More Bad News for RBG in Hamilton

The Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton is seeking an extra $1.7 million in annual operating funds from the provincial government of Ontario. Administrators are making the case that they are underfunded by the province compared to other similar agencies. A tour has been set up for Ontario Culture Minister Madeleine Meilleur so she can see firsthand the value of the gardens and the potential loss if regular maintenance cannot be sustained.

Garden attendance, which is normally around 500,000 visitors per year, dropped considerably last year. This drop has been attributed to SARS, West Nile Disease and the power failure. A $45 million capital project to build two new conservatories, scheduled to open in 2008, is expected to provide year-round interest to visitors and should increase attendance revenue greatly. Until then, the garden will be forced into more closures of gardens and trails if additional funding is not secured.

Links:

• Gardens may be closed from the Toronto Star, May 5, 2004


• RBG struggling, director says from the Toronto Star, May 6, 2004


• Royal Botanical Gardens



Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 3:11 PM on May 12, 2004

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