YORKTON, Sask. — The City of Yorkton has received $50,000 in federal funding to support a tree-planting project that will add approximately 200 new trees to the community.
The funding comes through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Growing Canada's Community Canopies initiative, a program supported by the Government of Canada. The city will provide matching funding for the York Landing and Mayhew Avenue Tree Planting Project.
According to the city, the project is intended to expand Yorkton's urban canopy while improving environmental resilience, beautifying public spaces and providing long-term benefits such as shade, improved air quality and climate adaptation.
Mayor Aaron Kienle said the grant will help build on Yorkton's longstanding commitment to maintaining and expanding green spaces.
"We're grateful for this investment in Yorkton," Kienle said. "The trees we plant today will provide shade, improve our neighbourhoods, and benefit Yorkton residents for generations to come."
In an interview, Kienle said the city has successfully accessed tree-planting grants in the past and many residents have already benefited from those projects through trees planted along roadways, in parks and throughout residential areas.
He said new plantings are also important for replacing aging trees that have been part of Yorkton neighbourhoods for decades.
"When you drive down some of the avenues in Yorkton and see trees that have been around for decades and decades, this is about replenishing those and creating other beautiful spaces like that as well," he said.
Kienle noted that support for trees and green spaces has remained a priority for both current and past councils.
He also pointed to Yorkton's history of community tree planting, recalling comments made during a recent heritage event about generations of residents who helped establish many of the mature trees that now define the city's streetscapes and parks.
The project forms part of Yorkton's broader efforts to enhance public spaces and strengthen environmental sustainability throughout the city.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities said the program helps communities plant trees in places where they can provide long-term environmental and community benefits.
"Through the Growing Canada's Community Canopies initiative and with the support of the Government of Canada, we're helping municipalities of every size get the right trees in the ground in the right places," said FCM president Tim Tierney.
The Growing Canada's Community Canopies program was launched in 2024 and aims to support the planting of at least 1.2 million trees across Canada by March 2031.
Yorkton officials said planting, monitoring and maintenance activities will continue throughout the project, with the new trees intended to provide environmental, social and economic benefits for years to come.
