Hamilton will name leash-free dog park after Cpl. Nathan Cirillo

The Ancaster leash-free dog park will be named after Corp. Nathan Cirillo.

Cirillo was gunned down while guarding the National War Memorial during an attack Parliament Hill on Oct. 22. The Hamilton resident regularly walked his beloved dogs in the Ancaster Meadowlands park, now colloquially known as Cinema Park because of the adjacent movie complex.

City council moved last year to name the park the Corp. Nathan Cirillo Leash Free Park. And in a recent letter, Cirillo's regiment, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, approved it.

"Cpl. Cirillo, apart from being a fine soldier, was a great lover of dogs and other animals, and indeed rescued numerous animals in order to give them a good home," said Lieut.-Col. Lawrence Hatfield in a letter to the city.

"He frequently walked these animals in the Meadowlands."

Naming requests have poured in from across the country. The Cirillo family accepted the Ancaster one "without hesitation," Hatfield said.

"Both they and I think it is an idea in keeping with the ideals Cpl. Cirillo espoused, and a very personal and touching tribute to his memory."

A group of residents made the push to have the park named after Cirillo, said Coun. Lloyd Ferguson. 

"It seems like the absolute right thing to do," he said. 

The city's facility naming subcommittee will discuss the letter at a June 9 meeting. Council will likely approve it in June.