News Release

Councillor Calls for "Consultation First "Policy

(Friday, March 9/2001)-- District 3 Councillor Keith Colwell today urged the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation to consult with local residents first before tree cutting in subdivisions in his area.

Councillor Colwell (Preston/Porter's Lake) said he has received more than a dozen complaints from residents in subdivisions in the Lawrencetown area about provincial tree-cutting operations.

The Councillor questions why the province would be cutting trees and bushes along roadsides in these subdivisions when there is so much snow on the ground. He said the remaining stumps could pose a serious danger to children and pets once the snow melts and they are exposed above ground.

He said "These sharp-edged stumps will be left sticking up from the ground and a child or pet could impale themselves if they accidentally fell on them."

Councillor Colwell said the Transportation Department crews have also shown little regard for trees located on private property and many have been cut down with the brush clearing.

"Many of these residents have nurtured these trees for years on their property, and then they come home to find that they have been cut down and the crews are nowhere to be found, " he said.

The Councillor said one area resident reported to him that several trees located in the middle of a grouping he had planted were cut down, while two other trees which were the same distance from the road were left standing.

The Councillor said many residents are seeking compensation from the Province for the trees that were cut down.

"Compensation may be too little, too late, but at least these cutting crews may get the message to be more careful in the future," he said.

-- 30 --

Councillor Keith Colwell
(902) 490-4050 or 497-3380 (cell)