The Community Trees Matter Network asked candidates throughout the region to answer questions relating to tree matters.
With mayors and councils making important budget decisions now, these questions are more relevant now than ever. For example, Lisa Helps sent out a campaign news release saying we could celebrate Tree Appreciation Day by planting trees in neighbourhoods all over the city, up to 1000. However, only four were planted this year, about a quarter of the number that was planted last year.
Q: Our municipality’s tree canopy is both shrinking and becoming less dense at a rapid rate. Since trees provide essential ecological services, such as flood control, cleaning and cooling the air, and producing oxygen to name just a few, and since trees have a proven beneficial impact on public health, what will you do to protect our existing canopy, and increase it as quickly as possible?
Lisa Helps:
I will ensure that an Urban Forest Action Plan is written and implemented. I’m not sure why this has not happened to date as it was a key item to be completed coming out of the Urban Forest Masterplan.
Ben Isitt:
Strengthen the City of Victoria Tree Preservation Bylaw
Substantially increase funding in the 2019 Financial Plan for tree planting on municipal land (boulevards, parks, other greenspace)
Strengthen and implement the Urban Forest Master Plan
Jeremy Loveday:
I support strengthening the City of Victoria Tree Preservation Bylaw to protect established trees and existing tree canopy. I would like to see the Urban Forest Master Plan enhanced and implemented. I will also push for the creation of a Parks Acquisition Fund to ensure that every neighbourhood is served by parks and green spaces.
Q: How much of a priority is this to you? How soon will you act?
Lisa Helps:
This is a big priority for me. Here are my platform commitments; I will start right away.
- Year one: Continue to implement the City of Victoria Urban Forest Masterplan by creating an Urban Forest Action Plan (see recommend Action B in UFMP)
- Years two to four: Increase the City’s tree canopy by planting more trees everywhere. Draw on the City of Toronto and other inspiring initiatives to engage the public to help plant and maintain trees in public spaces. The City of Victoria has 33,000 trees in public space. In 2017 the City planted 328 new trees, removed 150 trees and inspected 760 trees. New trees have a 95% survival rate; they are a great investment as the climate continues to change.
Ben Isitt:
A high priority. If you look into my voting record, you will see that I am the strongest advocate for tree protection and protection / restoration of natural areas on City Council. I will act as soon as the City gets into budgeting and strategic planning after the election.
Jeremy Loveday:
This is a high priority. I will work to get these actions into the City’s strategic plan immediately following the election. I have consistently advocated for tree protection both in the City through the protection of natural areas and more broadly in opposition to the logging of old growth forests.
Q. What will you do to protect this municipality’s trees? How soon? How will you increase the budget for tree care, and tree planting? What creative ideas do you have to increase our city’s tree canopy?
Lisa Helps:
One of the ideas I would like to implement is to build on the City’s annual tree planting day where we choose one street and work with the neighbours to plant trees and to create an annual tree planting festival! Victorians love festivals and we love trees. I bet in one day alone working together we could plant over 1000 trees. I look forward to making this happen.
Ben Isitt:
I act to protect trees in the City of Victoria on a frequent basis, including voting against land use applications that propose the removal of Garry Oaks and other tree species, and advocating for improvements to the municipal parks and greenspace system. I would propose increasing the budget for tree care and planting by $100,000 in 2019, with consideration given to further increases in future years following a review of the Urban Forest Master Plan.
Jeremy Loveday:
I will support an increased budget for implementation of the Urban Forest Master Plan including increased funding for tree care and tree planting in the 2019 budget.
Q. How will you encourage builders to leave mature trees in place?
Lisa Helps:
In some cases we can ask builders to adjust the location of the building to leave mature trees in place. This is very challenging in an urban infill setting where affordability is a key issue.
Ben Isitt:
I will encourage builders to leave mature trees in place by pushing back against land use applications that propose to remove mature trees.
Jeremy Loveday:
I will place weight on the preservation of mature trees, particularly Garry Oaks, when making landuse decisions.
Q. Will you introduce and use serious penalties for those who harm or kill our life-giving trees? (Mississauga charges a replacement fee of more than $700 for a damaged or destroyed street tree. In the region, it averages about $40 a tree.)
Lisa Helps:
I don’t know what our penalties for this are in the City of Victoria but it does sound like they are low compared, for example, to Mississauga. I will look into this.
Ben Isitt:
Yes, I support amendments to the City of Victoria Tree Preservation Bylaw to increase penalties for harming or killing trees.
Jeremy Loveday:
I would support amendments to the Tree Preservation Bylaw to increase penalties for harming or killing mature trees. I think this may be a necessary step to help protect our mature tree canopy.