A towering 80-year-old honey locust tree in Toronto’s Leaside neighbourhood has been reduced to a stump, and angry residents say the developer cut it down illegally, defying a city order meant to protect it.
“This is highly disappointing,” said Geoff Kettel, co-president of Leaside’s Residents’ Association. “It’s a matter of integrity and honesty.”
Several neighbourhood residents say they understand the need for development at 712 Eglinton Avenue East, but admit that they’re devastated by the loss of the tree, which provided much-needed shade during hot summer days and heat waves.
“It gave that corner a little bit of character,” said Gary Tannyan.
“In broad daylight, the tree was taken down. People were crying,” added Kettel.
City councillor Rachel Chernos Lin (Don Valley West) says the city made concessions to the developer, allowing them to build closer to the street to keep the tree intact.
“It makes me really angry because I feel like we were taken advantage of, and what appears to have happened is that they gamed the system for their own benefit,” Lin said.
The developer, Modcity, lists details of the construction project on their website. They’re not only building a fourplex in the Leaside neighbourhood consisting of five dwelling units, but they’re also adding a garden suite.
“What was approved in the permit that was given for this property was within a zone that protected that tree; the tree was never allowed to be taken down, and now there’s a big giant hole,” added Lin.
When contacted by CityNews, a Modcity representative claimed there was never a tree at the site to begin with.
“That didn’t happen,” the official said during a phone call. “What tree?”
The fines for cutting down a tree without a permit in Toronto can be up to $100,000.
“While Urban Forestry prefers voluntary compliance, legal action may be taken against violators when appropriate,” reads the City of Toronto’s website.
Lin says that may not be enough to deter developers, considering the millions of dollars at stake in properties.
“We do worry that they factor into the cost of doing business,” the Don Valley West councillor said. “One of the things I’ll be doing is asking the province to put into applicable law the fact that perhaps they shouldn’t be able to get a permit if they’ve done something like this.”
While the permit remains in place, Lin tells CityNews that the developer has submitted a new application for the property, halting construction in the meantime.
