Vancouver Greens publish tree and shade commitments across three boards
The Green Party of Vancouver says its City Council, Park Board, and School Board candidates each made distinct commitments to protect trees, replace stumps, and add schoolyard shade, published September 25.
Announcement. A campaign, a party or the City chose to say this. voche.me reports it as their claim. Read the original report on vangreens.ca.
The Green Party of Vancouver published a coordinated tree and shade announcement on September 25, 2026, with separate commitments from its City Council, Park Board, and School Board candidates. Each commitment addresses a different part of local government that has authority over trees.
Camil Dumont, the party's City Council candidate, says in the statement that the City Council platform would strengthen tree-protection rules, reward retention of significant trees on private property, require stronger tree replacement when mature trees are removed during development, dedicate funding to climate-resilient planting, and create a Municipal Arborist Office with in-house certified arborists. "Growing healthy green spaces takes experience, effort, and investment," the statement quotes Dumont. "We don't just need more trees, we need the right varieties planted in the right spaces and a commitment to effective maintenance standards." These are the party's stated goals, and the party has not published a cost figure for them.
Park Board: 5,000 stumps
Tom Digby, the party's Park Board candidate and current Park Board Chair, says the Park Board platform would remove 5,000 stumps across the city and replace each with a new tree. The party says it would also increase canopy cover in underserved neighbourhoods, beginning with Strathcona, and pilot three Miyawaki forests. The 5,000 stump figure comes from the party's own statement; this site has not verified the current count of stumps on city land.
Both the City Council and Park Board platforms, the party says, commit to the 3-30-300 rule: three trees visible from every home, 30 percent canopy cover across each neighbourhood, and green space within 300 metres of every home. That is the party's stated target.
School Board: shade mapping
Julie Strilesky, the party's School Board candidate, says the platform calls for a shade inventory at key schools to identify gaps along sidelines, near entrances, and at gathering spots. The party says that inventory would guide where to plant trees or add shade structures. The School Board platform also calls for Miyawaki forest pilots in partnership with the Park Board.
Voters can read the full candidate profiles at /candidates/camil-dumont, /candidates/tom-digby, and /candidates/julie-strilesky, and the party's full platform at /parties/green-party-of-vancouver. Voting takes place on October 17, 2026, and information on where to vote is at /where-to-vote.
Questions this story answers
What did the Green Party of Vancouver say about urban trees?
The Green Party of Vancouver published a statement on September 25, 2026 on its own website outlining commitments from three of its candidates across three boards. The party says its City Council candidate Camil Dumont would strengthen tree-protection rules, reward retention of significant trees on private property, require stronger replacement when mature trees are removed for development, and create a Municipal Arborist Office with in-house certified arborists. These are the party's stated commitments, and the party has not published an independent cost figure for them.
What does Tom Digby say the Park Board platform commits to on trees?
Tom Digby, the Green Party's Park Board candidate and current Park Board Chair, says in the party's September 25 statement that the Park Board platform would remove 5,000 stumps across the city and replace them with new trees. The party says it would also increase canopy cover in underserved neighbourhoods, starting with Strathcona, and pilot three Miyawaki forests. The party puts the 5,000 stump figure in its own statement; this site has not independently verified the count of stumps currently on city land.
What is the 3-30-300 rule the Greens mention?
The Green Party of Vancouver says both the City Council and Park Board platforms commit to the 3-30-300 rule for every home: three trees visible from a resident's home, 30 percent canopy cover across each neighbourhood, and green space within 300 metres of every home. This is the party's stated target. The party has not published a breakdown of current canopy levels by neighbourhood in this statement.
What does Julie Strilesky say the School Board would do?
Julie Strilesky, the Green Party's School Board candidate, says in the party's September 25 statement that the platform calls for a shade inventory at key schools to find gaps along sidelines, near entrances, and at gathering spots. The party says that inventory would guide where to plant trees or add shade structures. The platform also calls for Miyawaki forest pilots at schools in partnership with the Park Board. These are the party's stated commitments.
What is a Miyawaki forest?
A Miyawaki forest is a method of planting many small native trees in tight clusters, originally developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. The technique produces a dense, multi-layered grove that can grow faster and support more biodiversity than a conventional planting. The Green Party of Vancouver says its Park Board and School Board platforms would pilot this approach in Vancouver. The party does not specify locations in the September 25 statement.
Who is Camil Dumont?
Camil Dumont is the Green Party of Vancouver's candidate for City Council in the October 17, 2026 election. According to the party's September 25 statement, he worked for nearly a decade in Park Board horticulture, co-founded Inner City Farms, and now works in education at UBC Farm. His candidate profile is at /candidates/camil-dumont. These details come from the party's own statement.
Who is Tom Digby?
Tom Digby is the Green Party of Vancouver's candidate for Park Board and the current Park Board Chair. He is running for re-election on October 17, 2026. His candidate profile is at /candidates/tom-digby. The party's September 25 statement describes him as a vocal defender of the elected Park Board.
How can voters learn more about these candidates before October 17?
The three candidates named in this announcement are Camil Dumont running for City Council, Tom Digby running for Park Board, and Julie Strilesky running for School Board, all under the Green Party of Vancouver. You can read their profiles at /candidates/camil-dumont, /candidates/tom-digby, and /candidates/julie-strilesky. You can also read about the Green Party's full platform at /parties/green-party-of-vancouver. Voting takes place on October 17, 2026, and information on where to vote is at /where-to-vote.
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