Chinatown Day celebrates culture, heritage and community in Montreal, but amid the festivities on Saturday, there is concern about the future of one of the neighbourhood’s few remaining green spaces. The Kahéhtaién Jardin Lumb, an Indigenous-Asian community garden next to the Hôpital Chinois de Montréal, becomes a popular place during Chinatown Day celebrations, with music, traditional performances and community activities. But this year is expected to be the garden’s last season at its current location, as the city-owned site is slated for a housing development. Organizer Anna Can says the city has offered another temporary location, but community members are pushing for something more permanent with a petition. “A lot of the aunties that we have here have made it part of their daily routine to come here maybe twice or even three times a day, and it’s become part of their social fabric,” she said. Can said the garden also helps seniors access fresh food. It also serves as a space to connect with nature and community members of all ages. Community members are now looking toward a newly acquired city lot at René-Lévesque Boulevard and Saint-Laurent Boulevard as a potential permanent home for the garden. This year marked the third annual Chinatown Day in the city. With files from CTV News’ Laurence Brisson Dubreuil
