Whether your neighbourhood needs more trees isn’t determined by how many trees there are, it’s based on who lives there<\/p>\n
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Published Apr 16, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 5\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Mayor Olivia Chow and her crew at City Hall have a new pet project \u2013 tree equity.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n You may think this is a program to make sure that all parts of the city have similar tree cover, but you\u2019d be wrong.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Tree equity if really just a DEI \u2013 diversity, equity and inclusion \u2013 project for determining if your neighbourhood deserves more trees.<\/p>\n \u201cToronto is the first municipality in Canada to utilize a tree equity approach to prioritize canopy growth at the neighbourhood scale,\u201d the city proudly proclaimed in announcing the policy.<\/p>\n Along with their policy, the city has released an interactive website that allows you to see your tree equity score. Bizarrely, there are areas of the city that have more trees but are given a lower tree equity score and are considered a higher priority than neighbourhoods with fewer trees.<\/p>\n For example, the Bay-Cloverhill area of the downtown core between Yonge and Bay Sts. and from College St. north to St. Joseph St. has just 2% tree canopy according to the city but a tree equity score of 86. The north end of Regent Park from Dundas St. E. north to Gerrard St. E. has 13% tree canopy but only a tree equity score of 70 making it a high priority area to plant trees while Bay-Cloverhill with far fewer trees isn\u2019t a priority.<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n We apologize, but this video has failed to load.<\/p>\n Play VideoBased on the DEI criteria decided on by city bureaucrats<\/p>\n That\u2019s because the tree equity score isn\u2019t based on how many trees are in your neighbourhood, it\u2019s based on the DEI criteria decided on by city bureaucrats. The city lists the priority index facts that they consider on the website, which include, \u201cPeople in poverty, People of color, Children and seniors, Unemployment, Linguistic isolation, Health burden index, Heat disparity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe priority index is made up of equally-weighted climate, health and socioeconomic characteristics that are integrated into Tree Equity Score,\u201d the website states.<\/p>\n City Councillor Brad Bradford, who has already declared he will run against Mayor Chow in October\u2019s election, is critical of the policy. While he says he\u2019s supportive of planting more trees across the city, he doesn\u2019t understand why we need a policy \u2013 especially one that decides who gets trees based on socioeconomic and demographic factors.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this is the priority, if this is the focus, if this is where the bureaucrats are spending all their time, it\u2019s not so surprising that home invasions are up, transit service and reliability is down, and state of good repair in the city has arguably never been worse,\u201d Bradford said.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, when I think about where we need trees, I would just sort of look, where do we not have a lot of trees? Can we plant some more trees there?\u201d<\/p>\n We apologize, but this video has failed to load.<\/p>\n Play VideoNo common sense at Olivia Chow\u2019s City Hall<\/p>\n That would be a simple and common sense approach, but at Olivia Chow\u2019s City Hall following a common sense approach would be just too easy. Even something as simple as where to plant trees has to be put through a highly political and partisan DEI lens.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t think this makes things more complex and more expensive, think again.<\/p>\n Having a policy like this requires a team of staff to measure all of these factors, to design the plans, to compile and analyze results. We are undoubtedly wasting a lot of money on this policy, which is purely driven by identity politics.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n WARMINGTON: Only in Toronto could ‘free’ World Cup fan fest now come with cost<\/p>\n <\/a> Was Olivia Chow’s paid shovelling idea a city hall snow job?<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Olivia-Chow-files-Dec3.jpg\")
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow attends an executive committee meeting at Toronto City Hall on March 19, 2025. Photo by Jack Boland \/ Files \/Toronto SunArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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