North Bay Heritage Gardeners

NORTH BAY CANADA PLACE
 
A New Waterfront Gathering Place

North Bay’s waterfront will have an added feature come spring – a new walkway, seating area and gardens to recognize diversity and inclusion, a project spearheaded by the North Bay Heritage Gardeners.

The City of North Bay began construction of the accessible walkway late summer and is almost finished, complete with lighting and a railing. The gathering space is scheduled for construction during the spring of 2021 which includes a seating area and two beautiful new gardens.

The Heritage Gardeners received funding from the Government of Canada for the “Seeds of Diversity and Inclusion Project” which included the creation of North Bay Canada Place, a gateway to the North Bay waterfront from the pedestrian underpass that connects the downtown to the waterfront and 50+ gardens.

A fundraising campaign, to be launched in 2021, is being created to honor donors and supporters, and the ongoing legacy of the North Bay Heritage Gardeners.

“North Bay Canada Place will be a destination area for our community and our visitors, to celebrate and remind us that we, as Canadians, value diversity and inclusion locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Those values will be demonstrated in the plantings, the welcoming design, seating areas, paving stones, and the Multicultural Centre Clients and Lindsey Weld Centre teams who will maintain the garden beds.” said Hariett Madigan of Heritage Gardeners.

As part of the project, the Heritage Gardeners invited the public to share their vision of diversity and inclusion by participating in a unique community art project. Community members were asked to paint, draw, and photograph their vision of diversity and inclusion on a canvas circle. The circles were sewn together into a large quilt, courtesy of Janet Comerford. The Seeds of Diversity and Inclusion quilt is an artistic representation of North Bay Canada Place. The art piece is currently displayed at the North Bay Museum.

The North Bay Heritage Gardeners would like to thank the Canada Place Steering Committee, City of North Bay, Mitchell Jensen Architects, North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority, North Bay & District Multicultural Centre, Lindsay Weld Centre for Children, Stockfish Family, and W. K. P. Kennedy Gallery for their generous support of the project.

This project has been made possible, in part, by the Government of Canada.

News and updates about upcoming events and activities will be posted to the Heritage Gardeners website at www.northbayheritagegardeners.com and social media @NBHGardeners.