Developer under investigation after much-loved tree in Leaside cut down without permit

1 month_ago 30

Toronto·New

A Toronto developer is nether probe aft a much-loved histrion connected a Leaside batch was chopped down without a permit, metropolis unit say.

Mod City declined to remark connected wherefore histrion was removed contempt concessions from metropolis

Michael Smee · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 16, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A earlier and aft representation showing the chromatic locust that erstwhile grew successful the backyard of 712 Eglinton Ave. E. The batch is present being developed into a fourplex and the developers person conscionable applied to the metropolis to instal a parking pad wherever the histrion utilized to be.

A Toronto developer is nether probe aft a much-loved histrion connected a Leaside batch was chopped down without a permit, metropolis unit say.

Mod City has been moving to physique a fourplex astatine its Eglinton Avenue East property — a country batch that's a premier improvement spot.

But determination was a problem: a towering chromatic locust astir 80 centimetres successful diameter close successful the lot's backyard.

The metropolis wouldn't fto the developer chopped it down, but precocious past month, neighbours say, the histrion was destroyed anyway.

Local councillor Rachel Chernos Lin says the tree's demolition is particularly troubling fixed the metropolis allowed changes to the developer's gathering plan to marque country for it. The city's committee of accommodation ruled successful March that the developer could determination the footprint of the planned fourplex closer to the street to accommodate the tree.

But on June 25, neighbours accidental they woke up to the sounds of the histrion being chopped down. Eight days later, the builder applied to instal a parking pad wherever the histrion erstwhile was, metropolis records show.

"They are gaming the system. That's surely what it sounds like," Chernos Lin told CBC Toronto.

Fines tin reach $100K, but much teeth needed: councillor

A announcement connected the gathering site's hoarding astatine 712 Eglinton Ave. E. adjacent Bayview indicates the developer is present being investigated for removing a histrion without authorization.

Executives with Mod City refused to remark erstwhile approached by CBC Toronto astatine the site last week. The institution has besides not responded to an email petition for comment.

Coun. Rachel Chernos Lin (Don Valley West), seen present successful beforehand of the Eglinton Avenue E. property, says she and her unit are looking into ways to ace down connected those who chopped down protected trees without a permit.

Cutting down a histrion without a licence carries a good of up to $100,000, Chernos Lin said. But she and Geoff Kettel, with the Leaside Residents Association, some accidental the deterrent needs much teeth.

"My bureau and I are exploring what are immoderate measures that we mightiness beryllium capable to enactment successful spot astatine the metropolis to guarantee this doesn't hap again," she said.

"If it's simply the outgo of doing business, we would surely enactment accrued fines," said Kettel, whose radical has been pursuing the contented since past year.

'I started crying,' says resident

Mod City primitively applied to region the histrion past October, according to metropolis staff. That petition was denied. However, Chernos Lin told CBC Toronto the developer was encouraged to use for a variance that would let it to determination the caller fourplex's footprint forward, redeeming the backyard tree while allowing the builder to instrumentality with the archetypal plan.

The committee of accommodation approved that plan.

The chromatic locust connected Eglinton astatine Rumsey Road, arsenic it was being felled. Geoff Kettel, of the Leaside Residents Association, says helium began receiving calls June 25 from neighbours who were distressed that the histrion was abruptly being chopped down.

Karen Hwang, who has lived adjacent doorway to the now-vacant batch for 35 years, says she was shocked to spot the histrion being chopped down despite assurances from the metropolis that support had not been granted to region it.

"I started crying due to the fact that I saw them chop it down," she said. "We truly relied connected it for the caller air, the shade, the beauty."

"Everything was chaos," Kettel said. "I started getting calls, immoderate of them were crying."

"We thought we had protected the histrion and intelligibly we hadn't."

Karin Hwang, who lives adjacent doorway to the property, says watching the histrion travel down brought her to tears, aft surviving beside it for 35 years.

City bylaws trumped by provincial planning laws

Kettel said he'd similar to spot developers denied density increases connected their projects if they flout the city's histrion preservation rules.

Chernos Lin said portion of the occupation is that gathering permits are regulated by the province's Planning Act, which trumps metropolis bylaws. That means the metropolis can't contradict a developer a gathering licence adjacent if it wrongly removes a histrion from a gathering lot.

Geoff Kettel of the Leaside Residents Association says his radical has been pursuing the improvement - and the destiny of the histrion - since past year.

The metropolis has been moving to summation the histrion canopy for years, Chernos Lin said. The extremity has been to summation the canopy to 40 per cent of the city's country by 2050. In 2018, that fig stood astatine astir 30 per cent, according to the city's website.

That's wherefore adjacent trees successful backstage yards can't beryllium chopped down without a permit, if they're larger than 30 centimetres successful diameter.

City unit confirmed Mod City is being investigated for improperly removing a tree. Staff refused further remark arsenic the probe is ongoing.