NDG residents push back against attempt to plant trees in front of their homes

There was something of a standoff inNotre-Dame-de-Grceon Thursday, as some residents refused to allow municipal workers to plant trees in front of their homes.

The area where the trees are supposed to go looks like it's part of the residents' property, but it actually belongs to the city.

The trees are being planted as part of the borough's green initiative to put in 700 trees each year.

Some residents on Oxford Avenue say they support the idea of trees being planted in the borough, butfeltcaught off guard by the measure on Thursday morning.

"We have small gardens in the front.So we just want a bit of notice before and tobe consulted," said resident Bruna Roti.

"I would like someone to actually come and prove to me that this will not be a hindrance to my hydro lines here.How big is it going to grow?I want some information about this tree."

Some residents sat on the land where the trees were intended to go, refusing to allow workers to continue planting.

Faced with this opposition, the crews left around noon on Thursday. But the conflict isn't over.

Borough Mayor Sue Montgomery told CBCNews that it's important to get those treesin the ground.

"I'm open to working with the residents.This is the first I heard of it, so we'll see if we can work out some kind of compromise," she said.