It appears the city’s oldest tree won’t be getting its own park, after all.<\/p>\n
The red oak that sits in the back yard of 76 Coral Gables Dr. in North York is estimated to be at least 250 years old.<\/p>\n
City council voted last summer to buy the\u00a0the property, and raze the house. The land would then be turned into a park with the tree as its centrepiece.<\/p>\n
But in a report made public Tuesday, city staff say negotiations are going nowhere and should be abandoned.<\/p>\n
“Staff have negotiated with\u00a0the property owner over an approximate span of three months and were unable to agree on a purchase price for the property,” the report states. “As a result, Real Estate Services, the Toronto Office of Partnerships, and Parks, Forestry and Recreation are in agreement to cease pursuing the acquisition of the property.”<\/p>\n
“I’m really upset now,” Edith George, a neighbour who has spearheaded the effort to have the city acquire the tree, said on hearing the news Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“You just ruined my whole day.”<\/p>\n
The tree’s cultural significance has been recognized by the provincial government’s Heritage Tree Program, and George said she has applied to have it protected by the federal government as a national historic site.<\/p>\n
“The stories that this tree could tell of the history of our country,” she said. “And shame on the city.”<\/p>\n
The councillor for the area, Anthony Perruzza said he was disappointed in the outcome. But he said the city was in a tough situation, because it was well known that councillors wanted to buy the property for parkland.<\/p>\n
“If you have a person on one side who sees the city has a direction to buy this tree, you might be willing to hold out and say ‘I can get a little more,'” Perruzza said.<\/p>\n
“There’s obviously a limit.”<\/p>\n
The homeowner’s realtor, Waleed Khaled Elsayed,\u00a0wouldn’t discuss details of the negotiations, but said the city’s decision “saddens me.<\/p>\n
“It’s disappointing. I’ll reconvene with the seller and we’ll figure out what our plans are moving forward.”<\/p>\n
The city staff report goes to the general government and licensing committee March 5, and to city council later next month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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