End of an era for Vancouver Island Tonka truck roadside display

Published 8:42 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

In a break from the norm, dozens of backhoes, cement mixers and dump trucks are moving out of Langford.

Not the familiar metal giants found in construction sites across the city, but pint-sized versions, scooped up and carried away by kids both young in age and heart.

Their exodus marks the end of an era for an unlikely, but much-loved, Langford roadside attraction.

For around six years, Erik Berbenuik’s front yard on Peatt Road has doubled as a bright yellow construction zone, home to a fleet of rescued Tonka trucks.

What began as a few toys salvaged from the scrapyard where he works, ballooned into a collection of roughly 150, quickly gaining iconic status among Langford locals.

Now, the collection’s ‘bigger siblings’ are poised to move in.

The Peatt Road rental property is slated for demolition in April, new condos set to rise in its place, forcing Berbenuik and his Tonka trucks to make way for progress.

“It’s bittersweet, but I knew it was going to happen,” said the 34-year-old, who was born and raised in Langford. “It’s sad to leave.”

Erik Berbenuik shares his collection of Tonka trucks in 2023, which adorned his Langford yard. (Photo by Tim Collins)

Berbenuik and his roommate – friends since second grade – are moving to Victoria where they have found a detached property large enough to accommodate their collections.

“We’re collectors, so we got a lot of stuff,” said Berbenuik. “So we need a lot of room.”

However, missing from their new home is a front yard, and space to relocate the miniature fleet of nostalgia.

Wanting to find new homes for his treasures, Berbenuik invited folks to stop by and take their pick. Within hours, Berbenuik’s home was visited by over 100 people, traffic on Peatt Road sometimes at a standstill.

“It was crazy,” he said. “We made a lot of kids happy … even some older people that grew up with the toys. It was nice to give back to Langford, because it’s been good to me.”

Passing on his collection to Langford’s next generation was always the end goal, says Berbenuik, who believes the toys are meant to be played with. He hopes the giveaway might inspire someone to begin their own collection, or perhaps their own front yard display.

“It might also encourage a small kid to get into machinery,” he says. “Because I played with them as a kid and now I operate all sorts of big machinery.

“So it’s neat to think it will hopefully have an effect on someone else.”

Over 100 people stopped by Erik Berbenuik’s Langford home to pick up and take home one of nearly 150 Tonka trucks from his yard. (Courtesy of Erik Berbenuik)

With the trucks gone and his yard returned to its original “barren” state, all that remains are a handful of Berbenuik’s favourites, destined for a window display at his new Victoria home.

“It’s not going to be quite as extravagant as it was before,” he jokes.

News of the display’s end has provoked an outpouring of appreciation from the community, with many telling Berbenuik how much they loved stopping by to admire or play with the miniature machines.

A social media post by Berbenuik, sharing one last video of his collection, also reached thousands.

“I loved walking past that house,” said one Facebook user. “Brought back great memories of playing in the dirt with my cousins with their toy trucks and tractors. Fun times.”

The response has left Berbenuik humbled.

“I didn’t realize how many people actually knew about this and enjoyed it so much,” he said. “One guy even said our place is known all the way over in Edmonton. I never thought that it would make that much of an impact.”

But it might not be completely the end of Tonka trucks on Peatt Road.

Berbenuik has an idea to continue his legacy.

“Maybe I can talk my landlord into putting a Tonka in the lobby of the new building,” he says with a smile.

READ ALSO: Tonka trucks treasured for new generation at Langford home.