Hamilton's beachfront is losing its trees, councillor says

Hydro One can rip out any mature trees or shrubs it wants along the Hamilton Beach waterfront trail, causing concern about the environmental impacts. And one local councillor hopes to ease the pain a little.

Coun. Chad Collins of Ward 5 will introduce a motion at city hall Wednesday to create a plan to manage the landscape along Hamilton's beachfront in advance of Hydro One doing more maintenance on the utility corridor which parallels the beach strip. Collins worries about the impact of the new round of maintenance, expected this year.

Currently, Hydro One can remove any vegetation it wants from the hydro corridor along the beach. In the past, crews have ripped out dozens of mature trees and other vegetation along the trail, Collins said.

The utility plans to remove more vegetation, Collins said. He worries not only about the aesthetics, but the impact on lakefront erosion.

Collins wants to see more trees planted along the beach to offset the loss of vegetation. He also wants to educate homeowners there about the role of their vegetation in preventing erosion. Some homeowners have also removed trees to improve their view of the lake.

He'll introduce the motion at the general issues committee at 9:30 a.m.

Other items on the agenda:

• Approving about $1 million in Ward 2 area-rating projects that came from participatory budgeting, including $230,000 for an "Urban Trail" alley beautification program and $20,000 in downtown bike racks.
• A motion to ask for real-time information about hazardous cargo on trains running through Hamilton.
• Getting citizen input on a plan to convert one-way streets in Hamilton's lower city to two-way, including King and Main streets.

Reporter Samantha Craggs will tweet from the meeting. Follow her at @SamCraggsCBC or in the window below.