Metrolinx begins to clear trees at Osgoode Hall, agrees to 'pause work' ahead of hearing on their removal
A spokesperson for the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) says Metrolinx began cutting down historic trees at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Saturday before the Ontario Superior Court could hear an injunction to prevent their clearing.
“Metrolinx began clearing trees on the grounds of Osgoode Hall this morning in advance of the proceedings,” Wynna Brown said in an email.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
A hearing on the injunction to stop the action by the Crown agency began at 2 p.m.
News of Friday’s injunction application came after reports surfaced that Metrolinx could begin cutting down the five trees, which are believed to be hundreds of years old, as early as this weekend to make way for the future site of an Ontario Line subway station.
According to city councillor Josh Matlow, who was at Osgoode Hall Saturday morning, Metrolinx agreed to halt the removal of the trees following pressure from protesters at the location until a decision on the injunction had been made.
“A victory in the midst of a long fight,” Matlow said in a tweet.
In an email to CP24, Metrolinx confirmed that they agreed to "temporarily pause" the work pending the results of the hearing.
"Following the hearing, we look forward to proceeding to get this critical transit line built," Metrolinx said.
Video from the site showed contractors chopping off some of the trees’ limbs Saturday morning. Matlow told CP24 that work began as early as 8 a.m.
Green fabric is tied around trees at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Friday February 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Liz Driver is the director of nearby Campbell House and interim chair of the Build Ontario Line Differently (BOLD) Community Coalition.
She said the recent action taken by Metrolinx is “shameful” and demonstrates the “irreversible damage” that is to come if they follow through with their plans.
“Showing up with chainsaws when they knew that the court would be convening. They (Metrolinx) think they’re above the law and they’re a provincial agency. It’s is shameful,” she said.
Driver said she hopes the Ontario Superior Court will grant the injunction to pause the work at Osgoode and that stakeholders will further discuss a third-party review, commissioned by the city, that looks at other possible station locations.
“We all want good transit, but we want to build good transit and not damage our city in the process,” Driver added.
This isn’t the first time the trees at the site of Ontario’s highest courts have been threatened. They were originally slated to be chopped down on Dec. 5 of 2022 for an archeological assessment of the property.
The Law Society of Ontario announced in November that the work had been postponed due to public pushback, which they described at the time as a “temporary reprieve.”
The 15.6-kilometre Ontario Line, which will have 15 stops, is set to run from Exhibition Place to the Ontario Science Centre following its completion in 2031.
Nine other areas in the area of Osgoode Hall were assessed for potential locations of the future Osgoode Station.
However, Parsons Corporation, a U.S.-based infrastructure engineering firm contracted to carry out the assessment, found that Osgoode Hall appeared to be “the most suitable option.”
With files from CP24's Bryann Aguilar and Chris Fox
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.