Public Service Announcement

Company Donates Wheelchairs to Halifax Public Gardens

(Thursday, August 4/05)-- It’s now much easier for those with disability or difficulty walking to visit and enjoy the Halifax Public Gardens, thanks to a local drug store chain.

Bill Jordan, a member of the Public gardens Foundation, said today that Lawtons donated three wheelchairs to HRM this week for use in the Public Gardens. HRM has enabled their easy access by signage, provided a wheelchair storage area, and users may be assisted by Commissionaires at the Gardens.

An audit a few years ago by the Friends of the Public Gardens examined accessibility issues. It found that the front swinging gate, rutted pathways, drainage problems and a lack of wheelchair equipment potentially excluded many visitors to the Gardens who were physically disabled.

Since the restoration of the Public Gardens following Hurricane Juan, ,the entrance has been made wheelchair friendly and its serpentine flower beds, pond and plantings are now entwined in several kilometres of graded paths.
The Halifax Public Gardens was designated as a National Historic Site in 1984. More than one million visitors each year enjoy the 16 acre site.

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John O’Brien
Corporate Communications Officer
490-6531