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Gibsons moving forward with tree bylaw

Councillors in Gibsons have advanced a proposed tree preservation bylaw to second reading, but they’re going to hold off on adoption until they get some public feedback.
tree bylaw
"Block 7 in the [Gospel Rock] development site area was clear cut [in March and April 2019], and all of that was permitted under the lack of bylaw,” said Dave Newman, director of infrastructure services.

Councillors in Gibsons have advanced a proposed tree preservation bylaw to second reading, but they’re going to hold off on adoption until they get some public feedback.

The two readings of the tree bylaw were part of a package of recommendations passed at the July 7 council meeting that included drafting amendments to the subdivision and development bylaws to allow wider road dedications, starting work on an “Urban Forest Master Plan,” and looking to establish a National Healing Forest as part of the White Tower Pond expansion project.

In a discussion about the bylaw at the planning and development committee meeting earlier in the day, director of infrastructure services Dave Newman said the original idea that a special committee would be set up to draft a bylaw was no longer practical if the Town hoped to move quickly.

“Just in the past year, three significant trees [have been] removed on public land, one on private property. And Block 7 in the [Gospel Rock] development site area was clear cut, and all of that was permitted under the lack of bylaw,” Newman said. “Not to say that these trees wouldn’t have been removed, but at least it would have been done with a knowledge of what we’re doing and following a thought-out bylaw and process.”

Newman recommended speedy adoption of the bylaw, but Mayor Bill Beamish said he was “a little bit concerned with adopting a bylaw in advance of consultation.”

Overall, committee members were supportive of the 38-page proposed bylaw, which would “preserve the overall ecological function of the urban forest,” and includes an extensive list of protected trees such as arbutus, pacific dogwood, garry oak, cedars and hemlock.

Violating the bylaw would trigger penalties of up to $5,000.

Coun. David Croal, who’s been advocating for more than a year to have Gibsons designate land as part of the National Healing Forests project, called the confirmation of a federal-provincial grant of $955,000 for the White Tower Pond project and a recommendation to move ahead with a Healing Forest “a wonderful Christmas present.”

“I would like to see the Healing Forest tied into that, and not necessarily a bylaw that could get hung up for the next six months,” Croal said. “I think people are looking for some good news for a change and I think the White Tower Pond project and a healing forest project announcement would be a great morale boost for the community.”

Also at the committee meeting, Coun. Stafford Lumley argued for a moratorium on cutting any tree that wasn’t a confirmed hazard until the bylaw is in place.

“People would know we are seriously looking at a comprehensive bylaw and we also don’t want anybody to take advantage of the fact we’re in the midst of creating, or trying to as best we can to perfect, this bylaw,” he said.

The recommendation eventually passed by council instead called for “a communications plan that encourages voluntary compliance with the spirit of the bylaw” until adoption.

Staff will also be bringing forward a plan for public consultation in advance of adoption, which Beamish said could also include a public hearing even though hearings aren’t required for this type of bylaw.

Beamish said he’s confident council will be able to get the necessary public input in time to have the bylaw adopted by later this year.