The newly anticipated Bourgeau Garden is causing issues among residents of the neighbourhood

Jude Osmond

The beloved Bourgeau Park is being turned into a community garden, sparking profound disappointment throughout the McLeod neighbourhood. The park has been one of the most used in Aylmer, with many children and teenagers playing there year-round.

The community garden project is partnered with Centre Communautaire Entre Nous, and plans are to grow various types of vegetables for people in need. The place chosen has been very popular for children and teenagers for the last few years. Residents mentioned that they often visited the park and sometimes played various sports, including soccer, football, and baseball.

The matter was discussed at the district town hall meeting on Monday, May 11, at the Lucy-Faris Library. Residents who live near the park expressed their concern about the garden's location and hoped that the park could stay.

Why the citizens are upset

According to residents, Bourgeau Park is an important part of the neighbourhood, especially for the younger generations who grew up playing there, and taking it away would not be good for the community, as it has had a significant impact on teenagers and children.

A resident near the park, Louis-Pierre Marien, mentioned that it has brought people together for years and has always been lively year-round, which is what the neighbourhood loves about it. “Some of the neighbours don’t have backyards and they go to the park,” he said. “This is a common area for the neighbourhood; it's not just a patch of grass.”

The residents are on board with the idea of a community garden. However, they are not in favour of the chosen location, as the park has been a very important part of the McLeod community.

“It's normal for people to be upset because, whenever the use of a park section or green space changes, it affects nearby people,” Roy said. “Sometimes, however, it's for the best.”

The city began installing the garden's framework on May 1, erecting poles that separate parts of the garden, but the poles have also cut down a large part of the field where children played.  According to Marien, since they added the poles, the park has been deserted.

Residents Louis-Pierre Marien and Sara Roussis said they had no idea a garden was even coming until they started installing the poles in the park. “We weren’t consulted,” they said.

On May 4, residents were promised that all work on the garden would be halted until the community meeting on May 28, which will focus solely on the Bourgeau garden project. Still, on May 6, they installed the fencing on the poles, and on May 11, installed a porta-potty.


The community garden meeting on May 28

Councillor Roy explained that the purpose of the community meeting on May 28 was to give people a chance to ask questions about the project and, hopefully, get the community behind it. “The objective is to share with everyone together some good information and explain the analysis of the project,” he said.

The meeting will present the project's step-by-step process, outline the various alternatives, and allow the public to have a voice in the project's decision-making and to provide feedback.

The meeting will be held at 61 rue du Couvent from 5:30 to 7 pm.

Trad. : MET