Councillor wants city to branch out, consider protecting trees with historic designation By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 6:00 PM CST Monday, Jan. 22, 2024

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This article was published 22/01/2024 (642 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A city councillor is hoping his idea to preserve trees by giving them a historic designation takes root.

Coun. Matt Allard’s new motion aims to better protect some cottonwood groves in his St. Boniface ward by adding them to the city’s list of historical resources.

Allard said he’s not aware of any previous historic designations used to preserve trees, but he’s optimistic that his motion will determine that they are eligible.

“I understand the trees have merit, from conversations with the community, and they should be preserved. And I want to know that the City of Winnipeg heritage bylaw may be used on trees. If it may be used on trees, that opens the door to it maybe being used on trees, perhaps, citywide,” said Allard.

Traditionally, the historical resources list has been used to protect Winnipeg’s oldest and most significant buildings from the wrecking ball.

The trees in question abut the Seine River, from Fort Gibraltar to its junction with the Red River.

Allard said Indigenous people are believed to have used the trees long ago to find shade on hot summer days.

Since the historical resources bylaw can be used to preserve both public and private land, the method could be used to provide broad tree protection in the future, Allard said.

In an email, public works spokesman Ken Allen said the city is not aware of trees being declared a historical resource under municipal legislation to this point. Allen noted the trees Allard hopes to protect are on park land, so a park bylaw already offers some protection.

“Under this bylaw, trees and other vegetation may not be disturbed and/or removed unless authorized by the (city’s chief administrative officer),” said Allen.

The councillor pushing for the heritage designation said it would provide an extra layer of protection.

“It’s the best protection for buildings. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be the best protection for trees, as well… If there were any issues with the trees, any conversation about removing the trees, the historic component would have to be considered. The historic designation holds a lot of weight, in the case of buildings,” said Allard.

“Whether or not this, specifically, can be done in the way that Coun. Allard is asking us to look at, I don’t know. But I look forward to hearing from city staff on that”–Mayor Scott Gillingham

He was not sure exactly how old the affected trees are.

Pam Lucenkiw, a member of Outdoor Urban Recreational Spaces-Winnipeg, supports the idea as a step toward greater tree protection.

“It’s a good start, but we should really be protecting cottonwoods along the whole corridor. We had so many (once)… and they make such fabulous habitat,” said Lucenkiw.

“Some of them are very big and old, they could be 200 years old.… The early settlers, the explorers would see the cottonwoods in the distance and it would be a signal for them that there was water and, probably, wildlife ahead.”

She said such trees were once abundant along rivers but many have since vanished, increasing the need to preserve the rest.

“They are the largest trees that grow along (these) areas, very unique to that riparian area. They provide stability to the riverbank… and provide a kind of habitat that other trees don’t,” said Lucenkiw. “They have a heritage that benefited people for (many) years.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham said Allard’s motion appears to support recent council efforts to protect trees and increase green space.

“Council, in our last term of office, we really focused on expanding the amount of green space that we have… and we’ve worked hard on the protection of trees,” he said.

In 2021, city council set a long-term target to add 1,000 acres of locally accessible green space within Winnipeg, while Gillingham promised to add more trees to the canopy during his 2022 election campaign.

However, the mayor said he’d prefer to wait for feedback from city experts to help determine if this particular option is possible.

“Whether or not this, specifically, can be done in the way that Coun. Allard is asking us to look at, I don’t know. But I look forward to hearing from city staff on that,” said Gillingham.

The Riel community committee is expected to vote on Allard’s motion on Jan. 26. If the motion is approved, council’s property and development committee will vote on whether to recommend that Winnipeg’s planning director consider the designation.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga