More than 200 people gathered in Fredericton on Tuesday night for a public meeting to address the city’s proposed ‘revitalization’ of Officers’ Square.
The plan — which includes cutting down 19 mature trees, including a century-old elm – has received backlash from the public. A petition calling for all work to halt, and for the creation a new plan that will save the trees and other historical features of the square, has been signed by 7,891 citizens, and counting.
The Conservation Council’s Nadine Ives set the tone for the public meeting with powerful opening words which concluded in a standing ovation. Watch her full presentation here.
More than a dozen speakers – all of whom argued against the current development plans – presented their case to the city’s special development committee, which includes several members of city council.
“Cities around the world will grow around a tree,” Ives said.
She backed her presentation with examples from places in the world where great respect is shown toward historic trees, telling the crowd, “a particular tree in Oakville has its own heritage designation. In Japan, a 700-year-old tree was protected when they built a train station around it.
“All over the world people are valuing their trees, and there’s no reason we can’t and we shouldn’t value ours in the same way.”
Following Ives’ presentation, other residents and representatives of community groups shared their concerns with the council, including archaeologist Jason Jeandron, who referred to the project as “hauling our history away in the back of a dump truck.”
City clerk Jennifer Murray told the CBC that the feedback will be taken into consideration as the project moves forward.
The community group Save Officers’ Square is currently collecting signatures for a petition to halt the current development plans for the square. Come see us at Conserver House, 180 St. John St., Fredericton, to add your name to the petition.