Removal of five historic trees on Osgood Hall grounds postponed

The five historic trees at Osgood Hall will remain intact for the time being.

The trees, believed to be hundreds of years old, were scheduled to be felled on December 5 to make way for an archaeological evaluation of the site before construction of the Ontario line began.

However, the Ontario Law Society (LSO) confirmed Tuesday that tree removal has been postponed.

In a statement, the Governing Body said it welcomed a “temporary reprieve”.

“Thanks to the efforts of community members, stakeholders and partners who expressed concern about the removal of five trees from the historic site of Osgood Hall, Metrolinks has completed an archaeological survey of the station on the Ontario Line. To expedite the evaluation, we have agreed that this logging is not necessary and Metrolinx is proposing the site,” said the LSO.

The group looks forward to the results of an independent review of the site by the City of Toronto, saying that “the development of the Ontario line will continue to pursue Osgood Hall and all reasonable options to mitigate or eliminate its impact.” We will continue to discuss,” he added. Balancing the complex needs of Toronto and the region,

In a statement, Metrolinks said it had found alternative ways to accommodate archaeological work on site before the trees were cut.

The site at Queen Street West and University Avenue will be the site of the future Osgood Station. One of 15 stops on the 15.6-kilometer Ontario Line from Exhibition Place to the Ontario Science Center.

Mayor John Torrey said last week that he hopes the city will conduct an independent review before trees are removed from Osgood Hall.

“We expect the report to be made public and expect Metrolinx to publicly discuss all plans before beginning work,” the mayor’s office said in a November 22 statement. increase.

“Mayor Torrey is being mandated by voters to build public transit systems, including the Ontario Line, and through this process he advocates for Metrolinks to respect the communities around these projects.”

Meanwhile, state documents show that the construction cost of the Ontario line has nearly doubled from the original estimate.

In 2019, it was pegged at $10.9 billion with a 2027 completion date. But according to a recent Infrastructure Ontario document, construction costs for the Ontario line could balloon to his $19 billion.

Also, the line may not be open to the public until 2031.

– Comes with Chris Fox’s files