Clumsy city clearing of trees impacts iconic garden promoted as tourist attraction

Liz Lott and Liza Vandermeer, along with dozens of other Friends of Sweetman's Gardens and thousands of visitors, didn't need another battle on their plate - especially one requiring them to reprove the value of a seven-decade community jewel in North Bay.They joined co-host Dave Dale and guest co-host Stu Campaigne, in the Echo Essentials podcast studio to discuss the impact of a recent mis-planned city works initiative that clear-cut a canopy of trees at the end of McIntyre St. West and along the former rail bed up to Timmins Street. Vandermeer noted the last public fight to save Sweetman's Garden from development was about 15 years ago. Just this year, she said Tourism North Bay promoted the garden as one of the Top 10 jewels to visit.Last week, former councilor Johanne Brousseau was the featured guest in the Essentials podcast and she suggested that the Garden needs to be designated officially in the parks bylaw. She also said the procedural bylaw should perhaps change so a rezoning amendment couldn't go from committee to council for passing on the same night, allowing more time for people to respond to the news. Vandermeer and Lott said they would have helped ensure the value of the trees was recognized in the plan to selectively remove them, or at least point out there was no council direction to do what was done.