Toronto Today: City to consider $9M proposal to expand Allan Gardens

Coun. Chris Moise and Friends of Allan Gardens held a press conference at the Allan Gardens conservatory on July 28 to announce a proposal for city funding to help expand the conservatory. Photo by Emma Johnston-Wheeler/TorontoToday

By Emma Johnston-Wheeler

The city will consider a $9 million proposal to fund the expansion of Allan Gardens, after over 7,000 Toronto residents signed a petition in support of the project.

Coun. Chrise Moise (Toronto Centre) said he’s “heard their call” at a press conference in the Allan Gardens Palm House Tuesday afternoon.

Moise, who called the conservatory a “crown jewel” of Toronto, has submitted the motion to be considered at city council later this week.

The money, coupled with an additional $1 million allocated by city council in May, will be used to help Friends of Allan Gardens, the volunteer organization that stewards the park, realize its ultimate goal: increasing the conservatory from 16,000 to 32,000 square feet in order to expand garden space and support more community programming.

Moise’s motion would also direct city staff to collaborate with Friends of Allan Gardens on the project and provide an update report in 2027.

“I believe this park is one of the most important things we protect as a city,” said Moise. “I am committing to seeing this project through.”

Friends of Allan Gardens estimates that it will require closer to $50 million to complete the conservatory renovation, but according to executive director Matt Canaran, the city’s commitment is the assurance that private investors have been waiting for in order to commit their own support.

Moise echoed the sentiment, stating that the “substantial” private funding has “remained contingent on the city doing its part.”

Canaran said with the new funding, Friends of Allan Gardens intends to grow more “culturally significant plants” that originate from regions outside of Toronto that residents consider home, including arctic and boreal plants and create dedicated greenhouse space for food production.

He said the organization will also provide more space for the conservatory’s weekly farmer’s market, as well as plant markets, horticultural education, Indigenous cultural reclamation and arts and culture programming.

“There will just be more, more to explore, more ecosystems to get lost in, more flowers to admire, and more community amenities to enjoy,” he said.

Going forward, Canaran said the governance of Allan Gardens and its programming will include both the city of Toronto and local Indigenous communities.

“We're going to work together to bring this 19th-century conservatory into the 21st century,” he said.