City councillors and staff celebrate the opening of the high-end dog run at City Park/City of Kelowna

By Vernon Matters Staff

pricey amenity

Kelowna opens $1M dog run at City Park

Oct 9, 2025 | 5:28 PM

The City has formally opened its new – and pricey – dog run at City Park.

It transforms a lightly used section of the park into a fun and attractive space for dogs and their owners with nightime lighting and security features.

The plus $1-million price tag is being justified as a way of attracting and retaining downtown residents seeking top class city amenities. It features canine agility features such as a tunnel, balance beams, agility poles, a ramp, bridge, and hoops to encourage exercise and skill-building.

The city said inclusivity was also a key focus in designing the dog run. The project includes two wheelchair-accessible entrances designed to current national accessibility standards; a wide concrete pathway; and additional accessible parking stalls added to the adjacent City Park lot.

Speaking after the official ribbon cutting Wednesday, Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas said it’s exciting to see the energy and the enthusiasm for the new amenity from dog owners. He said it’s important for Kelowna, as a world class city, to offer the thousands of current and future downtown residents quality, safe and accessible amenities like this.

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Asked about the plus million-dollar price tag, he said it does not impact residential taxes because the cost of the dog run was met by a special levy that developers paid for capital costs associated with providing new parkland or improving existing parkland. The cost was initially $750,000.

“The nice thing is this particular park does not affect taxation,”he said. “It was built with the Development Cost Charge, with the development of the new buildings that are in our area.”

Dyas noted spaces like this are necessary especially for downtown residents who don’t have immediate access to green spaces.