Effective September 30, 2004, Toronto City Council enacted a City-wide By-law to protect trees situated on private property. This by-law is known as City of Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 813, Article III, 'Tree Protection' and is commonly referred to as the City's "Private Tree By-law". This by-law regulates injury or removal of privately owned trees which measure 30 cm in diameter or more as measured at 1.4 m above ground level.
Residents & City Spar Over Giant Tree Branch Fall
Call it a tale of two cities - or in this case, one city and one city street. An argument as large as a tree branch has divided local leaders and the occupants of a quiet neighbourhood in the Queen and Coxwell area. In fact, the problem is a large tree branch, one that fell Thursday morning, completely blocking Craven Rd., and forcing many to take a very long detour around it.
Residents insist they've been complaining about the sagging tree to City Hall for a long time and were worried part of it was going to fall. When they woke up in the morning light, their nightmares had come true.
"We have had complaints all the time about getting something done with this tree and they don't seem to want to do anything about it," gripes 20-year resident Anna-May Ellis."We have phoned the city about it and my neighbour at (number) 25 also phoned the MP about it. They don't seem to want to do anything about it, they said because it was a live tree there is nothing they could do about it." She notes even those who don't live on the street are upset, because many use it as a detour from Coxwell.
"I jog here every morning at 6 and I noticed especially yesterday how low it was and that," confesses a neighbour named Miguel. "I didn't think it would collapse at that time."
But while the residents claim they've been telling the city about the problem for at least two years, local councillor Sandra Bussin has quite a different tale to tell. She maintains the tree is on private property and would never have been a city problem in the first place. And she notes her office has never received any requests in either writing or over the phone that anyone was concerned with the leafy green giant.
But while both sides fight a war of words, others took action. Forestry trucks showed up just before rush hour and began cutting the tree for transport. Luckily, no one was hurt and there was no major property damage when the bough broke.
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