Illegal tree cutting a big problem in Toronto, advocates say. Residents in one neighbourhood witnessed it in action

Around 8 a.m. on Sunday, November 30, residents on Gamble Avenue in East York awoke to sounds of chainsaws and a large chipper machine running full blast.

“I went outside to see what was going on and saw all of these crews chopping down numerous trees,” Andrew Peck told us.

He lives in the home next to the property where the trees were being removed. It’s a corner lot which was recently purchased.

“From what we understand it was bought a couple of weeks ago, there is no way these crews had the time to get the proper approvals from the city to cut them down,” Peck said.

The City’s tree bylaws regulate tree injury and removal. A permit is required to injure or remove a tree of any size on City property or within a Ravine and Natural Feature Protection designated area. On private property, a permit is required to injure or remove trees that are 30 cm in diameter or greater.

Peck, along with several other residents who live in the neighbourhood say the trees removed were much larger than 30 cm in diameter. They confronted the work crews to inquire.

“I asked them if they had a permit, and they became dismissive,” said Stacey McAllister, who also lives near the property. “The crews had no markings on their trucks but I was able to get a few license plate numbers.”

McAllister, Peck and other neighbours immediately called 311.

“We called the city, and they said that there was nothing they could do because the arborist wasn’t in on Sundays.”

Neighbours then reached out to Speakers Corner and our crew visited the neighbourhood two days after the tress were removed. Shortly after we arrived, a City Inspector with Urban Forestry showed up and was seen taking several photos and speaking with residents to get their eyewitness accounts.

The neighbours are not sure who ordered the trees to be removed — neither they or us were able to confirm who purchased the property.

City staff say it’s an open investigation so they can’t comment on specifics yet and did not say if any charges have been laid.

“There’s a reason crews show up on an early Sunday morning,” said Floyd Ruskin, who organizes several grassroot efforts to save trees across the city. “That’s because they know city staff are limited on weekends. Sadly, this happens all the time.”

According to City staff, Between Q1 and Q3 of 2024, the City received 2,003 reports of tree by-law contraventions, of which 349 were confirmed as contraventions that led to enforcement action.

“There’s a process that needs to be followed,” Ruskin said. “Some people try to skip that step but it can be costly.”

Anyone convicted of illegally removing or injuring a tree can face steep fines, anywhere from a minimum of $500 per tree to the maximum penalty of $100,000 per tree.

“Follow the process and you won’t have concerned residents calling the city, you won’t have the media or city investigators showing up,” Ruskin said. “If it is determined these property owners violated the bylaw, then they should be punished to the full extent.”

Residents say they believe the property, which currently has an unoccupied home, is being cleared to build a new structure here, something they’re not opposed to.

“They can build what they want but there is a process you must follow, those trees were healthy and added a lot to this neighbourhood, now we’re left with this empty space, it’s not right,” Peck said.

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