City Approves Funding for Tree Canopy Expansion

JASON SETNYK
City Approves Funding for Tree Canopy Expansion
Councillor Sarah Good pulled the Tree Canopy Bylaw for discussion to highlight the good news. (Photo : Photo: Jason Setnyk)

Cornwall City Council has approved an agreement with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to plant over 200 trees on municipal land, as part of the Cooling Neighbourhoods, Part 2 project. The initiative, supported by FCM’s Green Municipal Fund, will see trees planted along Danis, Lefebvre, and Easton Avenues, as well as in St. Joseph and Lafave Parks and properties owned by the city’s Housing Services. The project has been awarded up to $58,500 in funding.

Councillor Sarah Good emphasized the environmental benefits of the initiative. “I wanted to pull this item because I felt like it was a feel-good item. It looks like we’ve been approved for funding to plant more trees in areas of our neighborhood that do not currently have sufficient canopy,” she said. “This will serve to cool our city, sequester carbon, and create more habitat for birds and other wildlife.”

The tree-planting efforts aim to mitigate the urban heat island effect in identified high-temperature zones, while also supporting Cornwall’s Climate Action Plan by increasing carbon sequestration and reducing the demand for air conditioning.

Councillor Fred Ngoundjo also voiced his support. “This is good news for our community, for the city, and for the canopy,” he said. “I think we should keep going in this direction.”

The project will once again be a partnership with the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) and will include a community tree-planting event, similar to Cooling Neighbourhoods, Part 1, which was completed in fall 2023 through Arbor Day Foundation’s TD Green Spaces program.

Share this article