Tree-topping ignites outrage and media splash

By Anne Stairs

Public Outcry at Council Meeting

Some 105 people turned out to last month’s TBL council meeting looking for answers to who topped more than 100 mature trees on Trestle Island – public land over which the public path crosses – and how such a thing could have happened.

For days before the meeting, Facebook channels had been lit up with anger and speculation.

Unanswered Questions Persist

As Tempo goes to press, there are still many unanswered questions. Mayor Richard Burcombe said in an interview with Tempo August 13 that the town was still looking into the topping of trees on Trestle Island and on an adjacent private property belonging to Pierre Beaudoin, Board President of Bombardier, and his wife Hélène Robitaille.

A permit was issued in November 2024 for travaux en rives on the Beaudoin property, but the Mayor insisted that the town never gave permission to the owners or their contractor to cut trees on public land. The permit – the only one issued – refers only to the Beaudoin property.

Conflicting Accounts

Mayor Burcombe said the town was in communication with the “other party“, although he did not give any details of who was involved, what was being discussed or what the town was hoping to achieve. He hopes to be in a position to announce the town’s next steps in this affair at or before the September 2 council meeting.

Representatives of the owners have said they believe they had permission to cut the trees.

“What it amounts to,” said Mayor Burcombe in a Tempo interview, “is that the concerned party thinks he had a permit to cut on public property, and we disagree.”

The town does its own work using its own people or hired contractors. But he added that the town has not ruled out legal proceedings if discussions do not produce satisfactory results.

Public Reaction and Media Attention

Although the work was done last winter, it only attracted attention after a citizen complained that the tree topping had scarred the path. Some Montreal news outlets ran extensive coverage of the story and showed photos of the house taken from the lake, deducing that the tree cutting was done to improve the view from the property.

Tree topping involves cutting off a large section from the top of the tree and is a practice frowned upon because it increases the risk of disease and infestation, which could weaken or kill the tree. It is a practice that is even banned by some towns, particularly on the west coast.

Town Policies and Future Changes

The Town of Brome Lake has sent letters and levied fines in the past for various infractions involving tree cutting and shore maintenance but has traditionally regarded property owners along the path as responsible caretakers.

The town facilitates access to the path when owners need to do work on parts of their properties that are cut off by the path. The town has also not pursued property owners who have erected fences directly on town land on either side of the path.

Mayor Burcombe suggested the town may want to change its approach in light of this recent tree topping.