Londoners fighting to save trees get a temporary stop and promise for talk

Dozens of Old North residents looking to save some of the city's most mature trees had a tense meeting with city staff that ended in an agreement to pause cutting and move to dialogue at a public meeting.

Neighbours gathered Thursday evening at the cormer of Fraser Avenue and Maitland Street to learn why more than 30 old trees were slated to be cut down for infrastructure updates.

Felling trees is an issue that has irked Londoners in different parts of the city for years, as aging sewer lines have needed replacing.

Some have questioned why the city's slogan is "The Forest City" when alternatives to cutting have not been an option or explained by staff. 

In this instance, Old North residents called for the city to host a formal consultation process to hear concerns and to explain planning decisions for the removal of trees on Fraser Avenue and Regent Street. 

A total of 41 trees were originally set to be cut down, but the city has since reduced it to 35 after initial concerns from residents. Staff has not explained why the decision to remove the six trees has been reversed. 

"It's a stopgap at this point, and we're happy with that. But going forward, we just want to make sure that we're heard," said Old North resident Mike Flaherty.

"Ultimately, we want to see them coming back to us and agreeing to look at some of the alternatives. But the main issue here is we all have very little information," he said. "We want to be educated, but we also want to look at alternatives."

Everybody here is just asking for a voice and asking for transparency, said resident Adam Hopper, who lives nearby on Huron Street. 

"We're really concerned that there's been a complete lack of transparency with respect to significant infrastructure projects impacting what we would consider to be a really significant core part of London," Hopper said. 

"This is not about us trying to fight improving infrastructure. We all know that a lot of the infrastructure here is old," he said. "We haven't seen what the options are."

In the current plans, Rosalyn Kew would lose two large trees in her yard, after already losing a sycamore tree to city construction a few years ago. 

"I was devastated when they said they were going to take the other one down," Kew said. "When I look out the window, it's all the squirrels. It's shade. It keeps my hydro bills down. It's character. It's everything."

The city says they sent letters last fall and January to residents about the project, but Kew and other resident said they hadn't received any.  

"There wasn't a process that I was included in or even invited to be a part of," she said.

Aaron Rozentals, London's manager of water engineering, said staff will present project and and be available to answer any questions from residents, along with receive feedback, at the public meeting. 

"We have thoroughly reviewed this project and our designs and think we are doing everything we can to save the trees on the street," said Rozentals.

 "Unfortunately with construction of underground infrastructure, there will be tree impacts, and we do try to minimize those."

Construction was set to begin in early spring and wrap up by fall 2023 with minor clean-up and paving next spring, according to the project website. 

Colin Evans, who lives on Waterloo Street, said trees on his street were cut down several years ago for infrastructure upgrades.

Like others at the meeting, Evans wondered if city plans would involve be moving street by street, over the years, removing trees for sewer work. Residents said they want to see a long term plan, and one that includes pricing options. 

"This is just one stretch of street, but my concern is about all the neighbourhoods in the city, and the impact these types of infrastructure upgrades are going to have, and what the alternatives could be," he said.