Garden project sprouts roots in community

Shovels, rakes, and garden hoes tore into the earth at the corner of Delmar and Augusta avenues last Thursday morning as Queen’s We Are the Champions played on the radio and children from the area excitedly jumped, danced, and lent a few hands to the volunteers working on Pointe Claire’s first community garden.

As part of West Island Citizen Advocacy’s Bread Basket Lac St. Louis program, a number of businesses and organizations came together to help build the community garden for the residents of the Delmar apartment complex. The area, located off Hymus Boulevard between St. John’s and Sources boulevards, is considered one of the West Island’s poorer neighbourhoods.

“The West Island isn’t rich all over,” said project manager Fabrice Kamion, adding they could not receive government funding for the community garden, because of the common perception there is no poverty in the West Island. “It wasn’t easy.”

Kamion pointed out the garden’s benefits extend far beyond vegetables: while having access to fresh, healthy food is definitely part of it, residents will also be able to save money on their grocery bills, have a leisure activity to get involved in, beautify the neighbourhood, and get to know their neighbours better.

“The idea is to put people in a space so they can work together and share,” Kamion said. “It’s their garden.”

The garden will be overseen by a committee made up of residents of the apartment complex, which has over 200 units.

Residents’ committee member Margaret Sassoon was thrilled to be working on the garden Thursday morning, and finally see the project actually come to fruition.

“I think it’s awesome. We said, let’s make a difference here before it gets worse, and I think this is going to make a difference. It’s good for the kids. They love it,” she said. “At first I thought, what is it really going to be like. But then I saw this actually starting to happen. A lot of people are involved. It really warms my heart.”

The Rêve d’Esther foundation donated funds to the project, but did not want to reveal the amount. The Tourne-sol cooperative farm donated the seedlings for the garden, and Cogir, the apartment complex’s owner, provided the land. Building supplies for the garden were donated by Home Depot, and a number of their employees volunteered to put on their gardening gloves and build the project last week.

“It was the right opportunity for us,” said Philippe St. Georges, the Home Depot team leader. “It’s a perfect location and a great project.”

Tim Miller, who works in the culture, sports, and social development department at Pointe Claire was at the apartment complex on Thursday and said the city plans to do more work in the area.

“The city knows this area sort of needs some help,” Miller said. “The garden is a good start. I think the area is on its way up.”

West Island Citizen Advocacy spokesperson Marla Newhook also said the Delmar community garden won’t be the end of the work done there.

“Community groups have to be very proactive,” she said, adding it took a lot of people for the garden project to come together. “This is just the beginning of what we want to do in the area.”