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Parksville resident upset at tree damage

Brian Gibbs has a complaint about the way BC Hydro “trimmed” the tree in front of his house.
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Brian Gibbs was not happy with the way the tree in front of his house on Pioneer Crescent was treated by BC Hydro.

As Parksville city council advanced an updated tree management bylaw at their Aug. 20 meeting, resident Brian Gibbs has a complaint about the way BC Hydro “trimmed” the tree in front of his house.

Director of operations Alan Metcalf pointed out that BC Hydro is exempt from the tree management bylaw when it comes to protecting their infrastructure in terms of trimming or cutting down trees that are interfering with their power lines, but they usually have good communication with the city about what they’re doing.

In this case, Metcalf said he was surprised himself to see the tree in question on Pioneer Crescent and has a meeting scheduled with BC Hydro to discuss their practices and ongoing communication with the city.

BC Hydro could not be reached for comment by press time.

The updated tree management bylaw increases the tree-cutting permit fee from $50 to $75 and clarifies tree protection details.

Among the changes the new bylaw clarifies definitions like a “protected tree” being any with a diameter over 50 cm at 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) above the ground, including all eagle or great blue heron nesting trees, trees within 30 metres of a watercourse, or the top of a slope of 30 per cent or more.

The bylaw was advanced to the next council meeting for the required readings.