Modern Mythology

Councillors have just received an invitation from the TD to join a hundred  employees /volunteers
planting trees on a site on the south side of Vandorf , east of Bayview on October 5th . In the neighborhood of  Longthorpe  Court.

Hundreds of  new trees are planted every year in Aurora, privately and by the town.

Critical loss of trees is a myth created by the New Puritans. A sad song is sung or Ode to the Environment  recited when a tree is cut down.

The tree bylaw offends me in every way. The very wording "injury or destruction" grates

The current bylaw requires a permit to allow more than four trees to be removed in a twelve month period. The new bylaw reduces that to two.

The direction for a new bylaw came from Council.

An  applicant must retain  an arborist, erect  a sign on his property to inform  neighbors of his plans to "injure and destroy". Application  fees are based on individual trees.

Town staff  must visit the site. Type, Height, caliper, condition, and location of the fated trees must be recorded and staff must be satisfied of the need to remove.

Reports must be written and recommendation made.

 Neighbours can object.

Finally the decision is made by the politicians. They can refuse.

All that work. All that expense.  For a person to remove his own trees from his own property.

Finally the answer can be no.

No refunds are possible. Because all costs have been incurred. The process cannot be reversed.

The new Bylaw takes unto ourselves the authority to remove trees from golf courses and large expanses. Previously the Region held that responsibility.

They still will.

We will instead  have two agencies doing the same work  as was previously done by one.

The Mayor chided a few weeks ago. "We are not a small town any more Councllor
Buck " he said. "We are a $52 million business corporation"

And I thought;  we are so a small town  run by pea-brains. We are also  a $ 52 million  Business
Buffoonery.

The  Tree Bylaw will affect a minute number of properties in the town. Mainly large treed lots .
Where  a  house site needs to be cleared . They are the ones who will experience the effect of this particular piece of insanity.

New investment. New revenue. New " stakeholders " to share the expense and the burden of being  governed by a Bylaw  that requires a permit,payment of fees, agreement of neighbours and approval of fickle politicians ,to allow "injury and destruction " of trees  owned and growing on  private property.