Max Tae Hun Kim @Thorax13 - Twitter Profile

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@Rainmaker1973

11 days ago

A small Canadian town has officially granted trees the status of living beings with legal rights. Terrasse-Vaudreuil, located roughly 40 miles (64 km) west of Montreal, unanimously passed a resolution on June 9 declaring that trees possess “the right to life, natural growth, integrity, and regeneration.” The town is among the first in Canada to endorse the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree. Mayor Michel Bourdeau credited the initiative in part to filmmaker André Desrocher, whose work helped shift local perspectives on trees from mere scenery to vital living entities. “A tree is like a human being,” Bourdeau told CBC. “It breathes, it lives, it takes in water. It protects us from all sorts of things.” Facing repeated flooding in recent years, the municipality views trees as critical infrastructure. They cool urban areas, sequester carbon, purify air, support biodiversity, mitigate heat islands, and assist with stormwater management. The resolution calls for a review of local bylaws to strengthen tree protection and ensure proper replacement when removals occur. This step reflects the expanding global “rights of nature” movement, which seeks legal personhood for ecosystems, much like corporations already enjoy. A notable precedent in Quebec is the 2021 granting of legal personhood to the Magpie River by a regional government and the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit. Advocates believe such recognition could reshape development decisions, enhance climate resilience, and transform urban planning. In Terrasse-Vaudreuil, the message is clear: trees are not simply property, they are living systems essential to human communities.

Rainmaker1973's tweet photo. A small Canadian town has officially granted trees the status of living beings with legal rights.

Terrasse-Vaudreuil, located roughly 40 miles (64 km) west of Montreal, unanimously passed a resolution on June 9 declaring that trees possess “the right to life, natural growth, integrity, and regeneration.” The town is among the first in Canada to endorse the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree.

Mayor Michel Bourdeau credited the initiative in part to filmmaker André Desrocher, whose work helped shift local perspectives on trees from mere scenery to vital living entities. “A tree is like a human being,” Bourdeau told CBC. “It breathes, it lives, it takes in water. It protects us from all sorts of things.”

Facing repeated flooding in recent years, the municipality views trees as critical infrastructure. They cool urban areas, sequester carbon, purify air, support biodiversity, mitigate heat islands, and assist with stormwater management.

The resolution calls for a review of local bylaws to strengthen tree protection and ensure proper replacement when removals occur.

This step reflects the expanding global “rights of nature” movement, which seeks legal personhood for ecosystems, much like corporations already enjoy. A notable precedent in Quebec is the 2021 granting of legal personhood to the Magpie River by a regional government and the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit.

Advocates believe such recognition could reshape development decisions, enhance climate resilience, and transform urban planning. In Terrasse-Vaudreuil, the message is clear: trees are not simply property, they are living systems essential to human communities.

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Max Tae Hun Kim

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