Church-Wellesley resident speaks out after drug paraphernalia, feces found in garden – Toronto | 24CA News
Frustration continues to mount within the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood, the place residents not too long ago protested in opposition to vandalism and violence.
A longtime resident behind a neighborhood backyard says he has discovered drug paraphernalia, rubbish and feces amongst his flowers.
Luke Plourde got here up with the thought for the backyard, positioned on the nook of Church and Alexander streets, about 4 years in the past. His intention was to create a memorial to the buddies he misplaced to the AIDS epidemic.
“In essence, it’s a memorial garden, and I called it the garden of lost boys,” he informed Global News.
Plourde, who has lived within the neighbourhood for the previous 40 years, says he’s paying completely out of pocket to keep up the backyard.
The land itself is privately owned, so he needed to get permission to make use of it.
“More and more people were stopping every day and telling me that it was a joy to walk by it, and they would stop and they would take pictures and people would start to bring their children,” he mentioned.
For some, it’s now a spot of meditation. For Plourde, although, there’s been little peace as of late.
“I find a lot of used, dirty needles,” he defined. “I’m very afraid sometimes that I’m going to reach into a bush or a plant, and not see it and get pricked with it myself.”
However, he says it’s not solely drug paraphernalia he’s discovered. Plourde says he has additionally come throughout rubbish, canine feces, human feces, and even a deceased canine left behind in a field.
He not too long ago posted on social media about his frustrations, including that this can be the final 12 months for his backyard. Since then, he says the response he has acquired has been overwhelming, restoring his will to maintain the backyard blooming.
A press release from space Coun. Chris Moise reads, partially, “I urge the provincial and federal governments to implement bail reform measures, invest in quicker hearings and bail supervision, and
provide funding for supportive housing and mental health and addiction recovery services.”
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
