The year 2023 could be called the Year of the Tree in the Town of The Blue Mountains.
Saving and preserving trees in the community was a major theme over the past 12 months. The town stepped forward on the matter with a town tree inventory completed during the summer months. But it also stepped backwards when a tree preservation bylaw, that had been in the works for years, was defeated at the council table.
With the impacts of climate change becoming clearer as time goes by, the importance of a healthy and robust tree canopy is just now becoming fully understood.
Efforts by municipalities to protect and enhance a tree canopy are often controversial. They involve questions of private property rights and are viewed by many as classic examples of government overreach.
The question The Blue Mountains council wrestled with through 2023 was: how much tree protection is too much?
Members of The Blue Mountains council found themselves trying to find that delicate balance between growth and progress and environmental preservation. The town’s trees were often the poster child for this classic debate.
The two most notable moments of 2023 on the tree file were the defeat of the tree bylaw and council’s efforts to preserve a number of mature trees slated for removal on the Louisa Street area of Thornbury.
Both debates were emotionally charged and council had to navigate tricky waters on both topics.
In October, in a 4-3 vote, council defeated a tree preservation bylaw for the town. The debate was long and emotional and inspired many different viewpoints across the community.
Councillors in favour of the tree preservation bylaw said it was an important step for the town to take in order to bring some controls to the practice of developers clear-cutting properties before their developments come forward.
Those opposed said they were concerned the bylaw (which did not include the agricultural areas of the town) would eventually expand and encompass the whole town.
The defeat of the bylaw, however, was not the end of the debate. In November, council passed a resolution from Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon to examine the possibility of creating a tree standards committee or task force to look at the tree bylaw issues from all angles.
“This task force/committee can come back to council telling us what would work for everybody or at least get everybody to being 80 per cent happy,” Bordignon said, noting that the town was able to get a short-term accommodation bylaw in place after it got all the parties involved talking to each other.
Other members of council weren’t so sure. Coun. June Porter said inviting developers to the conversation would be akin to “the fox in the henhouse.”
“The reason we’re talking about (tree protection), is because of what developers do,” said Porter.
Late in the year, the future of many mature trees in the Louisa and Elma Streets area of Thornbury became the hottest topic in town.
Many trees in the area were slated for removal as the town continues work on the Thornbury West reconstruction project.
Members of the community expressed dismay about losing so many mature trees and the issue reached the council table on numerous occasions.
Ultimately, council voted in favour of delaying the construction project and seeking a fresh staff report about how the designs can be changed to preserve as many of the trees as possible. The report will come in early 2024.
As 2023 fades into 2024, it’s clear, the tree preservation issue will remain a major focus in The Blue Mountains.
