NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - The City of New Westminster has been awarded up to $1,051,940 from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative to plant 1,050 trees and expand the city’s street tree canopy, with a focus on neighbourhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat.
The funding will support planting in Phase 2 of the city’s Urban Biodiversity Enhancement Initiative. Phase 2, which began at the end of last year, targets 6,000 new street and boulevard trees by 2030, alongside improvements such as paved sidewalks to foster long-term tree health. Planting locations will prioritize neighbourhoods with low tree canopy cover that are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, assessed by residential density, concentrations of seniors, existing canopy, and historical heat-related emergency calls.
“As experts have shared, the 2021 heat dome demonstrated the very real risks extreme heat poses to our community,” said Donnie Rosa, the city’s Chief Administrative Officer. “This funding will allow the City of New Westminster to accelerate the work to grow our urban forest, particularly in areas that are most vulnerable to extreme heat, while also supporting biodiversity and building a more resilient community.”
Phase 1 of the initiative saw 2,300 trees planted across 40 parks and public open spaces. “Growing a healthy urban forest involves much more than planting trees. We need to put the right trees in the right locations and create the conditions that will allow them to thrive for decades,” said Dean Gibson, Director of Parks and Recreation.
Growing Canada’s Community Canopies was announced in May 2024 and will support the planting of at least 1.2 million new trees across Canada by the end of March 2031, offering funding, resources and coaching to communities. In September 2026, the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities announced $67.8 million for urban forestry projects across the country through the initiative.
“FCM is proud to support the City of New Westminster’s transformative tree-planting project,” said Tim Tierney, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. “Through the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative and with the support of the Government of Canada, we’re helping municipalities of every size get the right trees in the ground in the right places, creating cooler streets, cleaner air, and healthier neighbourhoods for decades to come.”
(Source: City of New Westminster news release, October 30, 2026)
