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3 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,July 15,2021 insidehalton.com For a Free consultation call oakville: 905.842.2022 ToronTo: 416.644.3999 Denied Disabled Benefits? I canhelp. My teamof experienced lawyers can help youwith: •Disability Claims Short-TermDisability, long-TermDisability, CPP •Car accidents •Slip and Falls •Wrongful Dismissal Injured? I don't get paid unless I getYoumoneY. oFFiCeS in oakville and ToronTo eMail: sspadafora@slspc.ca Disability and EmploymEnt law Over 120,000 satisfied custOmers 9 Locations to serve you better Heating & Cooling www.aireonewest.ca Beat the Price increase & shortageBeat the Price increase & shortage OAKVILLE 905-849-4998 1-888-827-2665 Beat the Price increase & shortageBeat the Price increase & shortage $700 OFF HIGH EFFICIENCY CENTRAL AIR HIGH-EFFICIENCY CENTRAL AIR & FURNACE $29 /MONTH OAC* *Call for Details Starting From $2,299 10 Year Factory Warranty *Call for Details Starting From $4,999 10 Year Factory Warranty Central air diagnostiC speCial Central air tune-up speCial $59 /MONTH OAC* $4,999 * $2,299* $49* *Call for Details $79* *Call for Details The fate of numerous trees along Lakeshore Road remains uncertain as the Town of Oakville continues to plan infrastructure im- provements for the corri- dor. Council voted during a Tuesday, July 6 meeting to receive town staff's pre- ferred concept for improve- ments to the stretch of Lakeshore Road between Mississaga Street and Dor- val Drive. Staff were also instruct- ed to return to council after detailed design work for the road improvements has been completed and were directed to consider all ways to limit tree loss and the appropriation of private property. The staff recommenda- tions in the preferred solu- tion include improvements to bike lanes, sidewalks and the introduction of a multi- use trail between East Street and Fourth Line. There would also be in- tersection and stormwater infrastructure improve- ments and the replacement of the McCraney Creek Bridge. These improvements are expected to cost at least $43.4 million. Town staff noted there are multiple objectives for this project, which include improving safety for all road users and updating the road to current standards. According to Jill Ste- phen, the town's director of transportation and engi- neering, the number of trees expected to be cut down during the project has decreased drastically from the 300 discussed in 2017 to 101. However, town staff be- lieve they can save 30 of these. Stephen said another 11 trees are dead or dying and will be removed for that reason, leaving a total of 60 healthy trees that could be cut down as a result of the project. The tree loss con- tinues to be a sticking point for many. Of the 13 delegates who spoke during the meeting, nearly all of them called on the town to save most or all of these trees. Pamela Knight, presi- dent of the Coronation Park Residents' Association, voiced concerns about the impact the destruction of these trees would have on the scenic corridor that is Lakeshore Road West. She noted the multi-use path would result in the largest loss of trees. "Just west of Third Line, 19 trees in a row that shade the sidewalk and road will be lost," said Knight, adding 30 trees would be lost be- tween Third Line and Wolf- dale. Knight argued the multi- use trail is not necessary since new bike lanes will ac- commodate cyclists and some improvements to ex- isting sidewalks could ac- commodate pedestrians. She also said it would take decades for residents to get the benefits from any replacement trees. Karen Brock of Oakvil- legreen noted some of the trees that could be removed are more than 100 years old and described them as irre- placeable. "Everything we do must be examined through a cli- mate lens. Our communi- ties have become vulnera- ble to climate stressors and we need to create resilient communities that can with- stand the challenges we currently face," said Brock. "Council declared a cli- mate emergency in 2019 and we need to understand ex- actly what that really means." Area resident Chris Wa- sik, however, said he was pleased to see the town con- sidering these improve- ments and called for the proposed multi-use trail to be extended into the area between Fourth Line and Dorval Drive. He argued the multi-use path would help the envi- ronment by getting more people out of their cars for cycling or walking. The path would enhance road safety by giving inex- perienced cyclists some- where to ride besides the bike lanes on the road, he said. The Oakville Cycling Club's Dane Morrison also called for the extension of the multi-use trail into the area between Fourth Line and Dorval Drive, but said the narrowing of the trail from three metres to 2.4 me- tres along with narrowing the bike lanes may save about 27 trees. Council concluded the project's detailed design phase may yield more op- portunities to preserve trees and voted to move the process forward. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With infrastruc- ture improvements con- tinuing on Lakeshore Road West, we wanted to find out what this could mean for dozens of area trees and how residents feel about this. LAKESHORE UPGRADES COULD MEAN MAJOR LOSS OF TREES DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS The Town of Oakville is considering improvements to Lakeshore Road that could result in the loss of 60 healthy trees. Oakville council photo