The petition raises concerns over a modification to the National Capital Commission’s Sustainable Development Strategy, 2018–2023. The petition states that the commission had previously committed to planting 100,000 trees by 2022 but that this plan was modified and replaced with the commission’s Forest Strategy, 2021–2026, which indicated that 2017 levels of tree canopy cover will be maintained and that 100,000 trees could potentially be planted. According to the petition, the forest strategy appears to have weaker tree‑planting goals. The petition questions how the commission can move away from its commitment to planting 100,000 trees by 2022 given the effects of climate change and global warming and the federal government’s commitment to planting 2 billion trees.
The petition requests studies and evidence behind the decisions to establish the previous sustainable development strategy’s goal of planting 100,000 trees and then to cancel this commitment. The petition inquires about the cost to plant and maintain a tree and the amount of land needed to plant 100,000 trees. The petition asks for an update on the number of trees planted by the commission as of 2023. Furthermore, it asks for the net change in urban trees on commission‑owned land from 2018 to 2022, given the destruction of trees because of construction and natural events. The petition also questions the commission’s policies regarding the replacement of trees on the commission’s land that have been removed by tenants, prospective buyers, and commission projects on commission‑owned land.