Large tree branch crashes in Vancouver yard after being deemed safe twice by city
Vancouver homeowner says a tree branch that fell into his front yard Thursday was deemed safe twice by city arborists.
Vancouver resident Dale Pugh’s roof and chimney were damaged by the same tree this summer.
Pugh says when a city arborist came to remove the first branch from his home at 13 Avenue and Camosun Street, he inquired about another limb on the tree he was worried about. He says the city arborist didn’t see a problem with it.
Pugh then hired a private arborist to conduct an inspection.
“He said the other limb is suffering from the same bark inclusion and it’s probably going to come down at some point in time," Pugh told CTV News Vancouver.
Bark inclusion occurs when a tree has multiple stems that grow together at some point. The bark doesn’t have the strength of wood and can become fragile and compromised.
After the visit by the private contractor, a concerned Pugh reached out to the city.
“I persisted," he said. "Finally another arborist came out and inspected the tree and he deemed it to be safe.”
Less than a month later, the second branch fell in his front yard and on the sidewalk.
"This sidewalk, if school’s in session, it’s got lots of kids going back a forth between the schools,” Pugh said.
Pugh says the bark inclusion, that caused the tree branches to fall, is common in his neighbourhood and should be addressed by the city before there’s another incident.
“Whatever maintenance program they have, it’s not working properly," he said. “I would like them to get some competent arborists.. inspect the trees and take down dangerous trees and take down dangerous limbs.”
The city says the branch has since been removed and the tree is currently being inspected for stability and possible remediation to limit risk to the community.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University while clashes break out at UCLA
The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion, with police carrying riot shields bursting into a building that protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests. On the other side of the country, clashes broke out early Wednesday between duelling groups at the University of California, Los Angeles.
National strategy must recognize caregivers as 'backbone' of society: centre
Canadians need help looking after family members who are aging, sick or have disabilities, and many caregivers are seniors who need help themselves, says a new report calling for a national strategy that recognizes the mental and financial toll of the job.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
WATCH Moose strolls through Fredericton
A Fredericton woman is awe-struck after seeing a moose stroll down a city street on Tuesday.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.