Prairie Public NewsRoom
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

International Peace Garden celebrates 90 years

peacegarden.com

The International peace garden is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Tim Chapman is CEO of the International Peace Garden Foundation. He says the garden is holding a number of events throughout the rest of the year and that the garden has recent additions like the Children’s Nature Play Area and the ongoing expansion of the Conservatory.

"At the end of July, we had a big celebration which included flag raisings for some of our tribes and some of our first nations partners and a special supper that included the governor, the deputy premier of Manitoba, and other dignitaries that were celebrating and highlighting the significance of this unique location and unique institution and what it represents. Over that weekend we had a variety of vendors, musicians, powwow demonstrations and it was just a really great thing to see so many people back at the garden after two pandemic related years."

Chapman says the garden had been struggling with the absence of visitors throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We've been recovering pretty well. It was a tough go, in 2020 we probably did about 30% of revenue compared to 2019. Then, in 2021 we were close to 50% and this year we're getting close to pre-pandemic numbers. It's been exciting to see a lot of people back, Canadians are coming back in greater numbers although they do have to do a bit more when it comes to reentering Canada."

For Americans, the requirements for entering the park have returned to pre-pandemic requirements, but Canadians and those hoping to visit Canada are also required to download an app which provides mandatory travel and public health information.