An audible sigh of disapproval from the audience was heard in council chambers on Monday night, after council voted against a reconsideration of the redesign for Sixth St.
During council’s regular meeting on July 8, councillors were faced with a choice to reconsider the current plan for a redesign of Sixth St. Coun. Deb Doherty, Coun. Steve Perry, Coun. Rob Ring and Coun. Christopher Baines voted opposed to the reconsideration, sinking it, as a reconsideration requires a two-third majority vote of councillors to be considered. A reconsideration vote at a council meeting takes place without discussion from councillors or the public.
All councillors received a report from an arborist procured by the town to evaluate the state of the 39 trees lining the north side of Sixth St. which informed their decision.
According to the report compiled by Envision-Tatham and completed by certified arborist Alison Bond, only six of the trees that line the north side of Sixth St. are in “good” condition. Fourteen of the trees are in “fair” condition, while about half of the trees – or 19 of them – are in “poor” condition.
The report notes the streetscape is dominated by Silver and Norway Maples, neither of which is recommended for the location. It also says that while most of the trees don’t appear to have critical reasons for removal, those that are in poor health will have less resilience to construction impacts which may accelerate their decline.
“My big fear was that we do the construction with the cycle track they want, and the trees end up dying,” Coun. Steve Perry told CollingwoodToday following the vote. “Then we’d have no trees and the less-than-ideal cycle track.”
“We have one chance to do this right,” he said.
“We got advice from a lot of experts saying it doesn’t matter what we do, it’s going to kill most of the trees anyway,” said Ring, noting the trees removed would still be replaced at a two-to-one ratio or better.
He also noted that the Collingwood Climate Action Team was in favour of the redesign as it stands.
“They’re the ones I want to hear because they’re experts,” he said. “New trees will add more to the climate.”
While he said he shares a love of trees, Coun. Christopher Baines said he opposed the reconsideration because there’s a greater vision at play.
“The town is moving toward a new vision of how we integrate active transportation. I think this will be, in years to come, a watershed moment,” said Baines. “I understand the opposition. We’ve lost eight trees on my street. It upsets me, but municipal politics is a process of making decisions for the future and...we are not making a decision for five or 10 years. It’s much longer.”
“Despite the opposition, I think it’s the best thing for the town,” he said.
Coun. Deb Doherty said she was satisfied with the final design as it stands.
“We are building a facility not for 2025, but for 2075. We need to build according to very best practices because we’re going to have to live with it for the next 50 years,” she said. “The rationale that we’re going to save the trees is just not there.”
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.
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.
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 brought forward a new design in May to add one-way cycling tracks to each side of the street following opposition to the first design this past fall. This design necessitates the removal of 36 trees on the boulevard on the north side of the street.
In June, resident Leslie Coutts started a petition to save the Sixth St. trees, which blew past 2,000 signatures. Coutts, along with about three dozen residents, marched along Sixth St. in protest of the tree removal on June 17.
On June 3, council approved a tree replacement plan in response to the information that the latest design would necessitate the removal of 36 trees, which would see two trees planted in town for every one cut down. Property owners on Sixth St. and on adjacent side streets will be offered free trees for their private yards.
Had the reconsideration passed, Mayor Yvonne Hamlin had put forward a modified design for the street, which would have brought back the two-way cycle track option. As the reconsideration was defeated, that motion will not be considered by councillors.
