle and education program reduces the accumulation of butts in the parking lot and play areas, KPDC will purchase more receptacles for the off-leash area.