A Toronto park has become the latest battleground of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since March 25 when the city closed its outdoor amenities including all off-leash dog parks to residents, many dog owners have let their four-legged friends run free in the green space at Cedarvale Park near Allen Road and Eglinton Avenue.

Despite the presence of bylaw enforcement, area resident Peter Faiz, who has a golden doodle, said these dog owners fail to observe social-distancing rules and disregard the rights of others to enjoy the outdoor space.

“The conflict between on- and off-leash dog walkers becomes the epicenter of civil conflict in Toronto’s public parks,” said Faiz, an IT worker, who has lived in the neighbourhood for six years. “I feel kicked out of my own park and can’t use it.”

The city has closed all its off-leash dog parks, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, skateboard and BMX parks, picnic areas, outdoor exercise equipment and other parks amenities, as well as parking lots attached to its parks system.

However, the public can still walk or run in parks and green space, get some exercise and fresh air if they keep a distance from one another.

Before the local off-leash dog park was closed, Faiz said a few dog owners would occasionally let their pets run free in other parts of the park but now they are “pretty much all over.”

Over the weekend, Faiz decided to interview dog walkers about “what entitlement they had to walk their dogs off-leash” with his camera.

And it did not go well.

While some dog owners immediately apologized and strapped the animals, others told him to go to hell and gave him the finger.

“I just wanted to engage with them and reclaim the park for other people,” said Faiz, who has since started a YouTube channel, dubbed Pandemic Entitlements, with the help of his 12-year-old son Joshua, posting his interviews with dog walkers online.

“I want people to add to the discussion whatever side they are on.”

City of Toronto spokesperson Jaclyn Carlisle said dogs should be kept on a leash at all times and the public must follow government social-distancing restrictions.

“To stop the community spread of COVID-19, we must reduce all contact with others as much as possible, by staying home except for essential outings,” Carlisle told the Star on Sunday.

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Since April 3, bylaw and police officers have issued 401 tickets related to people using outdoor amenities or not practising physical distancing in parks, but it’s not known how many of those offences took place at Cedarvale Park.

Those violating the social distancing bylaw in a park are subject to a $1,000 fine and people can report non-compliance on the city’s website or by calling 311.