Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleNEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — New Westminster has been awarded up to $1,051,940 through a national municipal tree-planting initiative to support 1,050 additional trees, with the city prioritizing neighbourhoods that have less tree cover and greater exposure to extreme heat.
The City of New Westminster announced the funding on October 30, saying it comes from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative, which is supported by the Government of Canada.
The grant will support Phase 2 of the city’s Urban Biodiversity Enhancement Initiative, known as URBEI. The city says the wider project aims to plant 6,000 new street and boulevard trees by 2030, alongside improvements to paved areas and planting conditions intended to help trees survive and grow over the long term.
Heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods are a priority
New Westminster says planting locations will be selected strategically, with priority given to neighbourhoods that have low tree-canopy coverage and are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat.
The city says its assessment considers residential density, concentrations of seniors, existing tree canopy and historical heat-related emergency calls for service. The approach is intended to direct shade and natural cooling toward areas where residents may face greater exposure to high temperatures.
The city cited the 2021 B.C. heat dome as a reminder of the risks posed by extreme heat. Its chief administrative officer said expanding shade and natural cooling is part of preparing neighbourhoods for future heat events.
Phase 1 planted 2,300 trees
The city says the first phase of URBEI resulted in 2,300 trees being planted across 40 parks and public open spaces. The next phase shifts more attention to street and boulevard trees, as well as improvements to the surrounding hardscape to support long-term tree health.
Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said a successful urban forest requires more than simply adding trees. The city’s goal, he said, is to put “the right trees in the right locations” and create conditions that allow them to thrive for decades.
What residents still need to know
The October 30 announcement does not identify the specific streets or neighbourhood blocks that will receive the 1,050 trees, nor does it provide a planting schedule for this phase. The city says locations will be prioritized using its canopy and heat-vulnerability assessment.
At the national level, FCM’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative aims to support the planting of at least 1.2 million new trees across Canada by the end of March 2031. The initiative provides municipalities with funding, resources and coaching for local tree-planting projects.
For New Westminster, the grant adds a new round of planting to a longer-term effort to expand shade, support biodiversity and make neighbourhoods more resilient to extreme heat. The next public milestone will be the release of more specific planting locations and timing.
Sources: City of New Westminster, October 30, 2026; Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Growing Canada’s Community Canopies program.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
