Etobicoke's Air India memorial in bad shape

Less than two months after it was officially dedicated, Canada's first Air India Memorial to the lives of 329 victims of the in-air bombing is dead.
Toronto's soaring temperatures and scarce rainfall, combined with seemingly little watering by city staff, has turned what looked like a green contemplative sanctuary when it was dedicated in June into an arid wasteland.
Today, it is blighted by sun-scorched sod and a dead flower bed.
The memorial lands stand in stark contrast to the flourishing grasses and lush gardens in neighbouring Humber Bay Park West, where one bountiful garden is marked by a "Clean City, Beautiful City" project sign.
Jayashree Thampi, head of the Air India Victims' Families Association, said she took notice of the dead state of the site during a visit with relatives from North Carolina a week ago.
"I thought, 'wow. This is so sad. I hope the grass survives,'" she recalled. "I thought I should call someone. The grass is so dry and all the plants are so dead. It looks like it hasn't been watered since that (dedication) day."
That day was June 23, a sunny Saturday morning when Air India families were joined by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Mayor David Miller at the official memorial unveiling ceremony.
The ceremony remembered the 329 victims of Canada's worst act of terrorism.
The Air India Victims' Families Association fought - and waited - for 22 years to have a memorial built to commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
14/08/07 Tamara Shephard/Ontario Mirror Guardian, Canada

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Categories: Air India Aug 2007, Foreign Aug 2007, Safety Aug 2007