Residents launch petition against planting of trees in Pierrefonds park

Hundreds of trees and shrubs were planted at a park in Pierrefonds but some residents are against the move, saying they should have been consulted first.

Tree lover or not, resident Lise Trudel calls the situation unacceptable and believes it's not going to be an accessible space for citizens.

Some 500 trees and 250 native shrubs were planted in July at the Parc des Rapides-du-Cheval-Blanc.

"Montreal, for years, decades, we've fought to have more access to green spaces, to our rivers, and all of a sudden it's been wiped out by the stroke of a pen by somebody sitting in a cubicle," Trudel said.

The trees are being planted to compensate for those that were cut down in the area to make way for the Réseau express métropolitain (REM).

But some residents are questioning why so many trees are being planted in this one small park.

"We're not talking 450 trees getting torn down in our area. These are coming from other areas along the REM," said resident D.J. El-Tayar.

El-Tayar lives just metres away from the park and says it's used as a playground for children, a picnic area for families, and the occasional Zumba or outdoor yoga outdoor classroom.

But she says that won't be the case anymore.

"We're talking about laziness, we're talking about, 'We need an easy quick solution, where can we dump these trees? Let's just plop them all on a park,'" she said.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson with CDPG Infra, the company in charge of the light-rail project, says "the parc des rapides-du cheval-blanc has been chosen by the city because this grassed area presents vulnerabilities to heat waves, heavy rains and floodwaters, as identified in a map of climate vulnerabilities," adding the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro approved the plan.

But Pierrefonds resident Johanne Boudreault said, "We were never made aware or consulted. I think that's totally disrespectful."

Meanwhile, the City of Montreal says it's looking at how to address the citizens' concerns. That does little to appease some residents, including Nayiri Awazian, who bought a property near the park for its views.

"Never in a million years I would think that I would be facing a forest instead of the gorgeous river view," Awazian said.

They've launched a petition demanding the trees be planted elsewhere and intend to table it at the next borough council meeting on Aug. 5.