Assiniboine Park reveals plans for Canada's Diversity Gardens

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy is unveiling plans for what it says is one of the most stunning attractions in the country.

Canada's Diversity Gardens will be created in the southeast corner of the park and be not just a tourist attraction, but also a "living classroom" where students can learn about sustainability, conservation and nature.

The gardens will divided into four major parts, known as "cornerstones:"

• The Leaf, a 6,000-square-metre facility with tropical and Mediterranean biodomes, a butterfly house and classrooms, connected together by a series of paths.
• Indigenous Peoples' Garden, a gathering place where visitors can learn about aboriginal perspectives, cultural practices and contributions.
• Cultural Mosaic Gardens, an "ornamental horticultural masterpiece" featuring garden styles from countries across the northern hemisphere.
• The Grove, where visitors can take in the majesty of the park's trees year-round.

"We wanted to create something new, something visionary, something exciting for the city, for the province and for our country," Hartley Richardson, chair of the conservancy's board of directors, told reporters on Friday.

"So it's a bold vision and we decided that we would stretch and reach out for something that would be a legacy project in this community and in this country."

The gardens project is part of Assiniboine Park Conservancy's $200-million plan to revitalize the park. The project itself is estimated to cost $70 million.

Officials said the project could start as early as 2017 and be completed in 2019, but they added that the timeline will depend on what funding they can secure.