Protesters rally against tree clearing near Huron Natural Area

Tree clearing near Huron Natural Area is sparking backlash. Residents rallied Sunday to protect what they call a vital greenspace. CTV's Krista Simpson reports.

Demonstrators gathered Sunday to protest tree clearing tied to a planned industrial development in Kitchener.

The work is taking place on a property along Strasburg Road and McBrine Drive, adjacent to Huron Natural Area.

In November, Kitchener city council approved a proposal by developer Gateman-Milloy to build an industrial park of ten buildings on the site.

A local advocacy group, Protect Huron Natural Area, opposed the plan from the start and organized Sunday’s gathering to express their upset with the trees now being removed on the property.

“It’s very upsetting to see them get cut down,” said Ray Angod, a researcher with Protect Huron Natural Area. “It was a whole ecosystem in itself there.”

Dozens of concerned residents first met at Huron Natural Area for speeches before making their way down the road to McBrine Drive to see the site for themselves.

“Greenspace is not just to be disposed of for economic gain. We have to keep remembering that the earth is important to us,” said Yvonne Fernandes, a member of Protect Huron Natural Area, who was also a Kitchener city councillor from 2010 to 2018.

The property, while adjacent to Huron Natural Area, has been zoned for industrial use since the 1980s and was put up for sale by the city in 2018, with the sale finalized in 2022.

Fernandes said she believes there is sufficient vacant industrial land elsewhere in the city, saying she was disappointed that councillors approved Gateman-Milloy’s proposal.

“Do we need ten more lots of industrial land? I don’t believe so,” Fernandes said.

The plan approved by city council includes the creation of 12 acres of new wetlands and habitat areas that will border Huron Natural Area and will be transferred to the city.

In an email statement to CTV News, the President of Gateman-Milloy said tree clearing is being carried out in accordance with guidelines put in place by Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and all work is being overseen by the city and professional ecologists.

The City of Kitchener said preliminary site preparation, including limited tree removal, is underway.

“The developer is required to meet all environmental protection measures - such as timing restrictions, protective fencing and a phased approach to wetland work,” a statement from the city read in part. “To the city’s knowledge, all requirements are being followed and remain subject to final approval by the relevant regulatory agencies.”

The statement went on to say, “The boundaries of the Huron Natural Area (HNA) were established through a city commissioned scientific study in the early 1990s. At that time, most of the land that now forms the HNA was privately owned and zoned for business use. The city later purchased those lands to create the public natural area that exists today. The property currently being developed is outside the HNA, is not city owned, and has held development permissions since the early 1980s. As part of the development, the property owner will create new wetlands and habitat areas and will transfer these features to the city to support the adjacent HNA.”

Members of Protect Huron Natural Area argued the tree clearing was unnecessary and said the industrial park plan didn’t have to be approved in the first place.

They also wondered why the tree clearing is going ahead now while the region continues to grapple with a water capacity crisis that’s paused development in Kitchener and other parts of the region.

The group said the issue will factor into their decisions in the upcoming municipal election.

“We look at their actions, not their words. So, if they’re voting in ways that are not in our best interests, we’ll find someone that will share our values, that will vote with us,” Angod said.

The group continues to call for stronger protections for greenspace as the city grows.

“It’s about the whole ecosystem. The whole idea that we wanted to protect an area for future generations,” Fernandes said.