Editor:
I am astounded by the hypocrisy of a city council and staff who decry the lack of tree canopy in the downtown core in its urban canopy reports and purport to have climate goals and tree planting targets and yet allow the total destruction of mature and sound trees for the sake of highways and more concrete and glass downtown (downtown — currently with the lowest tree canopy cover in the city at 10 per cent).
In this last two years, hundreds of massive trees have been mown down to allow for the landing of the new Pattullo Bridge on-ramps.
Just this week, many more mature trees were ripped down for an eight-storey condo development at Royal and First. Was there no thought of at least retaining a green belt of mature trees? Instead, more cement will be poured instead of trees saved or planted.
The Agnes Street greenway is painted green — the one little new tree at the corner of Qayqayt Elementary School can’t provide the oxygen to the air or the habitat for wildlife that the mature trees in this little corner of downtown once provided. The city obviously thinks downtown is strictly for selling off and selling out to development, and they’ll no doubt continue to plant all of their greening efforts at the Quay and Queen’s Park.
A. Taylor McBryde
📢 SOUND OFF: What do you think of the state of tree cover in New Westminster? Where would you like to see more trees? Do you have ideas about how the city could increase New West's tree canopy? Share your thoughts — send us a letter.
