THUNDER BAY – After Marc Larocque’s mother died eight years ago, a maple tree was planted in her memory at Multiple Sclerosis Society Park.
Larocque, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), said the tree was planted as a memorial because his mom loved the park.
“I don’t want my mom’s tree to be uprooted,” Larocque told Newswatch regarding the potential sale of the greesnpace at Junot Park, which includes Multiple Sclerosis Society Park.
Larocque also lost his father earlier this year, and before his parents fell ill, they volunteered at the park for many years, planting flowers in the memorial garden boxes.
Larocque would also paint rocks and leave them for people to find.
“We know that people who have MS like to go there. It’s fully accessible. It’s nice, smooth paths to walk on. Myself, I walk with a cane, so mobility is a big issue, and it’s just a great park,” he said.
MS is a chronic, immune-mediated disease where the immune system attacks the central nervous system. There is no cure, but treatments help manage symptoms and slow progression.
“We specifically planted exactly where that tree was going to go. The city gave us free rein of where we would like it to be planted, and we basically picked the top of the triangle in a way of the park for my mom’s tree to be planted because she was such a caregiver and provider. It was kind of our memory of her to look over the rest of everybody else that might be there, wanting to get some reprieve from day-to-day life and relaxation,” he said.
Larocque said he was a key volunteer when the MS Society of Thunder Bay designated the park in 2014.
“I was part of the inauguration of it. I was at the ceremony, and I believe it was the same year my mom won Mother of the Year through the MS Society,” he said.
The MS Society local chapter worked on finding a location for three years. With the help of the city’s community partnership funding, Junot Park was the location they chose.
Larocque said it makes him sad to see the city wanting to sell off MS Park.
“With being someone with a disability and it’s a mobility disability, there aren’t many places that we can go and feel safe. I don’t mean like crime and stuff. I mean like walking safe. And there’s not a lot of places that are nice and smooth and nice pavement and nice sidewalks,” he said.
When asked if he has seen any unsavoury behaviours or crime in the park, Larocque said in the 20 years he has been going to the park, he has never felt unsafe or unsettled in the park.
“When I was in college, I would go to Junot Park, and I would find a picnic bench, and I would do reading there. I have a lot of ties to that park, and when I read the first news article, it didn’t sit right with me,” he said.
“My very close friends, and personal trainer, we actually started a fundraiser for the MS Society, and she used to do boot camps in the park there because it had everything that she absolutely needed to have an outdoor workout,” he added.
The Muslim Association is planning to build a prayer hall, a day school, a gymnasium, a community hall and a small residential development on three acres of the 13.4-acre greenspace, where the park is currently located.
In a recent public meeting, 234 people showed up at the 55 Plus Centre to give their opinion or get more information on the development project; many were opposed to the development.
“It’s not that I’m saying it shouldn’t happen, but there are so many other vacant spots in the city that it could go to,” Larocque said.
The standing committee on growth will hold a public meeting to discuss the surplus of MS Park on June 16. City council will make its final decision on the park on July 7.
