Trees aren't the only thing in Greater Sudbury that need to be pruned and replanted. Soon, an old infrastructure bylaw addressing trees across the city will be getting a fresh look.
There are three major differences being proposed in the new bylaw.
“This bylaw identifies our non-approved species, the species that the city no longer plants, which also added all fruit-baring trees,” Nathalie Mihelchic, manager of operations for Greater Sudbury, said. “People will also be able to have trees removed if they fall under the 'non-approved species,' (category). This new bylaw also gives homeowners with healthy trees, of an approved species, an opportunity to present their case at a hearing.”
The proposed new bylaw should be in place by fall of this year, and implemented by tree season next year, Mihelchic said.
According to the mayor, tree problems are the second most talked-about issue in the city.
“Aside from potholes, we get the most calls about trees,” Mayor John Rodriguez said.
Mihelchic said the city tries its best to answer them all.
“We certainly get hundreds, if not thousands of requests a year for various problems where people request either removal of trees, pruning of trees or planting of trees, so it is a very big issue in the summer time. We do our best to try and accommodate, and get them all reviewed.”
The new bylaw is hoping to streamline the process for citizens to have thorn-in-the-side problems reviewed and taken care of.
“It will be better organized for all involved, filling out the form, getting it out to us, having us review it,” Mihelchic said. “It'll hopefully be a little more efficient.”
Sometimes when citizens get stumped over their tree issues, they take matters into their own hands, which the city frowns upon said Mihelchic.
“(People cutting city trees) has happened, and it's certainly identified in this bylaw, as well as the old bylaw,” she said. “And they are subject to pretty hefty fines should they be caught cutting down city trees. We do our best to try and take care of all trees and we don't want to see people doing that sort of thing.”
The current city bylaw can fine those caught cutting a city tree up to $5,000. The proposed bylaw won't, at the moment, look at addressing an increase to the fine.
According to Mihelchic, staff was challenged to review the bylaw to encompass the entire city of Greater Sudbury and a council committee was formed to come up with a better solution to help address the tree problems that homeowners are facing.
“Some of (the outlying municipalities) didn't have any bylaws, or they were kind of hit or miss, so we're trying to amalgamate all of them to make it all the same throughout the city,” she said.
Ward 1 Coun. Joe Cimino compared the citizen outcry for tree problems to a familiar problem for residents.
“During the winter we get snow calls, during the summer we get tree calls,” he said.
