Coquitlam residents call for public hearing over tree-cutting near Mundy Park

Yasaman Mohandesi and herfamily areheartbroken watching trees being cut in front of their home nearMundy Park, the largest park in Coquitlam,about a 45-minutedriveeast of Vancouver.

"These trees have a lot of value to us, to the environment, to the wildlife and to the growing number of citizens in our community," said Mohandesi, who addsher mother is in tears.

The trees are being cut as part of thecity'sAustin Works Yard Renewal Project, whichis sparking callsfor a public hearing from advocates and neighbours amid concern over what they describe as a lack of transparency from the city.

The Austin Works Yard, adjacent to Mundy Park, is home to some of the city's municipalservices, including roads, water, sewer and solid waste operations. Construction is underway to improve some of itsfacilities, which the city says have reached their end of life and require replacement.

Improvements being made to the Austin Works Yard includea new building, storage area and more parking space.

About onehectareof land (around 2 acres, or just over 100,000 square feet)adjacent to the park will be clearedto make room for the expansion, while 25 trees in Mundy Park will be cut to accommodate a new trail replacing the onesthat currently pass through the yard's lot and to ensure public safety, said Lanny Englund, the city's general manager forparks, recreation, culture and facilities.

Tree cutting concerns

The city says the bulk of the project is taking place withinthe boundaries of the yardand, other than the realignment of trails, the expansion will not extend into Mundy Park.

However, Mohandesi is concerned the construction will affect existing trees in the park.

"With the climate crises we are facing today, city councils should be more aware ... how much our trees mean to our environment and ecosystem," she said.

Englund says the city has worked with a landscape architect, professional forester and biologists tofind solutions to minimize impactto the trees.

He says for everytree removed, onewill be replantedin MundyPark and the neighbourhood to maintain tree canopy cover.

'We want a public hearing'

Eve Gauthier, a member of the Tri-City Green Council who livesnear the park, saysthe expansion is changing land use and deserves a hearing under theLocal Government Act.

"Whether it's for the park or for the city, they're changing the land use on that section of land. And therefore, it is a community's right to have a public hearing with proper notification on that," she said.

"We want them to stop, we want a public hearing."

Mohandesisaysshe is frustrated residents did not get a say before the tree-cutting started.

"My house is right by the park ...the city had no sense to consider that there are people living in that neighbourhood."

According to the city,the expansion is taking placeon Austin Works Yard property, requiring no changesto zoning or land use and therefore does not require a public hearing.

Gautheir and Mohandesi also refer to a 1993 referendum where residents voted topreservethe park's forests,and a bylawthat designatesthe forested portions of Mundy Park as an urban forest prioritizing public's use and enjoyment, management andconservation.

But Englund says the1993 Mundy Park Forest Dedication Bylawdoes not coverthe AustinWorks Yard property.

On its website, the city notes there are no visual identifiers indicatingthe park's boundaries, whileportions of the Mundy Park trails cross over into the yard's boundary.

Better urban forest management needed,says conservation group

The Burke Mountain Naturalists, a conservation group in Coquitlam, says it has had discussions with the city on how the community can be part of mitigation efforts and tree planting initiatives for the expansion.

Howeverthey are still concerned about the continued loss of forest lands and wildlife habitat in local urban areas, they say.

"It is increasingly important that land management decisions incorporate the principles of a more holistic or ecosystem-based approach to decision-making," Victoria Otton, a former president of the group, said in an email.

The group is strongly encouraging municipalities in the Tri-Citiesand Metro Vancouverto adopt a more proactive and comprehensive approach to urban forest management.

The new trails at Mundy Park will becomplete by this summerandconstruction work on the yardis expected to last until 2024, the city says.