Champlain Park Trees in the News

Seen in today’s Ottawa Citizen – a story about building a house where construction didn’t destroy the trees!

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/burlap-beeswax-and-moths-how-a-couple-built-an-infill-home-and-saved-four-mature-trees

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On a related note, here’s a personal opinion editorial from Heather P. on this matter…

FYI. I offer high praise to this young couple on Northwestern Avenue. I wish everyone building or buying a home in Ottawa (and the whole country for that matter) had their knowledge and foresight.

For the naysayers who inevitably will say that it’s too costly to build according to these methods, ask, “What are you paying for your health care? Do you have a family doctor? Do you have to put your name on a waiting list for treatment because operating rooms are closed? Provinces save on health care by rationing services. Some nudge and wink for-profit clinics and care homes into existence. (Monitoring and controlling for-profit facilities’ activities seems to be…problematic.) All of us pay very high taxes for much reduced service and pay even more to obtain the services that we need. People who have a hard time making ends meet are just out of luck.

And what about our aging sewers, streets and sidewalks? There is not enough money to fix what needs fixing. Staff say intensification will bring in the cash needed to pay for repairs and replacement. Before this happens, everything will be broken. Insurance companies closely monitor climate change. They know this. Insurance rates keep rising. Policies may no longer cover damage due to sewer back-ups and/or overland flooding. Montreal’s recent water-main break and flood and recurrent years of spring flooding of the St. Lawrence River has insurance companies choosing not to insure basement apartments.

Would it not be more rational to take a preventive, systems approach to building communities?”

Everything is connected. Humans do not escape being part of the natural world and the impacts that accrue from trashing it.

We’ve known for a long time that a robust mature tree canopy cleans the air and controls storm water runoff. We know that trees cool heat islands. Their absence significantly increases the incidence of heart disease, lung disease and mental disorders. The impacts are well-documented. We know that the fewest trees are in the lowest income neighbourhoods, where pollution, heat and lack of access to medical care have the greatest effect. We know from sad experience that pollution from distant forest fires puts our air quality into the danger zone (CP’s is already not great due to nearby and local diesel truck, construction vehicle and bus traffic, and all of the pollution related to construction, etc.) A neighbourhood tree canopy protects us and encourages people to take part in outdoor activities. Street tree canopies reduce traffic speeds. Street and rear yard trees give residents a place to recreate and their kids safe places to play outdoors.

In addition, trees and permeable surfaces make infrastructure last longer by controlling the rate and amount of stormwater that rushes into the system. They save us money. So, the next time someone says they can’t afford to keep a healthy mature tree, tell them we cannot afford NOT to keep it.

Heather