Councillor wants to bill developers for felled trees in new neighbourhoods

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-07 20:11:02.0
Tags: [Municipal, Housing, Environment, Climate, Infrastructure]

Edmonton City Councillor Michael Janz (Ward papastew) has put forward a municipal motion to charge developers a per-tree fee for clear-cutting forests and wetlands during the construction of new greenfield neighbourhoods. The policy aims to internalize the true environmental cost of urban sprawl, noting that a single mature tree absorbs roughly 21 kilograms of CO2 annually while offsetting the climate risks currently offloaded onto taxpayers. This motion coincides with a separate proposal by Mayor Andrew Knack regarding permit requirements for tree removal during infill developments, supported by committee findings that urban redevelopment generates 30 to 50 percent fewer emissions than outward expansion.