Slow progress on accessible community garden frustrating, says Sudbury advocate

Nadine Law has a vision for a community garden that's fully accessible for all to use.

Law wants to see people with wheelchairs and walkers getting their hands dirty, and people of all abilities experiencing the joy of tending to plants.

For more than a year, Law has been working on plans to transform the Delki Dozzi community garden in Sudbury into an accessible space. This week, she heard back from the city and said she's hopeful the project could be off the ground soon.

Until now, she said, the process of trying to work with the city has been challenging — and it's taken longer than she expected to see any progress. 

"It's extremely frustrating, that's all I can say. It's very difficult to work with our city in any capacity," said Law, co-chair of the Delki Dozzi community garden and a disability advocate. 

Law said she contacted the city several times starting last summer to inquire about working together to make the garden accessible, including adding wide wheelchair accessible paths. She said she didn't hear back, so "took it into my own hands" and started making a plan. 

City spokesperson Sacha Novack said city staff have communicated with Law over the past year. 

Law said the community garden group has secured donations to make the accessible upgrades, and now approval from the city is needed. 

This week, Law received a response from Jeff Pafford, director of leisure services, saying the city is supportive of the improvements "in principle" and will be in touch soon to guide the group through next steps, including the required permits and the approval process for contractors. 

'Nobody could access them' 

The first accessibility changes at Delki Dozzi happened last summer, when Law partnered with volunteers who built two accessible garden beds that allow people in wheelchairs to comfortably sit and garden. The problem she soon discovered, however, is there's no accessible path. 

"Unfortunately it didn't make a difference because nobody could access them," Law said.

She herself struggles to get into the garden using her walker. She said being able use the garden has been a "saving grace" for her during the pandemic, and she wants other people to be able to reap the benefits. 

Law said she's glad to have heard from the city and hopes the accessibility project can get off the ground sooner rather than later. But she believes it should be easier for a group of volunteers to make positive improvements in their community. 

"How long does it take to get things done in our community?" said Law.  

"We need a better system in place, we need changes, especially when food security is a real concern."