Vancouver Greens Propose Coordinated Tree and Shade Plan Across City, Parks, and Schools
Camil Dumont, Tom Digby, and Julie Strilesky outline distinct commitments to protect mature trees, replace 5,000 tree stumps, and target schoolyard shade
VANCOUVER, B.C., SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 — A mature tree beside a home, a stump on your street, and a schoolyard without enough shade sit under different parts of local government. The Vancouver Greens are proposing a coordinated plan across City Council, the Park Board, and the School Board that keeps those responsibilities distinct while connecting the work.
“I spent nearly a decade working at the Park Board in horticulture and later built several urban farm sites,” said Camil Dumont, Green candidate for Vancouver City Council, and Education Manager at UBC Farm. “Growing healthy green spaces takes experience, effort, and investment. We don't just need more trees, we need the right varieties planted in the right spaces and a commitment to effective maintenance standards.”
The City Council platform would strengthen tree-protection bylaws, reward retention of significant trees on private property, require stronger replacement when mature trees are lost to development, dedicate funding to climate-resilient planting, and create a Municipal Arborist Office with in-house certified arborists.
“Five thousand stumps are five thousand obvious places to start,” said Tom Digby, Chair of the Vancouver Park Board and Green candidate for re-election. “We can remove them, put new trees back in those locations, and keep working toward a healthier canopy across the city, especially in neighbourhoods that have less of it today.”
The Park Board platform commits to removing 5,000 stumps and replacing them with new trees, increasing canopy in underserved neighbourhoods beginning with Strathcona, and piloting three Miyawaki forests. The City and Park Board platforms also commit to the 3-30-300 rule for every home: three trees visible, 30 per cent neighbourhood canopy, and green space within 300 metres.
“At schools, the first step is to map where shade is missing: along sidelines, near entrances, and at the spots where kids actually gather before and after class or games,” said Julie Strilesky, Green candidate for Vancouver School Board. “Then we can use that information to guide where we plant trees or add shade structures. That is practical climate adaptation that is proven to protect human health and wellbeing.”
The School Board platform calls for a shade inventory for key schools to prioritize tree planting, along with Miyawaki pilots in partnership with the Park Board.
Dumont spent nearly a decade in Park Board horticulture before co-founding Inner City Farms, and now works in education at UBC Farm. Digby is the Chair of the Park Board, where he's been a vocal defender of the elected Park Board itself. Strilesky has more than 20 years of experience across public, private, and nonprofit organizations, including work on climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience.