An Edmonton couple are mourning the loss of a line of trees they say was home to wildlife and a place for residents to connect with nature inside the city. Michelle Tomaszewski and Logan Chorney live in Ambleside across from Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour School where a long line of green has been replaced with piles of woodchips and a stretch of neon orange fence. “Normally, there’s a wonderful tree line that shelters the playground there from the rest of the neighbourhood, and overnight it was gone. It disappeared,” Chorney said. “We took walks here almost every day with our dog. Our neighbours took walks,” Tomaszewski said. “Their kids played here, they made tree forts in those trees.” “I had a relationship with the animals that lived in those trees, specifically the magpies,” she added. “We would come to the tree line and we’d visit their nest. They would bring their babies to us every spring, and we’d get to meet them as well.” The trees, according to the City of Edmonton, were predominantly on private land being prepared for development and current regulations allowed for them to be removed. Karen Burgess, a communications advisor for the city, told CTV News Edmonton that a few of the trees were on the city-owned school site, but that a February assessment found them to be in poor health. “It was determined they would not have survived and could become a reservoir for tree pests and diseases,” Burgess added. Tomaszewski and Chorney weren’t satisfied with that explanation and reached out to Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Mike Elliott for more answers. “We want the environmental assessment to be made public,” Tomaszewski said. “The biggest thing is transparency,” Chorney added. “It almost feels like we’re at the mercy of developers, and as a community we really have no say.” Elliott is aware of the community’s concerns and said he understands them. But as far as he knows, he said, developers were given the go-ahead to cut down the public trees because they were sick or dying. “I completely understand in this case why people were upset,” Elliott said. “People do like parks, they do like the environment. They do like trees, and this is one of those things that has caused a ripple effect in the community.” Elliott said he has asked city administration for more information but won’t be releasing any reports to protect “sensitive information.” Tomaszewski and Chorney started a petition to have the trees replanted that they said gathered more than 150 signatures. Elliott said, personally, he would like to see that happen. “I like trees,” he said. “I think it’d be beneficial, but I, once again, have to see what the assessment is and what the plans are for that area.” On the private side, the city said the developer will have to follow minimum landscaping requirements when they redevelop the property. In September, city council requested a private property tree protection bylaw for developing neighbourhoods, but that report is not expected to be released to the Urban Planning Committee until early next year. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
