Woman Fighting City Hall Over Tree-Root Foundation Damage

Nicole Robert's Copeland Park home is visibly cracking and crumbling, her front window no longer opens from foundation damage, and her stairway is separating from the house—all caused by city trees whose roots have drained the soil beneath her foundation.

Yet removing them is proving nearly impossible.

Shortly after buying the red brick house in 2022, Robert discovered that roots from two sugar and red maple trees were damaging the foundation. What seemed straightforward—removing dangerous trees from a visibly compromised home—hit a wall: the city's 2021 tree protection bylaw.

Barrhaven East Councillor Wilson Lo acknowledges the problem. "A recent staff report noted that in a lot of parts of the city, tree canopy had decreased," he said. "So it seeks to advance some of those goals in protecting tree canopy." But the bylaw doesn't account for the damage it's causing. Numerous homes in Lo's ward and in Nepean are experiencing foundation damage from city tree roots, with repair costs often exceeding $100,000.

Gerry Vlug, an arborist at ArborXpert, explains the mechanics: in dry years like 2025, trees search deeper for water and find it near foundations. As they extract that moisture, the soil around the house loses support and settles.

A September 2025 property report on Robert's home documents cracks throughout the bricks and foundation, drywall cracking inside, and a basement door that's difficult to open and close. Contractors have quoted replacement of brickwork, windows, the driveway, walkway, and interior finishes.

Lo has already gotten the city to examine damage in his ward as a single case. In Nepean, Robert continues to wait.