Developers who cut down mature trees should receive 'very stiff fine,' Tory says
A development firm that cut down a grove of mature trees in North York didn't have a city permit and should face a "very substantial fine," Toronto Mayor John Tory says.
Tory toured the neighbourhood in the Bayview Avenue and Bayview Ridge area Thursday after news emerged that some 30 trees, many more than 100 years old, were cleared. The city issued a stop-work order on Wednesday to prevent any more trees from being removed.
The developer, Format Group, is building what it calls "an upscale community comprised of two blocks of exquisitely appointed homes. The company said it had to clear the land and maintains it acquired the necessary permits.
On Thursday, Tory dismissed that claim.
"There has been no permit issued and so contrary to what has been said, there is no permit," he said.
Tory said he was advised that with the number and size of the trees cut down, the incident may well be "one of the worst alleged infractions that we've ever seen" and therefore calls for "a very harsh penalty."
The largest ever penalty the city has seen was $35,000 for seven trees cleared. After touring the site Thursday, Tory said this alleged infraction should set a new standard.
"The notion that this is some mystery is not really believable," Tory said. That's because in the course of preparing for a hearing at the Ontario Municipal Board, there was a complete inventory taken of trees on the property, he told reporters.
The city has yet to determine how many of the trees cut would have required a permit. Some of the smaller ones on private property may be exempt, Tory said.
Format Group has told CBC News it has set aside more than $150,000 to plant new trees on the property.
But the mayor hopes to see the developers prosecuted with lawyers for the city pushing for fines of up to the maximum allowable amount: $100,000 per tree.
"You can't treat this as a cost of doing business or some minor inconvenience," he said. "If we did that with every law this place would be in complete chaos and there would be no trees left."
