Fido to get a reprieve on Gimli boardwalk ban

Fido might just be able to walk on the boardwalk at Gimli after all, but not during the summer.

Earlier this spring Gimli council voted to ban dogs from the entire beach area, which is now defined as from the water to the parking lot.

That drew battle lines between dog owners and non-dog owners in the lakeside town.

Gimli Mayor Randy Woroniuk said the council will now consider an amendment he hopes will be a compromise.

"From the September long weekend to the May long weekend people will be allowed to walk their dogs on the boardwalk," Woroniuk said.

He calls it a compromise for the people who live in Gimli all year.

"But you can't make everyone happy," Woroniuk said.

Gimliresident,Jason Beck isn't completely happy.

Beck started the petition to allow dogs on the boardwalk, which has nearly 950 signatures and more than 1,300 likes on Facebook.

The compromise is a start, but Beck worries about what kind of an impact the dog ban in the summer will have on businesses.

"How much of an impact is that going to make to the traffic of people coming and spending money in that town? I mean any given sunny day you can go from one end of the town of Gimli to another and count 100 dogs," Beck said.

In the summer people drive up with their dogs from Winnipeg and stroll the boardwalk, shop, eat and enjoy the day with their four-legged friends.

The amendment will go to a vote on the floor of council onWednesday.

Beck said a business group is coming together to make a presentation to council to end the ban because it is concernedabout theimpact it will have on the town's economy.

"I'm hoping when the smoke clears we finally get council to listen to reason. I just honestly don't believe that they quite understand and have looked close enough atthe way the economy will be affected by this," Beck said.