Photo: Darren Handschuh

When three large trees came crashing down across Vernon Creek, Mary Ferguson wanted to know who was going to clean up the mess.

The trees fell from a neighbouring property on June 26 and she still has no answer.

The manager of Vernon Creek Villas - a senior's townhouse complex - said the trees pose a safety threat and possible fire hazard due to all the debris that is collecting in the branches. She is also concerned children in the area may try to climb across the trees and fall into the creek that empties into Okanagan Lake.

“We contacted everyone we could possibly contact with no luck,” said Ferguson Tuesday. “They just keep passing the buck.”

Ferguson said she called the City of Vernon, regional district and someone from the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans – because the trees are in a riparian area and protected by the province – but to no avail.

“This is not the first time it has happened, but this time we are going to make a stand,” she said, adding a tree fell from a neighbouring property across the creek two years ago and the strata council paid $1,500 to have the debris removed.

“This time there are three trees. We were told it would cost more than $2,000 to have them removed.”

Ferguson said upper branches of the trees came within a few feet of her own unit.

An arborist was brought in to trim away the top of the tree, but Ferguson said the tree could only be cut back to the edge of the property line and the company could not do any work on the portion of the tree that was over the creek itself.

She is also concerned about more trees falling, some of which could easily land on several townhouses in the complex.

Tanya Laing Gahr, communications and grants co-ordinator with the City of Vernon, said if the trees fall from private property it is up to the property owner to remove them. If the trees were on city property or in a city park, the city would be responsible, but because they fell from the edge of a creek it is a riparian area and governed by the province.

Castanet spoke to the provincial communications department which is looking into the matter.