Qualicum Beach council has denied a resident's request to have the required security deposit waived or reduce to remove two trees from their property on 537 Chester Rd.
Director of planning, Luke Sales, informed council at its regular meeting on Sept. 11 that the resident is allowed to cut down one tree without a permit, the required replacement of trees and security deposit. The second tree, however, Sales pointed out, does require a permit, will require two replacement trees and a security deposit of $1,400.
The resident appealed to town council last February to have the security deposit waived or reduced.
Sales indicated under the Town's Tree Protection Bylaw, residents are allowed to take down a tree every two calendar years. And as such, this resident can wait to have the second tree removed at a later date when they are allowed to again without being subjected to the necessary requirements from the town.
Sales recommended council not waive the required security deposit specified in the bylaw.
Coun. Scott Harrison indicated the bylaw needs to be reviewed to consider situations of residents who legitimately will not be able to meet the security deposit requirements.
"There's so many circumstances people can be in," said Harrison. "So, I do have a hard time putting someone in a corner financially for something where respectfully ... I don't know. I really don't like that financial bond essentially for those trees. So, it's really hard for me to find a path forward. I just hope we can maybe discuss this in the next several meetings."
Sales informed council staff is currently working on a policy to help guide council on dealing with issues such as appeals or requests for reconsideration, which they expect they will be dealing with more in the future.
"Financial hardship is extremely difficult for a municipality to vet," said Sales. "We don't have access to the financial information that would required to either prove or disprove financial hardship. So, that's one that we'd probably be wary of including in a policy as a valid grounds for appeal."
Council voted not to waive or reduce security deposit and require the resident's to apply for a tree removal permit with conditions subject to a security deposit of $1,400. Harrison was opposed.
