The Harris Park Restoration project hit a snag as public outcry over cutting down trees led to a protest on Sunday.
“For the July fireworks, it’s just so stunning to see this rolling grass plane with fireworks in the sky, and there’s these ancient beautiful trees almost centuries old over the river. It’s just gorgeous.” Said Western student John Mustard-Thompson, one of the attendants at the protest.
“The City of London does not care about trees,” said protestor Annie Walsh. “It’s no longer called The Forest City because they’ve cut down thousands of healthy trees, and people know it.”
By the time the protest began, the marked trees had already started coming down.
“I’m Furious. I came down here to talk with like-minded people thinking we could prevent this, and I find out it’s been done already.”
Since the outcry, the City of London has updated its plans for Harris Park, moving the planned walking path to prevent four trees from being cut down.
“I think the real issue, though, is it shouldn’t take articles published in the media and public outcry to have this happen.” Said organizer and Western student, Genevieve Langille. “The city should consult citizens in the first place and properly inform them.”
The city of London says the plan is to plant 80 new trees to replace the ones they are cutting down while also restoring the shoreline.
“I think it makes sense to restore the shoreline that needed to be done,” Said Langille. “If you want to replant any trees, plant more trees in the first place like you don’t need to cut them down.”
Construction begins in July 2024 and will last until December 2024.
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