People at housing complex frustrated by removal of community garden boxes

A community is decrying the loss of community garden boxes. CTV’s Karis Mapp explains why they were removed.

Residents who live in a housing complex owned by Waterloo Region are frustrated after several community garden boxes were removed.

The boxes were originally installed at the 60 Paulander Drive community in 2023 as part of a collaboration between the region and the police in an attempt to boost morale in the area. Some of the boxes were installed on the second floor of the property above a parking garage.

“There was a lot of crime in the area, and the community had a meeting with Waterloo Regional Police and they decided that they would like to do some more gardening,” explained Daryl Warren, a neighbourhood volunteer for the complex.

But on Wednesday evening regional representatives started dismantling the majority of the boxes on both floors of the two-storey complex. Residents said some of the boxes still had crops growing in them.

CTV News contacted the region for an interview, but was instead provided with a statement that reads in part, “Due to infrastructure issues affecting the property, the gardens on the parking garage can no longer remain in their current location … While this change was communicated to residents, we understand there may be some concerns remaining, so we have paused the removal work to review next steps.”

People living at the complex said they’re not convinced, and they are questioning why the ground-floor units also had their boxes removed.

“They’re causing trouble to trim around it for the weeds for the ground keepers. Other ones are being taken away because the tenant moved out,” said Warren.

“There’s just been an ongoing series of evolution of excuses and reasons why to take them away.”

Growing crops and community

With 52 units in the complex, the boxes provided an opportunity for everyone to sprout their own personal garden.

The region provided wood, nails and soil but it was up to the tenants to assemble the boxes and purchase the seeds.

“I was planting some vegetables with my kids so they could learn how to plant. It was good to have,” said Al Bagir Abdulkarim, a resident of the complex.

Others said the gardens offered relief for rising food costs.

“A lot of people that live in this area have low income or not as much income. So being able to plant a garden makes them more self-sufficient,” said Taslima Begum, who also lives there.

Any extra produce was often donated to the community’s food bank operated by Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health.

The food bank had a community garden box of its own but two more were added when the region moved them from the upper level.

“Camino was not involved in the decisions related to other garden boxes in the neighbourhood and recognizes that members of the community may have question or concerns regarding those changes,” a Camino spokesperson told CTV News via an emailed statement.

Other than access to fresh food, resident said the gardens also helped the community grow their connections.

“We have some neighbours that maybe never had anything else to speak about, and suddenly now we’re all collaborating together over these same things,” recalled Warren.

“It was a real smack in the face [when the boxes were removed] and it really hurt because we put out hearts into this for many years and we helped a lot of people.”