On Monday night, a few Collingwood tree-huggers took a stroll along Sixth St. in an act of protest against the town for plans to remove 36 trees on the north side of the street as part of the Sixth St. reconstruction project.
About 30 people attended the walking protest, which ended at Collingwood town hall. While a new redesign option was originally on the agenda for council to consider at their June 17 meeting, Coun. Rob Ring asked at the beginning of the meeting to defer the motion for the project for two weeks, to leave time for councillors to learn more fully about the situation and hear from residents before making a final decision.
During the unregistered deputation portion of the meeting, three residents spoke against the removal of the Sixth St. trees.
“I hope you can consider saving the trees because they’re good. They keep us alive and healthy,” said eight-year-old Harlow Coutts to councillors.
“The trees are important,” said Ann Cooper. “There is every reason to preserve the trees. The more I look into it, there are fewer reasons to get rid of the trees.”
“I hope that whatever plan you go with, that the trees on the north side are preserved.”
The 1.3-kilometre stretch of Sixth Street between Hurontario and High Streets is due for watermain replacement to improve water supply and pressure to the western side of Collingwood via the Stewart Road Pump Station, and while the town is making those necessary repairs, it’s reconsidering the current design of the streetscape.
The first proposed design included a 1.5-metre sidewalk on the north side and a three-metre, two-way, multi-use bicycle and pedestrian track located on the south side of the road.
However, the proposal was criticized as unsafe by residents and the town's active transportation advisory committee because of the two-way bicycle track, prompting reconsideration of the design.
Town staff took their second kick at the can for a redesign of the proposed design in May, to add one-way cycling tracks to each side of the street following opposition to the first design this past fall.
All iterations of the streetscape plan includes at least some tree removal, town staff told CollingwoodToday last week.
Current project timelines will see the entire project completed by 2030 in a phased approach, with Hurontario to Oak Street expected in 2026 and Oak to High Street expected in 2027.
Council approved a tree replacement plan in response to the information that the design would necessitate the removal of 36 trees at their meeting on June 3, which would see trees replaced on the street at a two-to-one ratio or more, and property owners on Sixth St. offered free trees for their private yards.
Last week, Collingwood resident Leslie Coutts started a petition to save the Sixth St. trees. As of Monday, 1,113 people have signed the petition.
“I’m really passionate about saving these trees,” Coutts said during the June 17 meeting. “I hope you do consider that they’re important, and consider other options.”
On Monday, the Collingwood Climate Action Team put out a press release noting they were in favour of the current plan with bike lanes on either side of the street and the tree replacement plan approved by councillors.
“This care and maintenance of aging infrastructure must be done for the town and its residents to
function safely and have our daily needs met,” notes the release. “We ask the town to continue the plan as envisioned, planned, and supported through the process of the staff with input and opportunities from citizens.”
Originally put forward by Mayor Yvonne Hamlin, the motion to be discussed at the July 8 council meeting is to approve a modified design for the street, which will include 3.3-metre vehicle lanes, the 1.5-metre sidewalk to remain on the north side of the street and a three-metre off-road two-way cycle track on the south side of the street. Hamlin's proposal is nearly the same as what was proposed originally and criticized by the active transportation committee.
The motion also calls on the design to maximize the preservation of existing, established trees. Trees that are necessary to remove would still be replaced at at least a two-to-one ratio, with the planting to take place on public land along Sixth, on private land on Sixth, and/or on public land on adjacent side streets.
