ABOUT CHARLES CARTY

Though originally from Campbell’s Bay, Que., Charles moved to North Gower with his family in 1958 when he was 11 years old and the town has been his home ever since.

When it was time to decide on a career path, two main options presented themselves: mortician or elevator technician. Young Charles chose the elevators.

Twenty years later he was picking up extra work due to a strike when he came across a little old lady who needed a willow tree removed from above her septic bed. That tree was what cleared the path for a mid-life swerve into another profession: tree removal, small and large scale.

Since that first $100 bill for the willow tree, Charles has built the Carty brand, though at the beginning he did landscaping, washed windows and worked as a logger in the wintertime to stay afloat. Over the years he developed a business for specialized tree removal before passing that mantle to his son, James, who owns and manages J. Carty Tree in the Ottawa area for arborist services and land clearing.

From there Charles focused on land clearing, growing the business until he was completing the tree removal project for the 416, pushing back the stretch of forest lining the highway from Kemptville to the 401. Other contracts to follow have included the clearing for Highway 7 from Ottawa to Carleton Place, the 417 clearing for bridge expansions in the heart of Ottawa, Mahogany Harbour in Manotick and other sites from Greenbank Road to Renfrew.

Years later, nearly every Ottawa subdivision clearing project within the past three decades has seen Charles’ face and excavators.