The Leaflet – September 2021

Dear Friend,

After a long year of closures, we are pleased to welcome the public back to Allan Gardens Conservatory. On July 26th, we officially reopened with new hours from Monday – Sunday 10AM to 4PM. As the summer is nearing its end, it has been lovely to see so many people back in the gardens!

We would like to thank the City of Toronto’s outdoor gardeners for the incredibly beautiful gardens they have cultivated in the park this past summer. Their hard work to create a lively and beautiful space is much appreciated by all those who pass by.

During your visit to the park, you may notice a few physical changes in the area. First, the construction of the administration and washroom building in the southeast corner of the park is still ongoing, but we are excited to see the finished space, with an expected completion date later this fall.

You may have also noticed a change inside the Palm House – there aren’t any plants! In preparation for the upcoming state of good repair work, the plants in this area were relocated in advance of construction.

Lastly, FOAG volunteers have started to prepare the new Pollinator Playground Demonstration Garden site for planting later this fall! Stay tuned for more info on community planting days. To learn more about this new garden, visit our website.

Looking forward, the Board is excited to have our first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic. We are meeting in the park to discuss our recently completed Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Training and how it will affect our strategy for the future. FOAG Board and staff have spent the past 5 months attending training sessions hosted by Shoreline Collaboratives to listen, learn, and build action plans for anti-oppression and anti-racism in the park and in our programs.

As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a more equitable, just, and inclusive park for all, we are determined to take what we have learned, and build it into a better park, conservatory, and garden. Thank you to our park community and local organizations who have given us the patience and extended their knowledge to us as we work to take what we have learned. We look forward to making these learnings an integral part of our strategy, process, and events moving forward.

Please stay tuned into our social media channels, website, and future issues of The Leaflet for ongoing park updates.

Be well,

Board of Directors
Friends of Allan Gardens

To view the full September issue, click here!