Crystal Garden Conservation Centre

Originally built in 1925 as a tropical garden and indoor swimming pool, the Crystal Garden has housed the Crystal Garden Conservation Centre since 1980. The CGCC has several mandates: it participates in international programs to preserve rare and endangered flora and fauna; it works to educate and inform the public about global conservation issues; and it serves to inspire and stir the imagination of young and old. It is slated to permanently close on September 7, 2004.

The Provincial Capital Commission (PCC), a Crown Corporation, decided in January 2004 to close the CGCC and issue a request for proposals to replace the centre. One selection criteria for proposals is something that will “connect the capital with the province”.

The proposed closure will dismantle the conservation centre. It is likely that many of the plants in the collection will not survive transplanting. The animals pose even more difficult problems; finding accredited homes before October 31 (the date that the Conservation Centre must vacate the premises) may be next to impossible, given the abbreviated timeline.

In its RFP, the PCC mentions it anticipates to select the new tenant by July 1, 2004.

Links:

• Save and Preserve Crystal Gardens Conservation Centre (an advocacy site by the Friends of Crystal Gardens Conservation Centre)
• BC Provincial Capital Commission
• Crystal Garden Conservation Centre Closure
• Crystal Garden Building Request for Proposals (RFP) - PDF format

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 10:33 AM on March 23, 2004