City council split: Should Calgary’s trees be saved with carrot or stick?
Posted May 8, 2025 6:39 pm.
In a move that could shape Calgary’s green future, a proposed bylaw to protect trees on private property was defeated Thursday.
With the city’s tree canopy shrinking, city council is now looking to Calgarians to step up and help keep these trees standing tall.
With Calgary’s tree canopy shrinking, a city council committee debated a motion Thursday aimed at protecting it — but a 3-3 tie vote brought it to a halt.
Originally put forward in 2024 by Couns. Terry Wong and Andre Chabot, the motion proposed exploring bylaws and incentives to preserve trees on private property. But, a $2.8-million price tag for implementation and enforcement raised concerns.
“So while members of council did approve the idea of protecting tree canopy, whether the additional cost is set up to program, and additional offering cost there after that to enforce it was something that did not prepare to discuss at this time, we’ll bring it back to council to a council holder to deliver that,” says Wong.
It’s not that they didn’t support the goal…all agreed Calgary’s urban forest needs help. But, most didn’t like the idea of spending that much public money on enforcement.
Instead of a costly stick, they favoured a carrot approach, urging Calgarians to protect trees voluntarily.
So, while the bylaw is off the table for now, council did unanimously back a motion from Coun. Kourtney Penner that directs city staff to come up with new tools and programs to encourage residents to plant, care for, and keep trees on their property.
Calgary reached a funding agreement with the federal government last fall that will see nearly a million trees planted over the next 35 years. The $61 million in funding will nearly double Calgary’s tree canopy from 8.25 per cent coverage in 2022 to 16 per cent by 2060, according to the city.
Over the past two years, the city has planted over 200,000 trees and seedlings on public land and provided residents with 7,500 trees to plant on their property.
