Owner defies city and cuts down trees inspector, property, director, services, former

tiffiant

Owner defies city and cuts down trees
A city inspector's orders to stop cutting were ignored



VANCOUVER - The owners of a Southwest Marine Drive property removed a grove of trees within 24 hours of an order from a city inspector to stop cutting them down.

Will Johnston, the City of Vancouver’s director of licensing and inspection services, said Monday that the city will be taking legal action under the city’s tree removal bylaw to have the site restored to its former state.

Under this bylaw, anyone who removes a tree in Vancouver without permission can face a fine ranging from $500 to $10,000.

“The fine applies to each violation. In this case we regard it as 14 violations,” said Johnston.

“Some of these were large trees that were taken down.”

The joint owners of 2008 Southwest Marine Drive are shown as Davinder Kaur Grewal and Balwant Singh Grewal.

The Vancouver Sun was unable to reach the property owners for comment.

Johnston said the property owner had applied for a permit to remove four diseased trees, which was granted.

However, a further 14 trees were removed, he said.

A city inspector was at the property on Wednesday and again on Thursday of last week, when he issued a verbal order for the tree cutting to stop after noticing that more than four trees had been cut down.

But the order was ignored and when the inspector returned Friday, he found even more trees had been removed.

“We take this very seriously. We will be taking legal action against the owner to have him replace those trees with other trees to bring the site into compliance.

tiffiant

“Some of the trees were very large and can’t be replaced, so he’ll have to come in and negotiate with us about how this site is going to be restored,” said Johnston.

Asked what it might cost to restore the site, Johnston said he couldn’t guess.

The trees are located at the back of the property that stretches down a slope from Marine Drive to a condominium development below.

John Larsen, the president of the strata council for the 57 homes in Tidewater Place, Gillnet Place and Tugboat Place, which are situated below the property, said he was shocked at the removal of so many trees.

“We had absolutely no notification such a thing would happen. Esthetically, it’s an absolute disaster, but we are concerned with what the removal of so many trees has done to the stability of the bank above us,” said Larsen.

“We certainly expect the city to do something about this,” he added.

The City of Vancouver has imposed hefty fines for tree removal without a permit before. In 2007, realtor Paulo Leung pleaded guilty to removing 72 trees from three adjacent Point Grey properties and was fined $205,000, or $2,850 per tree.

In 2006, interior designer June Matheson forked over $29,826 after poisoning five trees on Beach Avenue near the entrance to Stanley Park to improve her view of English Bay. Three of the trees died. Matheson also donated $20,000 to the Vancouver park board at the time.

And in 2005, businesswoman and socialite Jacqui Cohen agreed to pay $50,000 plus court costs to the Greater Vancouver Regional District to settle a lawsuit filed over 34 trees cut without a permit in front of her family’s former mansion in 1997. At the time, Cohen said she had no knowledge of or involvement in the destruction of the trees, but agreed to take responsibility for the actions of those who did.

tiffiant

Neighbours describe this land at 2008 SW Marine Drive, in Vancouver, B.C. on February 7, 2011, as a clearcut. Allegedly, the home owners had permission from the city to cut four trees but estimates of 50 trees were cut down. The home overlooks the Fraser River.

peter236

These Indian people have a lack of respect of the tree culture here. When they come here, they should blend into the culture here.