No-grove Centretown gets 250 solo trees instead
By Julia Moran
Centretown residents have planted 250 trees throughout the downtown area after the ward was left out of the city’s planting of Canada 150 maple groves due to lack of available green space.
As part of celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the City of Ottawa announced the Canada 150 Maple Groves project, which aimed to plant a grove of 150 maple trees in each of city’s 23 municipal wards.
The planned groves were part of a collaboration involving the federal government, rail company CN and the Centretown-based conservation group Tree Canada to initiate 150 tree-planting projects in every province and territory across the country to mark the sesquicentennial.
Groves were planted successfully in 22 of Ottawa’s wards, but green space-challenged Somerset Ward — better known as Centretown — was unable to participate because no single large enough property was identified to accommodate a 150-tree grove.
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney eventually announced an alternative plan to plant 150 or more trees throughout the neighbourhood. In the end, 250 trees found a home in Centretown.
“When we couldn’t find space for a grove, it was really important to me that those trees get dispersed through the ward,” said McKenney.
Most trees were claimed and planted on private property by local residents, but some were dedicated to specific people.
A tree in Dundonald Park along Somerset Street, one of the main green patches in Centretown, now honours former city councillor Diane Holmes, McKenney’s predecessor in that post. In a ceremony on Oct. 21, Holmes was honoured with a tree for her legacy as a community leader.
The sapling to honour Holmes was planted next to the park entrance near brightly painted benches and a playground.
The former councillor was known as an advocate for increasing green space in the downtown area, said McKenney.
Jae Crawford, who lives and works in the Centretown area, said his walks through the neighbourhood often feel bland and grey.
“There’s not a lot of trees. It feels like a concrete jungle,” he said. “The lack of green space makes it feel closed in and dirtier.”
Crawford said that while it’s disappointing Centretown couldn’t participate like other wards in the Canada 150 grove initiative, planting individual trees was a good solution.
An ornamental pear tree was also planted on the grounds of the Knox Presbyterian Church on Elgin Street. An elaborate stone carving at the base of the tree marks it as a city donation.
Daryl Durant, who planted the tree, is the garden coordinator for the church.
“Ornamental pear trees bear beautiful blooms in the spring and develop nice small edible fruit. They are beautiful in the fall, a green and dark red,” he said.
The city also provided crab-apple trees on the Lisgar Street side of the church. The garden has become a popular spot for wedding photos and outdoor concerts. Durant said being a part of the tree-planting initiative was an honour.
“It was rewarding to leave to future generations to admire this beautiful tree and the gardens at Knox,” he said.
“Trees are critical to the health and well-being of anywhere, but especially downtown,” said McKenney. “They help clean our air, make it easier to breathe, they provide canopies on sidewalks, they’re good for traffic calming, they’re good for mental health, the benefit of trees is undeniable.”