Honouring an Agreement

What Happened

Mr. F is a senior with a spouse in long-term care. The tree in his yard, planted by the City of Etobicoke, was in terrible shape and he worried that someone could be injured. The City used to take care of the tree, but when he phoned about it, the City told him the tree was his problem. Mr. F contacted our office for help.

What We Did

We phoned Parks, Forestry and Recreation, who said that an agreement signed in the 1990s allowed the City to maintain the tree. They explained the agreement was only for five years and was no longer in effect. However, a review of Mr. F’s documents showed that the City had renewed the maintenance agreement at least three times. The review also revealed an inspection report recommending removal of the tree. When shown this evidence, the Urban Forestry director agreed to re-inspect the tree and remove it, if needed.

The Result

The City looked at the tree again and removed it, at no cost to Mr. F.