Moose Jaw’s Communities in Bloom committee will beautify the Thatcher Drive East entrance to the city with support from Tim Horton’s, Tourism Moose Jaw, and the City of Moose Jaw itself.
Communities in Bloom (CiB) is a nationwide directive aimed at making communities more beautiful using flowers, trees, greenery, and plantings, explained Jacki L’Heureux-Mason, Executive Director of Tourism Moose Jaw.
The CiB 2022 project will install new shrub beds with hardy native flowers and fruits around the existing trees next to Tourism Moose Jaw’s Visitor’s Centre on Diefenbaker Drive.
“So, I’ve been working with (CiB) for a little bit, and when we were looking at some initiatives for the city, one of the things we talked about was improving the entranceways into Moose Jaw,” L’Heureux-Mason said. “It was really exciting to me (as executive director of) a tourist organization, but also as a citizen to be able to beautify our entrances — to be more proud of what we’ve got inside the city.”
Don Howe, owner of the Tim Horton’s across from the Visitor’s Centre, was happy to be a co-sponsor for the project.
“I thought it was a super idea,” Howe said. “We’re very pleased to be able to be involved in making the city more welcoming.”
The project will likely cost around $2,000 a year for the next three or four years. Tourism Moose Jaw and Tim Horton’s will split those costs.
A seating area next to the newly-greenified plantings will allow families to sip their coffee and browse a Tourism Moose Jaw guide to the city’s attractions while they enjoy the space.
Sarah Regent, City Horticulturalist and chair of the CiB Moose Jaw Committee, said that while CiB does focus a lot on gardening and landscaping, it also has important goals for environmental protection and heritage preservation.
Environmental protection and heritage preservation mean that the plants will be hardy, native, drought-resistant varieties. Haskap berries, lilac bushes, and other Saskatchewan plants will provide food for birds and add to the resilience of the local ecosystem while also being safe for children and other animals.
Regent said on behalf of the City that once the plantings had been finished, the City would take care of their maintenance. The plants will need more frequent watering for their first few years while their root systems establish themselves. The City will also contribute regular mulching for the shrub beds.
Also present to support the announcement were Marta Woodrow, a member of the Tourism Moose Jaw board, Lorna Arnold, who sits on the CiB Moose Jaw committee, and Craig Hemingway, City of Moose Jaw Communications Director.
2022 is officially Canada’s Year of the Garden. All Canadians are invited to Plant Red to show their “Canadian Garden Pride.” Mayor Clive Tolley has also declared 2022 to be Moose Jaw’s Year of the Garden.
A planting day will be held on June 18 to celebrate National Garden Day.
Find more information about Communities in Bloom and become involved with making Moose Jaw more green by checking out their Facebook page at facebook.com/communitiesinbloomMJ.
