Trees and Landscaping

The south end of Syndicate Avenue looks lovely with its new pavement patterns and healthy small trees. Other places around town, particularly the down town areas and the west end of Bay Street are enhanced by small trees which one day, and not far off, will produce inviting streetscapes. Of course, once you move away from the business streets and into the residential areas, you find shady walks, lovely gardens, interesting landscaping.

But alas it is not enough. Our city planners and local businesses have busied themselves this summer dumping tar everywhere. Not on drive or walkways where asphalt is needed but any other place possible. On earth spaces where bushes, plantings and small trees could go, we in Thunder Bay get more black tar. It stretches along side sidewalks, on road medians and corners, around businesses and apartment buildings with, often, a dumpster or a pile of tires to complete the landscaping creating an instant slum look on our major streets.

Anything, anything, any monstrosity it better than planting something or pulling a weed. It seems odd to me that business staff can be asked to sweep a parking lot or pick up trash but cannot be required to remove a weed or water a planter.

I know that many of our local business owners would never consider paving their front lawns at home and adding a rusty fence or a dumpster or a garbage can or several large pot holes or a dilapidated sign. They would no more consider it than they would stand on their heads naked on their own roof tops. But the same owners turn their business into a slum and ruin our city. The idea that Thunder Bay will attract tourists is laughable after you take one drive along Memorial Avenue.