A concept image of the shade sail for police service dog vehicles at the RCMP lot in Vernon. (image courtesy of the City of Vernon)

By Liam Verster

$30,000 project

RCMP to add shade sail for police dog vehicles

Aug 15, 2023 | 10:19 AM

RCMP have been given funding approval to install a shade sail to provide a cool space for their police service dogs in their parking lot in Vernon.

A report to Vernon council from Kendra Kryzak, the city’s manager of parks and public spaces, stated police service dogs (PSD) are “not house pets” and cannot be brought into office spaces as they are not to be socialized with people, so they often need to be self contained within a suitable RCMP vehicle.

The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP have two active PSD and another puppy in training, and Mounties say they need to keep those dogs in a cooler environment and away from vehicle and pedestrian traffic that can be closely monitored by the assigned officers.

The PSD parking is currently located in the north west parking lot of civic grounds and is under a large maple tree, however that tree was damage in strong winds in August 2022. A tree assessment deemed the maple unsafe and the tree was removed, leaving little to no shade for the PSD vehicle parking area.

As the need for shade for these vehicles is paramount, the RCMP asked the City of Vernon install a shade sail in the north west corner of the parking lot, and city council approved the installation at its meeting Aug. 14.

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The work requires the stump and root system of the maple be removed, with the report noting the area around the root system could accomodate two additional parking spots.

The root and stump removal plus the installation will cost an estimated $30,000.