REGINA -- Residents of Pioneer Village in Regina say the trees in front of the building are loved by many of the residents and are sad to see them being cleared out.

“It’s sad to see them go,” said Cathy Girard, who has lived at Pioneer Village for 14 years. “Some of these trees have been here longer than the senior citizens.”

The trees are located on land owned by Government House, who plan to use the area for a visitor parking once cleared.

“We don’t need any more parking lots,” Girard said. “We need more trees to be planted and they are just ripping them out of the ground, it’s not fair.”

The provincial government said it needs to create a parking lot that will provide better accessibility to Government House and give space for school buses to park and turn around.

“We expect 10 to 12 trees will be removed and we are going to be replacing all of those with new plantings,” Assistant Deputy Minister of the Property Management Division for the Ministry of Central Services, Nancy Cherney said. “This parking lot is not going to be your traditional sort of just flat asphalt surface.”

“We are trying to keep it in keeping with the design and the ambiance that goes along with Government House.”

The NDP said the Government should be focused on spending money on long term care rather than clearing trees.

“Those trees are precious to the community,” NDP MLA Trent Wotherspoon said. “When you look at the previous resources needed in long term care right now and in home care, that’s where those dollars are needed.”