Pointe-Claire development debate continues after trees cut down in Fairview forest
Residents in Pointe-Claire say they're saddened and dismayed to see trees have been cut down in the Fairview Forest, just two months after the area was placed in a zoning freeze -- a freeze that prevents Cadillac Fairview from moving forward with development plans.
The company owns the 50 acres of land, but residents hoped the freeze would prevent the cutting of any trees.
In an email to CTV News, the company said it is "in compliance with all applicable regulations," but did not explain why the trees have been cut down.
According to the municipality's mayor, it was done to make room for a fence the company plans to build around the perimeter of the forest.
"I think it's part of the ongoing campaign of Cadillac Fairview to alienate themselves from the people of Point-Claire," said Mayor Tim Thomas.
Thomas joined a small crowd of environmentalists Saturday who have been protesting development in the area for 84 weeks.
"The hope is we're coming to the realization that maybe staying alive is more important than cutting trees down, perhaps we should think twice about this," he said.
Cadillac Fairview's plan is to turn the green space and wetlands into a downtown for the West Island, with office spaces, a hotel, and high-rise housing at a time when Montreal is facing a housing shortage.
But Thomas says the company's plan won't address the real issue in Greater Montreal, which he says is a lack of affordable housing.
"You have to give infrastructure, roads, parks, facilities, hospitals, schools for residents, so all that money you bring in, you have to give it back for infrastructure."
The group Save Fairview Forest says it's pushing to protect this area because it's the last wild green space in Point-Claire.
"We don't agree with the argument that a forest like this with such ecological value, the last forest in the area, should be clear cut for housing," says Genevieve Lussier, spokesperson for Save Fairview Forest.
With a mall on one side, highways nearby, and the future REM in the distance, she says this area needs to stay pristine.
"The forest absorbs rainwater, it absorbs snowmelt, and it's a buffer from the pollution of the Trans Canada [highway]," she says.
Mark Abley has been fighting to protect this area for many months. He says the citizens should have more rights to the land than corporations.
"This very forest is the habitat of red-shouldered hawks, of wild turkeys, of snakes, and that shows the value of it in ecological terms," he said.
The group says it will keep protesting outside of the forest, week after week, until it is fully protected from development.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW How car thefts are impacting your insurance, even if your car isn't stolen
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
WHO emergencies team faces funding crunch as health crises multiply
The World Health Organization's emergencies department is facing 'existential threats' as multiplying health crises have left it so short of cash that it needed emergency funds to pay staff salaries at the end of last year, an independent report said.
Jurors in Trump's hush money trial zero in on testimony of key witnesses as deliberations resume
The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is to resume deliberations Thursday after asking to rehear potentially crucial testimony about the alleged hush money scheme at the heart of the history-making case.
Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final
With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.
McDonald's says US$18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
opinion Trump's Republicans falling far behind in fundraising, infrastructure
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Washington political analyst Eric Ham explains how and why Republicans -- up and down the ballot -- are falling far behind Democrats in both fundraising and infrastructure.
Minnesota beats Boston 3-0, wins inaugural Walter Cup as Professional Women's Hockey League champs
Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston 3-0 in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.