A long-time labour leader is being remembered with a new legacy garden along Windsor's riverfront that highlights three main pillars in his life: 'family, service to community, and labour.'
A large crowd was on hand Friday for the unveiling of the Gary Parent Legacy Garden in Reaume Park at the foot of Pillette Rd. along Riverside Drive.
Along with a number of benches, the garden features a granite monument with a picture and words of tribute and three plaques highlighting his service to the three main pillars of his life: family, community, and labour.
Parent passed away May 10, 2024, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 77.
The former president of the Windsor and District Labour Council was also financial secretary of Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Local 444 before he retired from Chrysler in 2009 after 40 years with the company.
City council unanimously voted in late March to approve the creation of the garden, with the labour community agreeing to raise $160,000 to pay for the project and maintain it once it's complete.
Gary's son, Jason Parent, says they privately spread some of his dad's ashes around the site days before it was unveiled because it felt like a fitting spot.
"My dad's legacy overall: he was just 100 per cent about the community. At the end of the day, we're not always going to agree, but just sit down at the table and try to find a way for the good of everybody," he says.
Parent says it was an emotional ceremony and the site is absolutely beautiful in how it pays tribute to his father's life.
"You have family, you have community, and you have the achievements that he was able to do through labour, the walkway, and all the different committees he sat on. It tells a story of who Gary Parent was. So even if you never heard him speak or knew him, you're going to get to know him right there by looking at those things," he says.
Former CAW National President and former Local 444 President Ken Lewenza was part of the group that helped spearhead the project and spoke at the unveiling along with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and Unifor Local 444 President James Stewart.
Ken Lewenza says it's more beautiful than he thought it would be and how it pays tribute to Gary.
"If you can raise a good family, and you can participate in the labour movement, and build a better community, that's Gary Parent. That's why there are three pillars here. Some people would say Gary was a labour leader. He was more than that. He was a family man, he was a community activist, and he was a labour leader," he says.
The new seating area is near the new International Charles Brooks Memorial Peace Fountain.
The target is to open the peace fountain on September 21, the World Day of Peace, but if that can't be met, the opening could be delayed until 2027.
The Charles Brooks Memorial Peace Fountain was installed in 1978 in honour of Brooks but was removed for good in September 2023 due to age-related maintenance issues.
In November 2024, city council approved a $10.5 million plan to replace the fountain with a new floating one, very similar to the previous peace fountain.
Charles Brooks, the former president of the United Auto Workers Local 444, was shot and killed at the union hall on Turner Road in 1977 by a disgruntled Chrysler worker who had lost his job.