Plea to save trees rejected; new woodlot will be bigger, says Mississauga councillor

Efforts by hundreds of residents in Mississauga’s west end to save dozens of mature trees slated to be cut down to make way for a renovated community centre and library have been rejected by the city.

However, in telling them that plans to eliminate the 25 mature and healthy trees (in addition to six that have already died, according to the city) will go forward along with the City of Mississauga’s $61-million plan to renovate and upgrade South Common Community Centre and Library, Ward 8 Coun. Matt Mahoney said the city intends to more than make up for the loss of those trees.

“Cutting down trees is certainly not something that I’m about or really like to do, but this is a very challenging site plan for this new community centre,” Mahoney said at a July 31 city council meeting in response to a presentation and plea from resident Diane Ras.

Along with Ras’ presentation to councillors, a petition containing some 250 signatures asking the city to spare the 31 trees was officially received by council. The petition was circulated via a community effort dubbed “Save the South Common Woodlot.”

The community centre closed to the public on June 17 and won’t reopen until major renovations and additions are completed in summer 2027.

One part of the massive project calls for the removal of the 31 trees on the south side of the facility in order to make way for a more desirable entranceway.

Mahoney said he has asked city staff to look at options in which the trees could be spared, but “this seems to be the only option going forward.”

Rendering of what a renovated South Common Community Centre and Library will look like. (Image: City of Mississauga)

In an effort to offset the loss of the existing woodlot, the councillor told colleagues and Ras “we will be replanting over 300 new trees to replace the 26 living trees that are coming down.”

In addition, Mahoney said, the project calls for the creation of a new woodlot that will be “three times greater (in size) than the current woodlot that is there” and is part of an effort to “significantly increase the tree canopy” close to the community centre.

He added that with the 300-plus new trees planned for the area and an expanded woodlot, “I think we’ll be making a significantly positive impact to that site.”

Mahoney noted he’s also pushing for a plan that will see the 26 existing healthy and mature trees replaced with similarly large, mature trees “so they’re not all saplings.”

Wants to help new woodlot thrive “sooner than later”

Also, he wants to “transplant more mature trees to the site to help that (new) woodlot thrive sooner than later.”

The residents’ petition noted the 31 trees represent about 40 per cent of all trees in the existing woodlot. It also asked that the city “create an alternate entranceway that will still allow best design practices without destroying this essential tree canopy.”

In presenting the petition to city council, residents referenced the city’s “Tree Cities of the World” designation by the United Nations earlier this year. At the time, residents said, city officials noted that “trees are essential in fighting climate change and making Mississauga a livable city.”

South Common Community Centre and Library, which opened in 1981, shut its doors on June 17 so work can begin on a number of significant projects including an expanded fitness space and a new aquatics centre.

Officials overseeing the major overhaul of the 43-year-old Erin Mills-area complex took their design plans to the public last year for feedback.

And now the shovel is in the ground for what they call an “exciting redevelopment that will ensure the programs and services offered continue to meet the needs of the community.”

(Cover photo: Diane Ras)