Moncton developer cut city tree before protest

A developer that created a significant controversy by cutting down nine trees in front of the Castle Manor Retirement Home earlier this month also cut down a tree on city property, according to a Moncton official.

Jacques Dub, the city manager, said one of thenine trees cut down by a developeron the Labour Day weekend was in fact on city property.

The discovery was made, Dub said, when the city checked to see where each tree that was cut was located.

"We had asked our staff to go out and look at the property to make sure that none of our trees were cut. And ultimately when we did that, looking at the survey boundaries, we realized that one of our trees was in fact cut," Dub said.

The city manager said a tree will be planted to replace it in the spring.

The developers actions caused an immediate controversy in Moncton among people who thought the trees should have been protected.

The workers hired to cut down the trees were stopped from removing more trees by an impromptu protest.

City politicians then became involved and Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc asked the developer to stop cutting down trees on the heritage property.

Moncton has already confirmed the developer was permitted to cut down those trees but it is now looking at abylaw that would protect heritage trees.

The city's arborist said the specific tree felled by the developer on the Castle Manor property was a birch tree.

Thatparticular tree wasunhealthy and the city believes it would probably have been cut down within a few years.

The city has also determined that five of the remaining trees around the Castle Manor property are also on city-owned land.