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After much pressure from the public, Victoria City Council finally decided to end the Centennial Square redevelopment project. The Sequoia, Morioka cherry, other trees, the fountain, and monolith have all been saved.

The City has also saved, as a result, millions of dollars on a project that very few wanted, and many thousands opposed.

By Sasha Izard
Dec 4, 2025

Today Victoria City Council voted 8-1 on the motion brought forward by Councillors Hammond and Gardiner to halt the Centennial Square project. The Sequoia, the other mature trees and the entire Square have therefore all been saved from destruction!

After much opposition, and when the dust had settled, only Councillor Caradonna, was left to the bitter end of the council deliberations, voting in support of redeveloping the square at the cost of its historic and natural features.

Victoria council stops Centennial Square redevelopment project, will redirect funds

There were many people who helped save the Sequoia and Square.

Ken Johnson launched the Friends of Centennial Square, which had a popular Facebook page, a key gathering point for opposition.

Architectural Historian Martin Segger also spoke out: Martin Segger – The Future of Centennial Square

A petition was started that would gather almost 7000 signatures.

Petition · Save the Mighty Sequoia Tree at Centennial Square, Victoria BC, from Wrongful Demolition – Victoria, Canada · Change.org

A first rally was held, ignored by the media, covered only by CRD Watch and Creatively United:

Great Turnout by Concerned Citizens and Response at Rally to Save the Majestic Sequoia at Victoria Centennial Square – CRD Watch Homepage

Arborist Ryan Senechal in his writings revealed how much of the narrative around the trees didn’t make sense.

https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comment-removing-that-sequoia-would-violate-city-of-victoria-policies-9443713

An Analysis of Dialog’s Technical Memorandum on the Centennial Square Sequoia Tree – Creatively United Community

Senechel’s revelations were paralleled by the writings of Grace Golightly:

Let the Sequoia live! by Grace Golightly – CRD Watch Homepage

Others wrote as well, excellent letters to the editor.

Letter regarding Centennial Square over Christmas, and the foreboding lack of illumination over the Sequoia by Pam Harrison and Leo Polowich – CRD Watch Homepage

CRD Watch played a critical role in the process of documenting and examining the story as it unfolded, and exposing the major flaws of the project:

Index of documentation related to Centennial Square and the Sequoia – CRD Watch Homepage

Key to the unravelling of the council’s narrative, was the excellent journalism of Mary Fowles. Her Freedom of Information requests and writings on CRD Watch, exposed gross inconsistencies in regard to what the council had said regarding the Sequoia and other trees, inconsistencies that couldn’t ultimately be ignored.

A Freedom of Information response revealed that City of Victoria staff stated in February 2024 that none of the trees in Centennial Square met the criteria for removal. – CRD Watch Homepage

Calls for saving the Sequoia mount as the City of Victoria Council receives growing public scrutiny over a lack of transparency, and among indications of what may be gross inconsistencies on the issue.  – CRD Watch Homepage

The Secret Life of Public Trees: The City of Victoria will not release the details of an initial arborist’s report which assessed all the trees in Centennial Square. – CRD Watch Homepage

Centennial Square to become a “living room” for downtown condo dwellers in the absence of public park space by Mary Fowles – CRD Watch Homepage

And among all this, was excellent organizational work by the Community Trees Matter Network, and many others who organized everything from Sequoia Pot Lucks, singing choirs, musical performances, poetic gatherings, to protests, speaking on the radio, and campaigns to inform the public of what was really going on with the square. All the elements were at play that build solid community, that can endure for the future.

At the rally this summer to Save the Sequoia in the Square, at which 300-400 people have been estimated to have taken part in, with the crowd chanting towards the City Hall – Councillor Hammond spoke to the crowd acknowledging that with new information, he had come to change his view of the earlier narrative around the Sequoia.

Video of the Save the Centennial Sequoia Rally (June 12, 2025) – CRD Watch Homepage

A magnificent painting on display at the rally, by artist P Jean Oliver

Only weeks after the rally, council turned around and defunded the sequoia’s removal.

However, the sequoia’s fate and those of the other trees, were still uncertain in the long run, and the fate of the fountain, and monolith seemed to be on the verge of being lost.

Sequoia supporters relieved it will stay — for now – Victoria Times Colonist

It was Councillors Hammond and Gardiner who ultimately forced the issue this fall, by putting it on the table to end the project. Although there was delaying action by Councillor Dell in particular, who advanced the notion that the whole area could be converted into a giant space for a music festival – not much enthusiasm for the idea materialising out of Dell’s pitch. The fate of the square however, was ultimately and decided on at council today, with all of the square being saved.