“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”

(Audrey Hepburn)

During the July 1 Kwikwetlem Day Ceremony, the Nation announced a new name for the Park:

"kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation and their members selected the name ƛ̓éxətəm (pronounced tla-hut-um) which means ‘to be invited’ in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. The name reflects their welcome to visitors to ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park, which is located on their traditional and ancestral territory and adjacent to their ancestral village of slakəyánc (Coquitlam I.R. #1).

In 1998, when we became a Registered Society, we were required to take the name CFCG Society. Having the same name as the park has caused much confusion: our files and accounts with vendors, insurance brokers, and the like became mixed up with the Park's (belonging to Metro Vancouver).

With the renaming of the park we have an opportunity to choose a relevant name for the community gardens that reflects who we are and what we do. The Societies Registry specifies that a Society's name should:
1) describe the organization and;
2) should not already be in use

Process for Selecting a New Name:

Members are invited to a "New Name" consultation and discussion over ZOOM:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 9:30AM
A link for the meeting will be sent the week before.

Bears & Coyotes are about in the park and gardens. Fresh scat has been spotted several times.

This is a reminder to stay safe:
-Keep Dogs Leashed at all Times
-Pick all ripe berries - at this time of year there are grapes everywhere.
-Keep all fruit out of your compost.

If you come across a wild animal follow this safety protocol:
-use your whistle to encourage the animal to keep a distance or vacate
-Exit your plot and seek safety away from the animal, with others or at your vehicle

kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation mourns the tragic death of newly elected Councilor and community member, Stephanie Patterson. Stephanie was elected as a Councillor on April 1, 2023, and was to serve a four-year term until March 31, 2027. She was appointed to lead KFN Community Services Division which includes Housing and Maintenance, Health, Education, Careers and Training and Culture and Language. Stephanie is survived by three children.

Board members representatives extended a deep sympathy to all KFN members on behalf of all gardeners.

It is with great disappointment that the CFCG President was notified by MV that a Fig Tree, Pumpkin Vines, and Black Currant were being cultivated outside of CFCG Boundaries. These plants were immediately removed.

This kind of behaviour puts our community in grave jeopardy:
1) It explicitly violates our license agreement with Metro Vancouver.
2) We are in vulnerable position as lesees on an agreement and could face the risk of eviction.

Therefore, it is very important that all gardeners understand the guideline not to plant outside of their plots. There will be consequences for those who disrespect the guidelines.

The board has decided to involve and work closely with RCMP Community Policing. We are applying four "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" (CPTED) strategies for prevention:

1) Natural Surveillance
2) Natural Access Control
3) Territoriality Reinforcement
4) Space Management

Stay tuned for more updates as we carefully apply these strategies and RCMP recommendations, while we balance CFCG guidelines and MV license agreement restrictions.

A big thank-you to generous gardeners who have donated. Produce continues to be collected and delivered to the following organizations:

kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation
The People's Pantry
BC Housing's People, Plants & Homes
SHARE Family & Community Services

Donations Schedule

PRODUCE - Tuesdays by 10am / Sundays by 9:30am
LAST FLOWER DONATION - Tuesday Sept 26 by 10am

Please drop donations under the awning of the shed closest to the Garden Entrance.

Do you have any interesting photos from the gardens to share? Did you grow your largest or funkiest ever veggie or fruit? Please Submit a photo for our next newsletter to pres@cfcg.ca

September 30 (Saturday) 9:30am: ZOOM Meeting re: Gardens Name Change. Registration link will be sent a few days before the meeting.

October 14 (Saturday) 1-3pm: Last Work Party of the 2023 season

November 1: Deadline for plot cleanup before winter. Actively growing crops may remain.