75-year-old Peter Ducree is a retired Bell employee who, after a year of the pandemic, decided to build a treehouse that has become a popular spot for outdoor fun for the local children.
After spending the summer months completing the project, the City of Pointe-Claire gave Mr. Ducree until January 22nd to take the treehouse down or face fines, because 30% of the tree's roots are on city property.
"I contacted the city twice and was told no permit was required for a treehouse on my property" Said Ducree in a post to Facebook.
Ducree stated that it is impossible to modify the structure now without removing it and rebuilding it from scratch. He said public security had to be aware of the project because they often passed by while he was working on it.
Ducree is a father to two adult children, though built the treehouse to bring some joy into the lives of children confined in their homes due to the pandemic.
The treehouse was built using plywood and cedar and is enjoyed by many neighbourhood children.
"This treehouse was a labor of love. I spent countless hours ( maybe too many hours) My neighbors helped and chipped in to pay for some materials. The kids in the neighbourhood visited often during the construction and have only begun to enjoy the fruits of our labor..." Ducree said in his post.
"Mr. Ducree did a very nice thing for the children of his neighbourhood and one cannot fault his motives. But before building a house people usually make sure they own the land they are going to build it on." - Mayor Tim Thomas
Local councillor Kelly Thorstad-Cullen was contacted to see if any kind of compromise can be made by the city, though no direct answer has been given as of now.
