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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 11, 2006 - 3 Mayoral candidates tackle tree bylaw issue During the 2006 municipal election The Oakville Beaver will be posing questions to the Mayoral candidates on a weekly basis. The candidates' responses to these questions will be printed in the Wednesday edition of the Oakville Beaver from Oct. 4- Nov. 8. This week, the candidates were asked: How can the Town resolve the issue of clear cutting trees for development without infringing upon the rights of individual homeowners and business owners. Rob Burton Better research, better consultation. Good research is about asking good questions. When Town staff researched Mississauga's bylaw, which does not have expensive permits or complex rules, they asked how many resiRob Burton dents had been charged. When told none, they concluded the bylaw was a failure. But when asked about results, the public heard the bylaw was a success because it had stopped clear cutting by developers without inconveniencing residents. Good research is also about asking what is important. Is it appearance, natural cooling, public health? Depending on your goal, tree canopy ­ the number of leaves ­ may be more important than the number of trees, because of the way trees capture carbon. There was not enough respect for the input that came from the public, which illustrates the problem with public consultation in Oakville. Good consultation can prevent problems. Sherry Arnstein, who pioneered bringing the public into policy-making, developed this model ­ known as the Ladder of Citizen Participation ­ for ranking government efforts. Where would you rank Oakville? (Degrees Of Citizen Power): 8 ­ Citizen Control; 7 ­ Delegated Power; 6 ­ Partnership; (Degrees of Tokenism): 5 ­ Placation; 4 ­ Consultation; 3 ­ Informing ; (Non-participation) 2 ­ Therapy; 1 ­ Manipulation. The consultation on the tree bylaw told us what they were going to do and resisted citizen suggestions: a "3", in my view. This model, first published in 1969, is in all good planning textbooks. If Town officials fail to consult in a meaningful way, it's on purpose. If I were mayor, this failing would be fixed. Chris Stoate Homeowners don't need any red tape or bureaucracy to make them do what they are already doing: being good stewards of their trees. The rush to a bylaw, which would have required fees for Chris Stoate even sick trees, was ill-conceived. Council supported my motion that staff develop a bylaw to control the kind of wholesale tree removal that often happens when small homes on large lots are torn down for larger homes, or when lot severances occur. Many more trees are going down than is necessary for the footprint of the home and pool. This is not isolated, and market pressure will ensure that it gets worse. Developers are selling the virtues of a home in a mature welltreed area, but reducing the tree cover in the process. The consequences for all of us are environmental as well as aesthetic, and they are not trivial. Trees clean the air and reduce the urban heat island effect, which drives up the use of air conditioning and therefore greenhouse gas emissions. The loss of privacy and neighbour property value is a further impingement on others' freedoms and on the cherished character of our neighbourhoods. Normal removal of dying, or dangerous trees, or for reasonable landscaping would not be affected by the by-law. Endangered tree species and designated heritage trees would. I listened to residents from all sides: I hope you view my approach as a good balance between the individual property rights of homeowners and the broader community issues. Janice Wright The short answer, it can't. Any bylaw that restricts the ability of any person, in any way, from removing trees from their property infringes property owner rights. During the debate at Janice Wright council on the proposed bylaw, it became clear that the real issue wasn't tree removal, but rather land severance and further the construction of so-called `monster homes' and further the necessity of tree removal to accommodate them. Land severances have been a concern of residents in mature Oakville neighbourhoods for a long time. The issue of `monster homes' is a tricky one. On the one hand, they can increase property values in a neighbourhood, which has both positive and negative consequences. On the other, they loom over their smaller neighbours, creating an awkward dynamic on a street, never mind the disruption during their construction. We must work with, not against, builders and developers, to preserve our trees. After all a mature treed lot is far more appealing to a prospective owner than one that has been cleared. Preserving trees is in their best interest just as it is in ours. To make the process less painful, we must update our Official Plan with strong, defensible tree preservation requirements. Our current Official Plan is 30 years out of date, and we've wasted too much time on other issues while we've ignored this critical issue and its impact on existing areas. As mayor, updating our Official Plan will be a key priority for me. We will find creative ways to preserve our mature trees while not infringing on individual property rights. Ann Mulvale Most Oakville residents appreciate that clear cutting has significant implications for both community development and individual property rights. As Oakville adheres to the precepts of Ontario's Places to Grow Act, urban Ann Mulvale forests will become increasingly important, along with trees planted and tended by residents, and our Town's annual investment in tree-lined streetscapes. This is acknowledged within our Environmental Strategic Plan. I believe that planting or removing trees on residential property requires some regulation to encourage home owners to protect and replant them when building structures or installing a pool, similar to guidelines applied to fences. Ontario legislation provides for a tree bylaw, but recent local tree bylaw debates underscored the need to investigate more alternatives. To achieve an Oakville solution, I worked to enable council to step back while staff develops more options by this March. Our citizens deserve the right to evaluate various options and ultimately, embrace the right solution. My intention is to continue to negotiate with Ontario for stronger municipal powers to ensure we have local tools to create balance among homes, businesses and green spaces during urban expansion. In that context, Oakville's plans must remain flexible, open to changes that ensure quality solutions and maintain the character of our Town. Finally, I am proud that Oakville has added new neighbourhoods while preserving ravines, parks, and woodlots. I am equally proud of the forestry management science we practice to sustain over nine million trees. With my own backyard woods, I am totally dedicated to a healthy environment. Mary Mother of God Parish to celebrate 10th anniversary Mary Mother of God Parish will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 14 with mass and a dinner-dance. Mass will be celebrated at 5 p.m., at the church, 2745 North Ridge Trail, by Bishop Anthony Tonnos and Father Charlie Jordan. Following mass, a dinner-dance fundraiser will be held at Holy Trinity Croatian Church Hall. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. A sit-down dinner, with wine at each table, will be served at 7:30 p.m. The evening will feature a silent auction, raffles, prizes, cash bar, entertainment by Sound Scape Production and dancing to the DJ Music of Bruno Santia. Tickets can be purchased from the Mary Mother of God Parish Office, 905-337-2184 or contact either Brigitte at 905-849-7310 or Audrey at 905-842-5403. Parishioners of Mary Mother of God Parish met in a school gym for seven years before moving into their new stone-andbrick church at Northridge Trail and Postridge Drive, two years ago. Mary Mother of God, Oakville's ninth Roman Catholic church, held mass at St. Marguerite D'Youville Catholic School since August 1996. The new 26,000-sq. ft. church, constructed on a four-acre lot, seats more than 1,000 people. Construction costs and furnishings cost approximately $5.5 million, said Jordan, its founding pastor. For more information, see www.mmogp.ca. · Can be applied in any weather · Environmentally friendly · Effective on new & used vehicles · New vehicle warranty · Fully transferrable · Used vehicle 5 year warranty · Interior detailing Available SPEERS RD. WALLACE RD. KROWN FORMULA - Canada's biggest breakthrough in rust protection now enables you to get ahead of rust... virtually eliminating it as a destructive force! $ N 3RD LINE 10 00 THE REGULAR PRICE OF ANY VEHICLE OFF 95 ANY CAR $ NON-TOXIC, SOLVENT FREE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY KROWN FORMULA creeps through seams & crevices for complete protection. REGULAR PRICE IT'S NEVER TOO LATE! 1490 Speers Rd. Unit #5, Oakville 109 + TAXES 905-827-7878 EXPIRES NOV. 30/06