The Editor,
Re: “PoCo, have your say on trees in your city” (The Tri-City News, Aug. 9)
I am a resident of Port Coquitlam and was very disturbed by the city removing those beautiful old trees in the recreation complex redevelopment.
I am as deeply disturbed by the city’s new approach of dealing with it’s citizens backlash of opinion of the city’s actions by setting up a distorted policy on tree management and tree inventory.
Look at the city website: It’s all about private owner’s trees. The issue arose in public opinion because of the city’s action against the rec centre’s old trees. Why were these trees not incorporated into the redevelopment plans?
Trees cut down also included a bunch on the outside of the rec centre lot that could have easily been incorporated into the plan. Instead of looking within to the city’s own actions, the council is focused externally to trees on private lands. Let’s start with internal policies with the city on city lands and parks.
How about developing internal city procedures on public consultation before the city is starts hiring someone to cut trees on city lands and parks? Show the public that the city has implemented procedures and plans so more trees are not carelessly cut down on city property and parks again.
Don’t shift the attention. There are lots of people in the PoCo community that love and support trees on their own lands. What PoCo needs is some introspection by city council to protect trees from it’s own city council and staff’s planning and implementation of plans for city land and parks.
Show some leadership and take some accountability instead of shifting the conversation. I would certainly support initiatives to trees on private lands, but it seems to me that city council needs to show how city council will protect city trees from itself before telling PoCo citizens how to protect their own trees. Otherwise, the city comes across as hypocritical.
Robert Magnusson
Port Coquitlam
