Hi All, 

The Municipal sign at the gate said “Welcome to Mundy Park”. For most of us there was no doubt in our mind that it was part of our beloved park system and that our municipal leaders would protect it as such.

The climate crisis and pandemic have made our mature urban forest canopies increasingly important to: improving mental health, reducing heat domes, retaining stormwater and supporting natural ecology. Council failed to represent the values of our community when they voted unanimously to remove a large section of the trees in Mundy Park, especially given that this decision was void of public notification and input.  Urban Forest Park slashed for industrial land-use is a significant change in land-use and by the laws that regulates Municipalities, warranted due public process. When citizens requested a “stop work order” so the law be upheld, the request was denied.

Over 1700 park users signed this petition! It was part of a 2-week vigil with full array of media coverage organized by Tri-City Green Council and Friends of Mundy Park. Despite citizens repeated requests to “stop cutting“ and “be heard”, a large section of publicly owned mature forest (maintained by the City as a park and used as such by many for over 50 years) was cut and cleared; void of due public notice and public hearing. Sadly we were not represented on Council and our concerns fell on deaf ears.

The upcoming Municipal elections provides us with the opportunity to mitigate future loss of mature urban forest in our green spaces. Carefully vet the candidates! VOTE and choose candidates that offer the type of leadership you want in our community; candidates that listen to your concerns, collaborate with community stewards and share your vision and goals. Don’t water down your vote, if you only have one or two… vote just them.

For Coquitlam council, based on candidate commitment to listen to the people and prioritize mature tree canopy retention; Tri-City Green Council is endorsing:

Paul Lambert
Benjamin Perry
Rob Mazzarolo

For much needed professional and respectful mayoral leadership: Adel Gamar.

Your VOTE, your VOICE! 

Eve Gauthier
Austin Trail Mundy Park Working Group
Tri-City Green Council