Tree clearing set for disputed Lemay Forest: planner By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 5:20 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2024 Last Modified: 8:42 AM CDT Thursday, Jun. 20, 2024 Updates

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A planner says tree clearing will soon begin at an urban forest, which residents are fighting to save, amid the City of Winnipeg’s attempts to greatly reduce the size of the project.

Planner John Wintrup said tree removal on private land known as the Lemay Forest could begin as early as Saturday.

The landowner proposes to build a 2,500-unit, 5,000-bed assisted-living facility on the site and will fight to keep it that size, he said.

“There’s a housing crisis. This is transit-oriented (development) within 800 metres of a rapid transit stop… If you’re not going to put density around rapid transit corridors, where are you putting it in Winnipeg?” said Wintrup.

On Monday, the city’s Riel community committee will hear a development application for the 22.5-acre site, which is located next to the southwest shore of the Red River, east of 35 De La Digue Ave., west of 100 Villa Maria Pl. and north of homes at 819-915 Lemay Ave.

If city planners’ recommendations are followed, the development would shrink to 791 units. A city report calls for the developer to provide further traffic reviews for officials to consider any increase beyond 800 housing units.

The report deems the current proposal too large for the surrounding neighbourhood of about 1,735 people.

“The proposal is nearly three times the current population or would potentially quadruple the current population of the neighbourhood,” it states.

City planners declined to speak about the project prior to the public hearing.

Wintrup said the 791-unit size would kill the project.

“They’ve got no logical rationale to reduce the density by (so much). And all the city policies indicate this is where you densify housing,” he said.

Wintrup alleged city officials are deliberately slowing down the project.

“I expect one day to be in court on this,” he said.

The housing project would require full city council approval.

Cat Macaulay Gauthier, a member of the Coalition to Save Lemay Forest, hopes the proposal is rejected to save an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 trees.

“All the species that live, use (the) habitat in the forest and along that riparian forest corridor (are important),” said Macaulay Gauthier.

She noted governments have offered some funding to buy and preserve the land.

Coun. Markus Chambers, who previously spoke in favour of saving the forest, told the Free Press he can’t weigh in on the housing application until after Monday’s hearing.

“At this point, I want to be open to all information that will be presented, with respect to developing these lands,” said Chambers (St. Norbert – Seine River).

The councillor rejected the claim that the city is delaying progress on the proposal.

“All of the applications that we’ve received have been processed accordingly, in terms of their timelines,” said Chambers.

On Wednesday, the Free Press published an opinion piece about the development by the land’s owner, Mazyar Yahyapour.

Yahyapour, who declined an interview request, wrote that efforts to collaborate with governments and neighbours were rejected.

The owner said he received an offer of $1.9 million from the Manitoba Métis Federation for the land and a $2.9-million offer from Manitoba Habitat and Conservancy, both of which he said fell far short of the property’s value.

He also said he’s faced safety threats linked to the proposal.

Wintrup said residents have yelled, screamed and sworn at meetings, while one person threw a surveyor stake at him during a site visit.

“We’re not looking to escalate it any further… I’m hoping some calmer heads actually start prevailing,” said Wintrup, noting he’s had productive meetings with some residents.

The planner also expressed concerns about comments federation president David Chartrand made during a recent CJOB interview about the development, which specifically related to the cemetery for a former orphanage that operated on part of the site.

“When it comes to graves and culture and all that, that’s a different game. And we will come in with every loaded gun we have to protect culture and, of course, our graves,” said Chartrand at the time.

During a Wednesday interview, the federation leader stressed he did not intend any threat.

“Everybody knows I’m not talking about a real gun, I’m talking about a loaded position that I will defend… There’s no attempt to hurt, physically or in any manner,” he said.

Chartrand accused the owner of portraying himself as a victim as he seeks more money for the land.

He said protecting any possible Métis graves is the federation’s top priority.

“If there’s graves in there, I guarantee you I will do everything in my power to protect it because the majority of children that were in that orphanage were Métis,” he said.

Wintrup said the development would include a buffer around the historic cemetery and testing will be used to determine the exact location of any potential graves.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

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