Boulevard garden mistakenly mowed

The boulevard pollinator garden that Creemore resident Brenna Lattimore has been fighting to protect was mowed down last week by an uninformed township employee.

Mayor Doug Measures told this week’s meeting of township council that it was a very unfortunate incident which he and the township deeply regret.

According to the mayor the employee normally in charge of mowing boulevards was unavailable, and his replacement was not advised that the garden on Mary Street was in compliance with a resolution of council and should not be disturbed.

Lattimore says naturalized boulevard gardens have many benefits, including providing a habitat for bees and other pollinators. The plants also help absorb water, which can be important during a storm event. Lattimore is an environmental scientist who has lectured at the University of Toronto. She first planted poppy seeds on the boulevard in front of her home in 2022, and has been lobbying the township to allow boulevard gardens ever since.

In a facebook post, Lattimore graciously accepted the township’s apology.

“Needless to say, when I found out this had happened on Friday, I was shocked. It seemed inconceivable that my garden could have been mowed down after all of the progress we’ve made, and I was heartbroken. I contacted the township immediately to find out what was going on, and I spoke to a number of staff members. I was reassured that this was by no means intentional, and was a big mistake due to inadequate communication and a new member of staff who was not informed. Those in charge immediately accepted responsibility, and I believed them to be sincere in their apologies and their offer to do what is needed to help make this right. I have since received a formal, heartfelt letter of apology from Dan Perreault and a promise to restore the garden.”

Measures says it is very unfortunate that crossed wires and miscommunication resulted in the boulevard being mowed. “When wepass a resolution at council, we must take care to communicate to all people at every level.”

He noted that the form to seek permission for new boulevard gardens is available on the township’s website.