Guelph Urban Forest Friends (GUFF) has reviewed the proposal to trade a
.74 acre naturalized area of Windsor Park to the Guelph Country Club.
There is a strong case to be made that this proposal should be rejected.We believe it is poor public policy to trade away green spaces, especially those that provide habitat for wildlife and tree canopy for cooling and purifying the air. These vibrant green spaces supply invaluable benefits to our community, and once they are lost, they are irreplaceable.It is difficult to ascertain how this proposal would benefit the City. The City is trading away .74 acres of naturalized area in a public park and in return is receiving .16 acre of land. The land available for park use will decline by .58 acres. In addition, the city is responsible for its portion of legal fees.We urge the city council to reject the precedent of turning naturalized park areas into residential development for the benefit of private landowners.