Opponents of a proposed apartment building in Osborne Village say the project will cause further loss of the neighbourhood's tree canopy, and they want the City of Winnipeg to reject the proposal.

In April, councillors on the City Centre community committee approved the 51-unit apartment complex at the corner of Wellington Crescent and River Avenue.

The city's appeal committee will hear arguments against the development at a meeting on Wednesday.

Shirley Forsyth, who lived in Osborne Village for many years and still visits the area frequently, says hundreds of trees have been lost in the area due to developments, reducing shade cover and contributing to rising temperatures on the streets.

"You can literally feel the temperature going up," she said in an interview.

Using data from the Winnipeg Comprehensive Urban Forest Strategy in May 2022, the group Trees Please Winnipeg — of which Forsyth is a member — found that street-level temperatures in Osborne Village are higher than surrounding areas, like River Heights.

Forsyth worries the River and Wellington project will continue that trend.

An arborist's report identified 17 trees on the property, but only recommended preserving three mature bur oaks on the south end of the site.

Geoff Milnes, president of Progressive Real Estate (PRE) Developments, which is spearheading the project, told the committee at the April meeting that the original design would have preserved 13 trees along the south part of the property.

However, a request from the public works department to widen the back lane would require an access ramp to be reoriented, meaning some trees would need to be removed.

Even if the building could be redesigned to protect the trees, Forsyth wrote in a submission to the city that "the set-backs would necessitate cutting the roots of the existing trees. This root damage will kill the existing oak trees."

Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Coun. Sherri Rollins, who sits on the appeal committee and is also a member of the City Centre committee, said in an interview she will listen "with an open mind" to the group's presentation on Wednesday.

"I have already made a decision on that building, so all I can do is listen with an open mind and hear the appeal and hear from the appellants," she said.

Rollins also rejected the assertion that the area had experienced more tree loss than other areas of the city.

The ward isn't "specifically burdened by loss of trees in comparison to every other ward in the city," she said. "All wards experience loss of trees."

All decisions of the appeal committee are final.