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A Toronto councillor and community organization are calling on the city to put $9 million more toward expanding the Allan Gardens greenhouse complex.
Speaking alongside Friends of Allan Gardens, Coun. Chris Moise (Toronto Centre) said he is bringing a motion calling on council to allow the funds to be put toward the project, on top of the $1 million it already committed in May.
“As someone who has walked through those glass doors more times than I can count, live just down the street, I believe this park is one of the most important things we protect as a city,” he told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
“It does not belong to any one neighborhood, it belongs to Toronto.”
The expansion, which has an estimated total price tag of $50 million, will take the greenhouse from 16,000 square feet to more than 32,000 square feet, making it one of the largest conservatories in all of North America, according to Moise.
He says the $9 million wouldn’t come out of the property tax base, but rather from a section of funds raised through developments in his ward. According to Moise, wards gets a percentage of new developments and can then seek approval from council to use the funds however they see fit.
The remaining $40 million would come from fundraising and philanthropy from other foundations, he added.
Friends of Allan Gardens seeks to connect the wings of the greenhouse with the rest of the structure and keep the space free to access for all, according to the community organization’s website. (Britnei Bilhete/CBC)
“This is how you get the snowball moving,” Friends of Allan Gardens executive director Matt Canaran told CBC Toronto on Tuesday. “We feel very optimistic about the future because there’s a lot of community backing behind this work.”
The multimillion-dollar motion comes after a Friends of Allan Gardens petition garnered nearly 8,500 in-person and online signatures. The community organization seeks to connect the wings of the greenhouse with the rest of the structure and keep the space free to access for all, according to the Friends of Allan Gardens website.
The funding would also go towards planting more native species, supporting Indigenous-led programming and creating hands-on learning opportunities for youth and volunteers, it said.
‘Cathedral of plants’ in a ‘concrete jungle’
Moise said his motion instructs city staff to work in conjunction with Friends of Allan Gardens and report back to council in 2027.
Canaran said the greenhouse is a “cathedral of plants” in a “concrete jungle,” where residents can connect with neighbours and new friends.
“Alan Gardens is a year-round green oasis where you can come into the conservatory and smell the jasmine flowers under the warm rays of the sun on a cold winter day,” he said. “It’s a bastion of beauty to inspire us all to build the world that we all want to live in.”
Earlier this year, the iconic Palm House at Allan Gardens Conservatory reopened to the public after closing down in 2022 for vital restoration work that would preserve the structure’s architectural heritage. (Britnei Bilhete/CBC)
The expansion will see the addition of a world-class botanical garden, as well as greenhouses with a focus on food production, Canaran said.