Fate of historic tree rests in Mammoliti’s hands

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The fate of an historic tree that predates Canada is in the hands of Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti.

Sort of.

The tree has already been given heritage status under Forest Ontario’s Heritage Tree program, and Mammoliti has introduced a motion that he hopes will further protect the 250-year-old Red Oak tree.

Mammoliti is suggesting that the city buy or expropriate the land to preserve the tree. The motion will be debated during city council’s monthly meeting, which began on Tuesday.

Watch the meeting on CityNews.ca and 680NEWS.com.

“It is unprecedented,” Mammoliti told Breakfast Television.

“We would knock down a house and turn the lot into a small parkette.”

The home is located on Coral Gables Drive in North York. The owner of the home told The Toronto Star he just bought the property in June but would be willing to sell it for a fair price.

Mammoliti acknowledged that he was an unlikely candidate to spearhead the project, perhaps alluding to the time he wanted to turn the Toronto Islands into a red light district, or the time his mayoral campaign included a proposed floating casino.

“You have to go on the site … to understand why a guy like me is actually doing this. This tree talks to you,” he told Breakfast Television.

“You literally have to be there. It’s so beautiful.”

The house, Mammolit said, ‘does it in.’

Mammoliti, a known fiscal conservative, is suggesting that private donations – not city funds – could be used to buy the house.

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