‘I can’t walk past those trees without crying’: Metrolinx to cut down Moss Park’s mature growth, leaving residents upset

Moss Park residents say they feel that their concerns and suggestions were not listened to by Metrolinx.

Thestar.com
Jan. 13, 2023
Kelly Skjerven

Diane Devenyi said she settled in the Moss Park neighbourhood 10 years ago for one big reason.

“I moved to exactly where I moved because of the park across the street -- because it is rare in downtown Toronto for there to be a large park with mature trees.”

This month Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency overseeing the building of the 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line, will start cutting down 61 of those trees in order to build a new Moss Park station. Devenyi and other area residents are upset at the loss of the trees -- but also because they say their suggestions to save the park space aren’t being heard.

“I can’t walk past those trees without crying,” Devenyi said.

Metrolinx’s construction plans for public transit projects in the city have disrupted other neighbourhoods as well, with residents in Thorncliffe Park and Riverdale criticizing the transit agency for not listening to their concerns. Its plans to cut down five 200-year-old trees at Osgoode Hall sparked criticism from the Law Society of Ontario and other groups in December.

Besides Moss Park, Metrolinx crews are also scheduled this month to start removing 139 trees -- 56 of which they say are invasive species -- within or along the rail corridor between Eastern Avenue and Jones Avenue.

Henry Hong, a resident of the area for more than 20 years, said people in the community “are very upset because this does impact the neighbourhood not only with traffic, but future generations with the lack of tree cover.”

Hong said during consultations, residents asked Metrolinx to consider other options, such as incorporating the station into a condo development on the southwest corner of Queen and Sherbourne or into a rebuild of the John Innes Community Centre in the park.

“We’ve been told, ‘Well, the deal’s already done, the design has already been put forward,’” Hong said. “Then we wonder, ‘why are you bothering having a community consultation if that’s what you’re telling us?’”

In an email to the Star, Metrolinx said the location and design of Moss Park station “will have the shortest construction timeline and the least impact to properties, communities and traffic in the area.”

The agency said it has “actively engaged” with residents, businesses and community groups in the area and will continue to do so, through open houses, a walking tour -- and more than 20 community pop-ups and on-site meetings.

“They’re engaging by telling us what their plan is without any regard for what we want,” Devenyi said.

Metrolinx also said it will plant new trees, with the number depending on the size and location of the ones being removed, but did not give a figure.

Hong said saplings aren’t a fair trade in terms of environmental impact.

“The trees are probably well over a hundred years and three saplings per tree is not going to make the same difference as one mature tree will,” he said.

Metrolinx plans to use a cut-and-cover tunnelling method for this station, which requires digging a trench, forming walls, and then covering it, instead of boring a tunnel, potentially causing more disruption to the neighbourhood with lanes on Queen Street closed for construction.

Moss Park Arena Board Management is worried about the limited parking spots due to the construction. Metrolinx said it will put a temporary lot near the arena, but board vice-chair Andy Marcus said the current proposal doesn’t have enough spots.

He said parking is important for adults and children who have to carry heavy hockey bags into the rink.

“I can totally understand that sometimes there has to be sacrifices along the way, but the process itself has not been -- I don’t know if we always feel like we’re heard during the process,” Marcus said.

Devenyi said the transit turmoil in her neighbourhood hasn’t received as much attention as other places, such as Osgoode, because the area is “depressed financially” and home to many people living in the shelter system or community housing, as well as newcomers who are reluctant to speak out against the government.

“They don’t have agency,” Devenyi said, adding the trees are important not just for their environmental benefits, but also the mental ones.

“When we were all in lockdown and the people who live in places that they had no access to being outside except for in a public space like this, this became very important for people.”