New updated content: 2018-04-23 11:06:41
report from April 19th CAFES meeting
Kate attended this meeting on behalf of the GA. The main outcome of the meeting unfortunately seems to have been the disappointment of the participants that Martha Copestake, the City Forester, did not attend although it was expected she would. This does not bode well for public consultation on this issue and a letter of concern will be drafted by CAFES in this regard.
New updated content: 2018-05-28 11:50:12
Daniel requested our endorsement for a list of amendments to the Urban Tree Conservation Bylaw that Big Trees of Kitchissippi put together to mobilize people to think about what needs to be changed in the by-law. The amendments include reducing the minimum diameter from 50cm to 20cm for all species, revising the definition of an injured tree, changing the reasons for approval of a distinctive tree permit to be more transparent, and to revise penalties for the injury or removal of a distinctive tree without a permit. Comments must be submitted to Martha Copestake, the City forester responsible for the review, by May 31. She will put together a report and recommendation in the fall. At that time a survey will be conducted to gather feedback on the proposed amendments. Amy moved, seconded by Jason, to endorse the amendments. Agreed.
Action: Paul to send the GA’s own comments on the bylaw review to Martha Copestake before the May 31 deadline.
New updated content: 2018-06-25 12:16:01
Paul reported that he had submitted comments to the City on behalf of the GA regarding this review. We are pleased to see that the issue of the protection of trees in the peri-urban area is included within the scope of the review. As regards the details of the bylaw, the GA stands behind the proposed amendments developed by a group of community organizations and presented by Daniel Buckles at the May meeting of the GA. Paul also reported on a new web based tree mapping application developed and deployed by the same group, which permits users to report and map trees lost to disease, development or other causes. The Lost Trees of Ottawa site can be found at this address.
New updated content: 2018-12-17 15:13:42
Preparatory meeting with Jeff Leiper re: Meeting with Stephen Willis, General Manager, Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development
Paul met with Councillor Jeff Leiper, Daniel Buckles (Big Trees of Kitchissippi, CAFES) and Heather Pearl (Champlain Park CA, FCA) to prepare for a meeting on trees and greenspace with Stephen Willis scheduled for January 9, 2019. The main themes to emerge were better enforcement of the current tree protection bylaw, key issues to be addressed in the review of the tree protection bylaw and how to better position and integrate greenspace in the next revision of the Official Plan.
New updated content: 2019-08-26 10:04:58
Paul and Daniel attended a City meeting on May 29 on approaches to infill and trees in the Tree Conservation By-law. This was a joint stakeholder meeting, with representatives from developers and the community in attendance. We sent this joint response (CAFES, Ecology Ottawa, FCA, GA) to the City on June 3. This was followed by a formal stakeholder meeting on June 24, at which time a discussion paper containing proposed directions for all aspects of the new By-law was tabled. A ten minute discussion for each proposal ensued. City staff took note of comments at the meeting and indicated that written submissions would be accepted until September 9. A joint submission, by way of a public petition with 376 signatures, was sent to the City on August 29. There will be a final push for signatures in September, including during national tree week, and the petition will be formally delivered to Mayor and Council at that time.
New updated content: 2019-09-23 10:11:22
A joint submission, by way of a public petition with 376 signatures, was sent to the City on August 29. It was agreed to update this with any additional signatures received since then and to resubmit to the City.
Action: Daniel to update the petition and advise as to how and when to resubmit to the City.
New updated content: 2020-02-17 10:59:34
Tree Conservation Bylaw
City Council approved the new Tree Conservation Bylaw on January 29. We have participated extensively in the review of this bylaw and some good came of it. However, it will really only be fully implemented in 2021 and we are concerned that it will come down to a tree by tree fight again, as per the old bylaw, because there is no overarching target for canopy cover. We have proposed that tree removals be assessed against reaching or maintaining mandatory canopy cover targets at the neighbourhood scale, a proposal that the Environment Committee has directed staff to examine and to report back on it. We will continue our advocacy on this file.
New updated content: 2020-07-20 09:20:47
Accelerated implementation of the Tree Bylaw
At the initiative of Councillor McKenny, and supported by community activism (Ecology Ottawa ran a campaign on the issue, members of the POP coalition made representations to staff and elected officials), City Council has directed that the actual protective clauses of the Tree Protection Bylaw be implemented on January 1, 2021, eliminating the Covid related delay that had previously been approved. This decision restores the effective date that was initially approved when the bylaw was passed. Members noted that the protection of heritage trees and trees in peri-urban areas (the narrow strip of rural land that is adjacent to the urban boundary) remain as outstanding issues that the City has committed to address.
New updated content: 2023-10-16 12:37:15
City staff are proposing a change to the Tree Protection bylaw that will reduce the threshold for recognition as Distinctive Tree to 30cm in the suburban area, instead of 50cm as is currently the case. This would match the definition now in force inside the Greenbelt. It is a change for which we have been advocating and will support when it comes to the Environment and Climate Change Committee on November 21, 2023.
New updated content: 2023-12-18 13:00:55
The Environment and Climate Change Committee approved the changes to this Bylaw recommended by staff. Pending full Council approval, this will extend the protection of trees of 30cm or greater diameter at breast height to the suburban area. Previously, only trees 50cm dbh were protected in the suburbs outside the Greenbelt. The GA supported this change, which support was featured in the media.
New updated content: 2024-02-26 15:30:36
Tree Protection Bylaw
The change to the Tree Protection Bylaw that establishes the threshold for Distinctive Trees as those having a diameter of 30 cm at breast height across the entire urban area of the City came into effect on February 1, 2024. This is an important milestone that will protect many more trees in the suburban areas, where the threshold was previously 50 cm.
