{"id":951,"date":"2026-08-18T16:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T16:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/?p=951"},"modified":"2026-09-10T17:39:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T17:39:05","slug":"update-a-call-to-support-horticultural-education-at-algonquin-college-program-review-postponed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/update-a-call-to-support-horticultural-education-at-algonquin-college-program-review-postponed\/","title":{"rendered":"UPDATE: A Call to Support Horticultural Education at Algonquin College \u2013 Program Review POSTPONED"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Members, Colleagues, and Friends,<\/p>\n<p>Algonquin College has announced that its Board of Governors will\u00a0<strong>postpone the planned February decision<\/strong>\u00a0on proposed program suspensions \u2013 including the\u00a0<strong>Horticultural Industries program<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0<strong>Apprenticeships in Horticulture Techniques<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 following the Province of Ontario\u2019s move to lift the post-secondary tuition freeze and provide additional sector funding.<\/p>\n<p>College leadership has indicated that a full reassessment will take place once details of the new provincial funding are confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>This pause provides welcome time for further review and dialogue.<\/p>\n<p>The Canadensis Botanical Garden Society will continue to monitor developments and remains supportive of efforts to sustain horticultural education in Eastern Ontario.<\/p>\n<p>We thank members of the horticultural community who have shared thoughtful and respectful feedback in recent days. Your voices matter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>G\u00e9rald Lajeunesse<\/strong><br \/>\nOn behalf of the Board of Directors<br \/>\nCanadensis Botanical Garden Society<br \/>\nOttawa, Ontario<\/p>\n<p>=======================================================================<\/p>\n<p>Dear Members, Colleagues, and Friends,<\/p>\n<p>We are writing to share an important development affecting horticultural education in our region.<\/p>\n<p>Algonquin College has proposed the elimination or suspension of the\u00a0<strong>Horticultural Industries program<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0<strong>Apprenticeships in Horticulture Techniques<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>On behalf of the Canadensis Botanical Garden Society, our Board of Directors has sent a formal letter to President Claude Brul\u00e9 and the Board of Governors expressing our concern.<\/p>\n<p>These programs are foundational to Eastern Ontario\u2019s green-sector workforce. Graduates go on to work in:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Public gardens<\/li>\n<li>Municipal landscape and forestry departments<\/li>\n<li>Conservation and restoration projects<\/li>\n<li>Landscape and greenhouse businesses<\/li>\n<li>Community greening initiatives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At a time when climate resilience, biodiversity restoration, and sustainable landscapes matter more than ever, horticultural education is not something that can easily be rebuilt once lost.<\/p>\n<p>As an organization working toward the future Botanical Garden of Canada in Ottawa, we see firsthand how vital skilled horticultural professionals are to the health of our communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How You Can Help<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you feel moved to do so, we encourage you to write a brief message to Algonquin College leadership. Even short, respectful notes from individuals and organizations can help demonstrate the broader community impact of this decision.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a simple template you may use or adapt and send to:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"mailto:president@algonquincollege.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">president@algonquincollege.com<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><strong>Claude Brul\u00e9, President and CEO<br \/>\nAlgonquin College<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dear President Brul\u00e9,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I am writing to share my concern about the proposed closure of the Horticultural Industries program and the Apprenticeships in Horticulture Techniques at Algonquin College. These programs are vital to the environmental and green-sector workforce in Eastern Ontario, supplying skilled professionals to public gardens, municipalities, landscape businesses, and community projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>At a time when sustainable landscapes, climate resilience, and biodiversity matter more than ever, eliminating horticultural training would have long-term consequences for our region. I respectfully urge you and the Board of Governors to consider the broader community impact and explore every possible option to maintain horticultural education at Algonquin College.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sincerely,<br \/>\n[Name]<br \/>\n[City \/ Organization, if applicable]<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p>We recognize that the College is facing difficult pressures and complex decisions. Our intention is not to criticize, but to ensure that the long-term environmental, economic, and community implications are fully considered.<\/p>\n<p>Horticulture shapes our cities, our food systems, our biodiversity, and our shared green spaces. It deserves strong and sustained support.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for being part of this growing conversation.<\/p>\n<p>With appreciation,<\/p>\n<p><strong>G\u00e9rald Lajeunesse<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On behalf of The Board of Directors<br \/>\nCanadensis Botanical Garden Society<br \/>\nOttawa, Ontario<\/p>\n<p><strong>#Canadensis #LetsBuildAGarden #AlgonquinCollege #HorticultureIndustry<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Members, Colleagues, and Friends, Algonquin College has announced that its Board of Governors will\u00a0postpone the planned February decision\u00a0on proposed program suspensions \u2013 including the\u00a0Horticultural Industries program\u00a0and the\u00a0Apprenticeships in Horticulture Techniques\u00a0\u2013 following the Province of Ontario\u2019s move to lift the post-secondary tuition freeze and provide additional sector funding. College leadership has indicated that a full <a href=\"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/update-a-call-to-support-horticultural-education-at-algonquin-college-program-review-postponed\/\" class=\"more-link\">&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  UPDATE: A Call to Support Horticultural Education at Algonquin College \u2013 Program Review POSTPONED<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=951"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1029,"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951\/revisions\/1029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chargedpixel.com\/cbgs-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}