Category: Memorials (Page 1 of 2)

For a couple of years now I’ve passed by this beautiful site but never stopped to look closer – my loss, until now. I first discovered The Garden of Lost Boys last winter but wanted to wait until it was in summer’s full bloom.

Set in a once-ragged, unappealing little chunk of land at the intersection of Church Street and Alexander Street, the patch of land has become beautifully transformed by local artist and resident Luke Plourde.

After doing a bit of research I found the following article in The Bridge Community News, written by Ayah Victoria McKhail, September 6, 2024. I’m posting it here in its entirety as it’s a beautifully written article that expresses the spirit of the Garden. Luke conveys many of the same sentiments as me regarding how it felt in our community during the harrowing early years of AIDS.

The Garden of Lost Boys

Nestled in the heart of the vil­lage at Church and Alexander Streets, a blooming garden beckons passersby. It’s a poign­ant memorial commemorating those who lost their lives during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s.

Luke Plourde, an artist who lives nearby, started it. “This garden brings an awareness and a reminder of what happened here, especially in our neigh­bourhood; the epicentre of the epidemic in the city, and lifts it into beauty. Each plant repre­sents a life taken: friends, part­ners, and brothers. It’s a place of reflection and remembrance.”

Plourde was inspired to create the memorial in the spring of 2020. “The Covid-19 pandemic was just under way, and I want­ed to do something positive in a very negative time.”

He set his sights on a barren weed lot at 445 Church St, ad­jacent to the Maple Leaf Con­venience Mart, where Salon One is atop. Plourde approached the property owner about transforming the space and he agreed, if Plourde would cover the costs. (The land is on the lease of Salon One).

“I worked for three weeks in a heat wave just to pull out all the weeds and old grass to make a new canvas upon which to paint the garden.”

This spring, the Church-Welles­ley Village Business Improve­ment Area began financially supporting the garden. Adam Wynne, then the interim direc­tor (soon to be named events di­rector or coordinator), played a pivotal role.

BIA funding is facilitating re­pairs and expansion of the gar­den-related infrastructure (night lighting, etc.), and some garden maintenance (mostly corralling trumpet vines). Wynne also ar­ranged for the property owner to formally support the garden.

The garden awakens in ear­ly spring with bulbs and early blooming plants, and lasts into November. Plourde continues to cover the cost of the plants and add statuary such as a large angel statue that’s now a focal point. He tends to the garden nearly every day: weeding, wa­tering, planting and pruning. A living organism, it’s constantly evolving.

“To me, a garden is a work of art that’s always in progress. Each year, I add things, such as perennials and statuary. It’s a typical English cottage garden in that different perennials are blooming all the time. Like peo­ple’s lives; the young taking the place of the old.”

Plourde named the garden af­ter J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play, Pe­ter Pan, in which lost boys are characters. “It was always said that gay men had a Peter Pan syndrome and refused to grow up. So many of these boys never got the chance; they were taken so young.

“The plague came just as our community was full of joy and hope, as we were gaining in human rights. The epidemic washed all of that away.”

In the 1980s, one of Plourde’s friends was the first victim of AIDS in Toronto, followed by many more until practically everyone he knew had passed away or was dying. “It was such a horrendous time with young men dying daily. Those of us who lived through those terrify­ing times were scarred by them forever. We lived in fear that we would be next.”

A survivor, Plourde has been dedicating his life to sharing the story. “There are generations now who have no connection to that time, suffered no loss and were mere children at the time. Many have no emotional con­nection to it.”

The garden is changing that. “At Pride, I allowed young people to wander inside; some openly wept … One day, I’ll be gone and I hope someone will take my place.”

Sydney MacLellan, a CWV­BIA board member, and the president and co-owner of the Whiskful Thinking bakery, seeks to raise awareness about the garden, particularly among newcomers to the neighbour­hood. The BIA is acquiring a plaque for the garden, he says.

“The garden represents Luke’s sincere advocacy for the remembrance of those who lost their lives to AIDS. The garden can be seen as the community coming together to find sincere solace and celebration of life.”

Julissa Penate, a community worker at the 519 Community Centre who lives in the neigh­bourhood, thinks a plaque is a good idea. “The garden is meaningful and inspiring. It’s so colourful and pretty.”

Last September, Plourde re­ceived a Community Builder Award from Ward 13 (Toronto Centre) City Councillor Chris Moise. The following month, the Toronto Garden Society awarded him first prize from 400 entries, for his transfor­mation of a derelict space into something beautiful. Plourde was given a certificate and tro­phy.