Even though winter is behind us, I put forward a motion at the City Council’s Transportation Committee that Winter Maintenance Standards be reviewed. I am pleased to say that this passed unanimously by the committee membership. We will see a thorough review of sidewalk and road clearance of both snow and ice. I would have liked to see this be done quickly, but staff have stated they need time to do a thorough job of making these positive changes. In the meantime, another motion was passed to review the current standards and ensure that city crews respond as efficiently as possible to all winter weather conditions. My motivation to write this motion was listening to constituents like yourself and by observing the effect of climate change on our roads and sidewalks. I will keep you informed as the study progresses.
Mature Tree Removal in QTN Upsets Neighbours
I received many calls on Wednesday from Queensway Terrace North residents regarding a large 70-year-old maple tree being cut down from a property on Connaught Ave. Residents showed me a statement by the developer from the Committee of Adjustment hearing saying that he would save the trees, so it was an unwelcome surprise for them to see it being removed. As a Councillor, I am very concerned when mature trees are removed.
Here is the statement from the City Forester: “A distinctive tree permit was issued by the City at the request of the developer to remove a private maple tree at the front of 859 Connaught Ave. The developer’s arborist submitted a report to the City recommending removal of this tree due to its location relative to the approved development and approved site services. City staff verified the details of the arborist report and a distinctive tree permit was issued at the developer’s request. The permit was issued on February 11, 2019.” – Jason Pollard, Section Manager, Forestry
Developers and city officials need to work together to save these precious trees to preserve our urban canopy. I want to work on improving policy to save trees such as this one.