Moncton camp-in to save trees continues

The lawn of the Castle Manor Retirement Home in Moncton is scattered with tree stumps and the pitched tents of protestors who pledge to protect thetrees still standing.

Protestors put themselves between work crews and chainsaws Saturday to save the decades-old trees from being cut down.

The protestors have been camped on the property through the Labour Day weekend, although they didn't plan to at its outset.

In fact, Michel Desjardin just happened to be passing by on Saturday morning when he saw tree removal crews had taken down half a dozen trees.

"They told me very explicitly that their mandate was to cut every tree down. So, I sort of panicked, and I sort of stood in front of a tree to prevent them from cutting more down, but I was alone in front of10 men with chainsaws," said Desjardin.

Nine trees had already been destroyed. Desjardin called friends on his cell phone and soon dozens of protestors, as well as the RCMP, forced crews to stop work.

Neighbours like Dennis Cormier, who had never protested anything before, have been at the site in rotating shifts ever since.

"Trees are so important. They clean the air we breathe, it's part of the landscape ...and they just come along and they cut them, as if they were nothing. Especially that big one over there has probably been there over a hundred years," said Cormier.

"We felt it was time for regular, ordinary-type, community people to stop in and have a say, because once everything's destroyed it's too late."

The owner of the property, Stephen Gallant, is refusing to comment on why he ordered the removal of as many as 30 trees. He has agreed to stop the cutting for the timebeing, and meet with city officials.

Moncton City Councillor Paulette Theriault said the Castle Manor Retirement Home is on heritage property and so Gallant could face fines for cutting down just one tree.

"This is something that we need to look atwhether there will be sanctions, and so we will be looking at this as well," said Theriault.

The dozens of protestors said they'll continue to camp out until they know the trees are safe. They're also planning to push the city for tougher legislation at Tuesday night's city council meeting to make sure trees on and off heritage properties are better protected.