While the plans for Centennial Square have been re-marketed, they are essentially as bad as before.

Real estate writer Andrew Duffy wrote in the Times Colonist:

"The latest design has dramatically scaled back the original plan, and all work on the eastern part of the plaza has been deferred, including removal of the sequoia."

Deferred is the operative word.  They are still planning to eliminate the Sequoia.

Here are the facts:

1. The Sequoia and other trees are still on the chopping block! Work on the Square will take place in 2 "phases". The "revised plans" for the Square, revealed at Thursday's City Council meeting, are for "phase 1" only of the proposed redevelopment of the Square. Apparently fearful of public backlash over the trees' destruction, the Councillors promoting this redevelopment have conveniently ensured that this destruction will take place in "phase 2" of the work on the Square, which they presumably hope will be after their re-election in 2026.

The report of the City Parks Director provided to Council on Thursday setting out the "phase 1 plans" states: "Site improvements in the eastern half of the Square are deferred to a future phase, including sub-surface utility upgrades, accessibility grading, removal of existing trees, bosque planting, and the relocation and restoration of the Centennial monoliths. In phase one, the monoliths from the existing fountain will be removed and stored, and the existing sequoia, sweetgum, and cherry trees will remain until the Civic Plaza is addressed in a later phase."

This report describes the updated design for Centennial Square as " a focused first phase...".

The memorandum to the City from Dialog, the Vancouver company which has planned this redevelopment, describes the "Interim Retention of Sequoia and Sweet Gum".

The original Council decision of July 2024 regarding the Square redevelopment included removal of the trees and this decision has not been rescinded.

2. Phase 1 work alone will require the City to borrow more than $6 Million (as set out in the Parks Director's report).

3. The only chance to stop phase 1 (the destruction of the Fountain and western end of the Square), and ultimately phase 2 (the removal of the Sequoia and other trees), is the motion put forward by Councillors Hammond and Gardiner to halt work on this project. This motion will come to a vote this Thursday, December 4.

We need URGENT action.

Keeping the December 4 date in mind, please write Mayor Alto (malto@victoria.ca), and Councillors Loughton (kloughton@victoria.ca) and Kim (skim@victoria.ca).

Although they may be considered intransigent and a lost cause, consider also emailing councillors Thompson (dave.thompson@victoria.ca), Caradonna (jcaradonna@victoria.ca), and Dell (mdell@victoria.ca). 

Please write letters to the Times Colonist and other media.  Please call into CFAX's open lines about this issue. Remind everyone that this will be an election issue. Save the Sequoia and the Square! Save the City of Victoria from this expensive and unnecessary development!

Thank you again for all of your support!!!

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For more information, please contact treesmatternetwork@gmail.com

Note: As always, feel free to refrain from donating to the petition, as the money goes to Change.org, not the petition, no matter what Change.org's marketing suggests.