Mature trees cut down in Saanich were not memorial trees, says district
Greater Victoria residents may have noticed mature trees in Saanich, B.C., have been cut down to make way for the municipality's Shelbourne Street Improvements Project.
The removal of the trees has raised some concerns from community members who noticed their absence between North Dairy Road and Pear Street.
Trees, such as the iconic London Plane, are being removed as part of the second phase of the Shelbourne Street Improvements Project.
The project is intended to make the corridor safer for cars, bikes and pedestrians, and includes upgrades to underground infrastructure.
The project will also see protected bike lanes added to Shelbourne Street.
A cut down tree along Shelbourne Street in Saanich, B.C., is pictured. (CTV News)
NO MEMORIAL TREES REMOVED
More than 100 years ago, memorial trees were planted on both sides of Shelbourne Street in Saanich and Victoria to honour B.C.'s fallen soldiers and nurses in the First World War and Boer Wars.
Saanich told CTV in a statement that it acknowledges that some of the mature trees hold a historical significance, but none of the trees being removed are from the original Memorial Avenue plantings in 1921 – of which 200 still remain.
A mature tree along Shelbourne Street in Saanich, B.C., is pictured. (CTV News)
The municipality says it spent several years planning and consulting with residents about the proposed changes and tree removals before going ahead with the project.
As per the municipality's Tree Protection Bylaw – Saanich says for every tree removed three more will be planted within the project area or elsewhere in the municipality, totalling about 350 in total.
The improvement project is expected to take another three to four years to complete.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.