Granby’s anger caused the trees to fall

The construction of a seniors’ home in Granby in the Eastern Townships has angered some citizens, who complain that several trees have been cut down and that the Société Québécois des Infrastructures (SQI) has not honored its commitments.

The site of the future retirement home is located in an old wooded area, an ancestral maple grove made up of approximately 377 mature trees.

During a public consultation in 2020, citizens requested that a five-metre tree-lined protective strip be placed around the site. During its visit on Friday, TVA Novelles was able to observe that this five-meter strip was not respected and only a few trees remained around the land since construction began.

“In 2022, for the old people’s home, we want to create a living environment, and to create one, we want to destroy the other,” laments Clement Roy, a member of the group Les Amis des Amis. Granby.

In writing, the representative of the Société Québécois des Infrastructures, Francis Martel, said that the SQI “aims to respect the five-metre strip as much as possible. However, the nature of the soil requires the removal of many large rocks that overflow the five-metre strip. Therefore, many trees from the five-metre strip are rooted around these rocks, which It made it impossible to preserve the strip.

For a couple who have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, the current state of the site is unimaginable.

“Our children used to play in this little forest. Our grandchildren also started playing, but now it’s over,” said Luke Caron.

“They told us the trees would be saved. Nothing was left, everything was taken away,” added his spouse, Sylvie Lapierre Caron.

Neighbors who moved to Granby two years ago shared the frustration.

“Forests bring a very beautiful atmosphere and serenity. […] There is a lot of diversity, which is no longer present in the neighborhood. There were many birds […] Before, and now we don’t see,” said Melanie Arsenault-Elliott.

SQI plans to plant around 45 trees and other shrubs.

Ami.es des boisés de Granby instead wants to plant more than 6,000 trees to compensate for this natural environmental damage. For its part, the City of Granby will ensure that the five-meter strip is returned at the end of the work.