Ken Boshcoff says a decision to cut down tamarack trees is embarrassing the city on a national level.
The at-large councillor, who voted against removing 11 tamarack trees near Mohawk Crescent Monday night, said he's been getting calls from all over the country from people saying it was the wrong decision.
"It's not the kind of publicity Thunder Bay needs," he said.
But Mayor Keith Hobbs, who supported the idea, said the city cuts down trees all the time.
And if organizations, like Tree Canada which said Thunder Bay has set a dangerous precedent, are so concerned about trees in the city there are a lot of worse situations to complain about.
As an example, the mayor pointed to plenty of healthy trees are being cut down to make way for a wind farm on the Nor'Wester Mountains that should also be a concen.
"I don't care what Ken Boshcoff thinks about whether it's embarrassing us or not. Why aren't those people up on the Nor'Westers taking a stand on city owned property," he said.
"You can't pick and choose your battles, be consistent is what I say to Tree Canada."
The trees were a nuisance for people in the neighbourhood and needed to be removed. Hobbs said he's happy with council's decision to get rid of them.
"It's part of what we do with tax dollars, we help people out.”
Trees are removed when they start becoming a danger to people or property Boshcoff said. These particular trees weren't doing that. He's now getting calls from people who want trees removed simply because they think they can.
"If it's going to be done for one then everyone wants to be on the bandwagon," he said.
