Pointe-Claire residents furious after trees were cut down in Fairview Forest – Montreal

Brigitte Watson has been going to the green space along Fairview Ave almost every weekend for almost two years. in Pointe Claire. She is one of many Pointe-Claire residents who have dedicated their time to protecting the area known as Fairview Forest.

READ MORE: Fairview forest is one step closer to being protected from future development

But she and others have noticed some differences at the edge of the green space on Fairview Avenue.

“We came and did some research and found that trees had been cut down and scrub removed and we had no idea why,” Watson said.

The green space is owned by Cadillac Fairview, who announced their multi-billion dollar plan back in 2020 to turn the green space and adjacent parking lot into a downtown area for the West Island.

READ MORE: New real estate project planned for Pointe-Claire

Back in May, the Pointe-Claire City Council passed an interim bylaw that temporarily halted development of certain areas of the city, including green spaces.

Also in June, the Montreal Metropolitan Community Council passed a charter to protect more green spaces and wetlands in the greater Montreal area. This statute concerned the forest.

The problem, Watson says, is that both of those statutes have exceptions that she says allow Cadillac Fairview to circumvent the rules.

READ MORE: New statute will protect more green spaces in Greater Montreal

She and Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas have reason to believe the changes were made to make room for the company to build a fence around the forest to block access to the site.

“They cut down a whole bunch of small trees to put up a fence that blocks the forest and lets everyone know. It’s flexing your muscles, it’s as simple as that,” said Thomas.

In an email to Global News, Cadillac told Fairview that it is complying with all applicable regulations. When asked what that meant or elaborated on, a spokesman declined.

Watson says even if a fence goes up, it won’t stay here. You and others will continue to fight for space survival.