Developer Faces Charges
InSauga September 23, 2025
The City of Burlington has moved ahead with charges against several parties responsible for cutting and removing trees without approval to make way for a housing project.
Burlington issued the charges under its private and public tree bylaws against the developer, landowner, contractor and others involved in the development taking place at the Millcroft Golf Club.
Fines could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if the city receives a successful outcome.
It is believed that more than 400 trees were cut down at the site to make way for 100 homes that have been approved for construction. When completed, the project will see the inner-city course reduced by half and become a nine-hole course.
The city understands how deeply people care about this neighbourhood, and we are committed to ongoing monitoring and transparency throughout the construction process,” according to a statement issued by the city, adding that it is working with the developer to provide construction-related updates.
The statement said no further comments would be made by the city because the matter is now before the courts.
For years, residents who live near the golf course fought against the development, saying that it would negatively impact their quality of life and the local environment.
Despite the resistance, Argo Development Corporation, the Burlington-based builder behind the project, fought just as hard to proceed, taking its case to the Ontario Land Tribunal, which ruled last summer that the site was an appropriate location to build homes.
Even political clout couldn’t change the direction the project was headed, as both the City of Burlington and Halton stood in opposition. In attempts to stave off the development, appeals were made to the only person who could step in and bring it to a halt — Ontario Premier Doug Ford — but that call for help has not been answered.
The removal of the trees began on May 1 of this year, and since then, work on the project has continued.
