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![\"Ruth](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4375977_web1_260604-Tree-Planting-4-.jpg\")
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Ruth Bonneville \/ Free Press Files<\/p>\n
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City crews plant trees in Winnipeg\u2019s Andrew Currie Park in June. The city is primed to chop $1.2 million from its tree planting program to fill a budget gap.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A local tree protection group said any funding loss would hurt an already ailing city canopy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the city increased the forestry budget over the last couple of years, it was finally almost enabling forestry to keep up with the pace of planting for trees that were lost on public property \u2026 I would say the loss of any funding for forestry is big,\u201d said Jean Altemeyer, a member of Trees Please Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
Altemeyer urged city councillors to seek more information on exactly how the cut would affect the tree canopy before city council casts a final vote on the proposal, such as how many fewer trees would be planted this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe loss of any funding for forestry is big.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think, given global warming, heat domes, volatile weather, the city has lost a stunning number of trees on public property \u2026 So, if they\u2019re now talking about removing resources from what is already going to be a stressed budget that seems short-sighted at the least,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The finance report notes the funding cut would \u201cdelay the implementation\u201d of Winnipeg\u2019s urban forest strategy but still leave $9.825 million in the tree planting budget this year. It does not offer further details.<\/p>\n
Mayor Scott Gillingham said he would prefer not to have to alter the budget at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish we didn\u2019t have to make this decision. I wish the province would have contributed an additional $1.2 million from their budget to fund this so that council wouldn\u2019t be put in a position to make a decision to reduce the budget in some other program,\u201d said Gillingham.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Winnipeg\u2019s Elm tree canopy over Casey Street in Riverview. Despite the budget cut, Winnipeg\u2019s urban forest strategy would still have $9.825 million in the tree planting budget this year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n However, the mayor said he plans to support the budget change in a final city council vote and does not want to delay the decision to seek more details about the forestry impact.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not looking to (do that.) The province of Manitoba needs an answer from the City of Winnipeg,\u201d said Gillingham.<\/p>\n The mayor said provincial governments, both past and present, have consistently set conditions for how the infrastructure dollars they provide the city are spent, though he would prefer to see the decisions confirmed sooner.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish we didn\u2019t have to make this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor said this July notice did arrive several months earlier in the city\u2019s calendar-year budget than a similar provincial direction did last year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe province is acting months sooner than previous years. That\u2019s a good step in the right direction,\u201d said Gillingham.<\/p>\n Even after the proposed cut, the city would still spend a significant amount on tree planting, the mayor stressed.<\/p>\n \u201cOur (urban forest strategy) budget has increased almost 30 per cent over the last few years \u2026 We\u2019re planting more trees, we\u2019re expediting or speeding up our pruning processes \u2026 Make no mistake, we\u2019re still prioritizing investment in the urban forest,\u201d said Gillingham.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Overall, the province will provide Winnipeg $93.9 million in strategic infrastructure basket funding this year.<\/p>\n A provincial spokesperson said funding for Assiniboine Park was crucial.<\/p>\n \u201cThis funding will help ensure that the conservancy can continue to deliver quality services to families by enhancing its animal health centre, which is essential for attractions like the bears in the Journey to Churchill,\u201d the spokesperson said in a statement.<\/p>\n City council is expected to cast the final vote on the proposal July 16.<\/p>\n joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n X : @joyanne_pursaga<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joyanne Pursaga Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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