The Town of Leaside wished to commemorate and honour those servicemen from Leaside who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of freedom during the Second World War. Opened in 1952, the local arena was chosen to be memorialized in their honour. The Leaside Memorial Community Gardens was dedicated on the occasion of the Golden Anniversary of the Town of Leaside, September 13, 1963. A memorial plaque depicting the names of the fallen service men was erected in the lobby of the original facility's banquet room.
In 2013, with an expansion of the original facility the memorial plaque had to be removed and relocated. The original plaque was restored and unveiled during a re-dedication ceremony held on November 8, 2013, officiated on behalf of Prime Minister Steven Harper by Mr. John Carmichael, MP. Mr. Harper himself was Leasider and young hockey player in the original facility. The plaque was relocated to the easterly corner of the facility's entrance facade adjacent to the flag stand.
While now part of the City of Toronto, the rededication occurred on the occasion of the Centennial of the incorporation of the Town of Leaside.
