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This article was published 13/7/2017 (1164 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local real estate developer has begun removing trees at the Parker wetlands, a 42-acre ecosystem in Fort Garry.

"Members of this community have been fighting to preserve this wetland for seven years, so today is a devastating day for them," said Fort Garry-Riverview MLA James Allum, a longtime supporter of the wetlands who came to see what was happening with his own eyes Thursday afternoon.

The deforestation had begun in the area of the wetlands behind the Winnipeg Humane Society headquarters on Hurst Way.

"I would invite the mayor and City Council to come down here and have a look at just what's happening because this is a tragedy."

Gem Equities Inc., the development company, acquired the wetlands property in a controversial land swap with the City of Winnipeg in 2009. In June, Gem's Andrew Marquess told the Free Press that there were "no plans to remove any trees" on the wetlands until the company had an agreement with the City on potential locations of naturalized greenspace that are to be protected.

In an email Thursday, Marquess clarified that though development would not begin until the city approved the development plan, tree clearing would occur in selected areas.

"A private land owner can clear trees," Marquess wrote, adding the land is currently zoned as industrial. "A tree protection plan was sent to the city showing the areas of trees to remain until the final greenspace location has been chosen regarding the future redevelopment plans."

In June, a spokesman for the province's department of sustainable development said "no permissions" were required from that office for bulldozing, assuring that Gem does own the property outright as Marquess said.

But while the deforestation is within Gem's legal rights, Allum said that still doesn't excuse the tree removal.

"The owner may be within his legal right, but he certainly didn't have social license to proceed with this demolition today," Allum said. "He certainly should've waited until council had approved his secondary plan and made sure that there was responsible public consultation going forward on this valued site that seemingly is no longer going to exist."

Allum was joined by two representatives of the Parker wetlands conservation committee at the site around 4 p.m. Thursday, when a site worker patiently asked them to leave the property.

The representatives from the conservation committee estimated that between one quarter and one third of the trees on the wetlands had been either removed or impacted. When asked if that was an accurate estimate, Marquess said he didn't know exactly the area of trees removed.

"Clearing trees is not beginning development of the site," Marquess also wrote.

As Allum and the committee members left the site to go back to their cars in the Humane Society parking lot, a lone piece of machinery was still at work.

Allum looked outward at what was now essentially a field, where a single tree remained standing.

"It's just a tragedy," he said.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca