Fight continues over tree preservation
By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Chatham Coun. Michael Bondy said he thought World War Tree was over.
That’s what’s the Victoria Avenue resident has to say in response to a plan by the municipality to take down 16 mature trees on his street this year.
“It will destroy Victoria,” Bondy told The Chatham Voice in a recent interview, noting the street is one of the nicest in Chatham.
“People come here in all four seasons to do stuff like walk their dogs,” the councillor said. “They don’t come here to see the houses; they come here to see the trees. They tell us, ‘We just love Victoria.’”
Bondy said he became aware of the scheme when, as a homeowner, he received notice that C-K plans to cut down 16 trees this year, with another 14 on the “maybe” list. The recommendation from administration comes on the heels of a $4,000 report by a London-based arborist contracted to examine municipal tree cover and liability.
The reason behind the plan, Bondy said, is that the trees are dying or diseased and they pose a liability threat due to safety concerns.
But Bondy said that’s “total overreach” and calls it “totally insane.
“I’m not against taking trees down that are dying or diseased,” said Bondy, noting there are 187 trees on public property on Victoria. “But now we’re doing this because a stick may fall on me. There’s risk using swimming pools and arenas…we all have to live with some risk.”
Bondy said he’s been informed by the municipality that Chatham-Kent decided to take action following a ferocious storm that felled many trees and damaged buildings across Chatham-Kent last August. A number of Victoria Avenue’s mature trees came down as a result of high winds.
The councillor said was to bring forward a notice of motion at the April 29 council meeting aimed at stopping the trees being cut down, pointing out that felling the trees doesn’t match up with the fact Chatham-Kent has declared a climate emergency.
“We’re supposed to be the Maple City,” Bondy said. “At least we were.”
The latest recommendation from staff isn’t the first time Victoria Avenue’s trees have been under attack. Prior to the pandemic, the municipality announced a plan to construct bike paths on the street which would have led to cutting down a number of mature trees. As a result, Victoria Avenue residents banded together to form the group Save Victoria Ave. – Voices for Victoria. The group, which has 1,400 members on Facebook, launched a campaign that saw residents put up signs and wrap the street’s trees in orange ribbons in protest.
As part of a sewer upgrade, the municipality had proposed road widening, a bike path, a roundabout at Gladstone Avenue and the removal of a number of historic trees.
However, it was determined there was some life left in the current sewer system, so the project was postponed. It appeared to fade away over the course of the pandemic.
