The dog days of summer will soon be upon us, and this summer dogs and cats will be allowed at no extra charge in designated pet-friendly cabins and yurts in Manitoba provincial parks. This announcement was made by Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh.
“We know Manitoba families love their pets and consider them a member of the family, so we are pleased to offer pet-friendly initiatives such as dog-friendly swimming and off leash areas,” said Minister Mackintosh. “Campers welcomed the idea when we introduced these options last year and our government continues to make family-friendly improvements so visitors can enjoy all that our parks have to offer.”
Yellow Quill Provincial Park in Portage la Prairie has been established as an off-leash dog area, while 17 other parks such as Winnipeg Beach and Hecla Island have dog-friendly swimming areas identified. Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship has also designated 29 pet-friendly cabins and yurts. Pet-friendly cabins are located at:
- Hecla: five cabins; and
- Camp Morton: four cabins.
Pet-friendly yurts will be found at:
- Camp Morton: two;
- Stephenfield: two;
- Nutimik: four;
- Asessippi: two;
- Spruce Woods: four;
- Childs Lake: two;
- Bakers Narrows: two; and
- Campers Cove: two.
Further updates on pet-friendly areas and options will be available under the Paws in Parks page of the Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship website. Pet owners are reminded to keep control of their animals at all time and to pick up after them. Failure to do so can result in penalties such as a $203.80 fine.
Annual provincial park entry passes can once again be purchased online. In addition to the usual retail outlets, park entry permits can be bought online through Canada Map Sales at www.canadamapsales.com.
The Manitoba Parks Reservation Service will start accepting bookings for cabins, yurts, group-use sites and Birds Hill Provincial Park campsites March 23, while bookings open for the remainder of provincial campgrounds on April 6.
To accommodate the expected high demand on the opening day of the parks reservation system, online and call centre services will begin at 7 a.m. on the website, 204-948-3333 (in Winnipeg) or 1 888-482-2267 (toll free). On all other days, the call centre will open at 9 a.m. Over the last few years, call centre hours have been adjusted to be more efficient and will be in operation during peak demand periods.
Walk-in reservations and in-person payment arrangements can be made at 200 Saulteaux Cres. in Winnipeg and will be available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning March 23 for cabins, yurts, group-use and regular sites at Birds Hill Park, and April 6 for all other provincial parks.
Important dates for 2015 include:
- March 23: reservations open for cabins, yurts, group-use sites and Birds Hill Provincial Park only; and
- April 6: reservations for all other provincial campgrounds open.
