The Ontario Garden Tourism Coalition’s (OTGC) mission is to put province’s gardens on the map of public consciousness.
The brainchild of Michel Gauthier and Carol Cowan, the formation of the coalition took place after this year’s Canada Blooms. In 2009, the first-ever garden and tourism conference was held, resulting in formation of a steering committee.
Landscape Ontario is now the home base of the new organization.
“I think we could easily double garden tourism numbers in five years,” said conference founder Gauthier, who also manages the VIA Rail Garden Route program, which LO also associated with.
Membership is comprised of botanical gardens, public gardens, garden focused communities (i.e. cities, towns and municipalities that pride themselves in their horticultural offerings, such as, but not limited to, Communities in Bloom members) garden trails, allied industry members and more.
“Currently we are working to raise grant monies for an OGTC strategy and action plan, much the same as the Ontario wine and culinary industries did a number of years ago, and then implemented with great success,” said Gauthier.
An annual fee is $250 to become a member of the coalition. “We need to do all sorts of things with this money. We need, among other things, a proper logo, a website, to contribute to the strategy and action plan and, of course, to pay someone to administer this coalition,” said Cowan.
Please fill in the following Membership Registration form and send it, along with a cheque for $282.50 ($250 + HST) made out to: Landscape Ontario – Coalition, no later than June 30.
ONTARIO GARDEN TOURISM COALITION
Membership Registration Form
Name of Garden/Community/Business: ______________________________________________
Executive Director: ______________________________________________________________
Executive Director’s email address: _________________________________________________
Contact Person & Title: ___________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Phone: _______________________________
Fax: _____________________________
Email address: ___________________________________________________________
Website url: _____________________________________________________________
Check the category that best reflects your enterprise (check only one category):
____ Botanic Garden
____ Public Garden
____ Historic House/Landscape
____ Garden Attraction
____ University Garden
____ Community Garden
____ Garden Focused Community
____ Parks Department
____ Allied Industry Member (Please specify) _________________________________
____ Other _____________________________________________________________<,/br>
By June 30, 2010, please send a filled out copy of this form along with your cheque in the amount of $282.50 ($250 + 13% HST), payable to Landscape Ontario – Coalition — to:
Ontario Garden Tourism Coalition
c/o Landscape Ontario
7856 Fifth Line South
Milton, Ontario
L9T 2X8
LO’s HST #: R119005049_____
Please find cheque attached (payable to Landscape Ontario – Coalition)._____
Please invoice us (if you’d like an invoice, please fax this form to: 905-875-3942).
Carol Cowan
OGTC Administration
416-929-1066
