Some Stouffville residents are raising concerns about the fate of a flower garden that could soon be razed to make way for a demilitarized war tank which would be installed alongside a cenotaph.

In a public blog post, Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt said that the potential demolition of the garden has to do with the issue of not having a permanent place for the community’s cenotaph. It’s currently at the legion, whose past-president requested that it be relocated to Memorial Park.

But a number of residents are speaking out about the potential loss of a community garden, which was planted to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.

So far more than 1,600 of them have signed an online petition asking the town to reconsider the plan.

According to Joan Bostock, the executive director of Stouffville Horticultural Society, the removal of the garden could have environmental and societal implications.

In an interview with CTV News Toronto, she said that while the Legion is a “wonderful organization,” it’s clear that the tank is a priority.

“[The Legion’s] priority is that they want – they think – that people should be reminded of the sacrifices that our soldiers made to allow us to have the life that we do,” Bostock said. “And you know they have a good point.”

Bostock explained that the Stouffville Horticultural Society feels that the garden going would be a “terrible waste” as it’s already established and well-liked by the community. In addition, she mentioned that perhaps new immigrants would not enjoy the demilitarized tank if it was to replace the garden.

“To us, it’s a three pronged issue, and one is the garden – which we would like to be left alone – but the next is the cenotaph, which I think we all realized that if we find another location for it, it certainly deserves to be moved, and the third is the tank and I haven’t spoken to anybody who wants it although I’m sure there are probably some.”

In response to the possibility of the garden being replaced by the tank, Bostock launched the online petition ‘Nix the tank – save the Canada 150 garden’ on Change.org.

The petition started on Jan. 15, 2024 and has since received 1,646 signatures of its 2,500 goal.

One comment on the petition reads, “A tank has no place in our green spaces. Let’s ensure our voices are heard to preserve these beautiful gardens.”

Another: “Tanks represent war and violence. Plant peace!”

Lovatt has since announced that council will open a public consultation about the future of Memorial park, alongside the garden, cenotaph and tank.

The date of the consultation has not yet been confirmed.

“While I understand that decommissioned military equipment can be seen as instruments of war only, they are also part of our history that secured our national freedoms that we continue to enjoy today,” the blog post from Lovatt reads.