Some Pointe-Claire residents are upset after finding out 15 trees will be felled along Cartier Avenue.
“It’s a shame to cut the trees. It’s important for the environment. It takes a while to replant some,” said longtime Pointe-Claire resident Lise Bourbeau.
“If we could avoid it, I would not take them down,” said resident Joe O’Connor.
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Pointe-Claire diverted all questions toward Hydro-Québec.
“Pointe-Claire contacted Hydro related to several complaints for power outages in Pointe-Claire Village,” said Hydro-Québec spokesman Jean-Philippe Rousseau. “Hydro-Québec did an analysis of the situation and it appeared the main cause of the power outages was trees or branches coming into contact with the grid.”
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The trees are located on Cartier between Highway 20 and Lanthier, on land belonging to the Beaconsfield Golf Course.
“Well, we do get a lot of power outages,” said Timothy Thomas, who runs an antique shop on Cartier Avenue.
Crews trimmed the problematic branches back in December, but that didn’t completely fix the problem according to Hydro.
“The 15 trees we have to cut down this week or next week, they are old and sick,” said Rousseau. “Pruning them does not allow us to control the risk of power outages.”
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“If you can save them, they’re worth saving. If it’s causing us Hydro outages and we lose food and pipes burst, sorry trees. Our homes come first,” said Thomas.
Hydro says its too cold to start cutting right now. Rain is in the forecast in the coming days, so the trees should be felled next week.