Rumour has it...

(Confirmed February 25, 2010 by the TBG)

Rumour has it that the new Executive Director of the Toronto Botanical Garden is going to be Aldona Satterthwaite.

Now most of us know Aldona from her tenure at Canadian Gardening. It's nice to know that such a capable person has landed such a prestigious position.

I think we will all be excited to see what she will bring to the job. How will we see her ideas and efforts materialize at the TBG?

Now, I know that Aldona and I have attended the same functions, and I'm sorry to say I have never had the nerve to introduce myself. Today, I scoured my photos to see if I might have her in a shot. Unfortunately, this is all I found in my photos from the President's Choice Product Launch. So we will have to play, “Can we find Aldona?” I hope that is her in the photo!

Seriously, if this is true, I think this is a good move for the TBG. It is a great resource but it hasn't always been the nicest place. What it really needs is someone with clear and creative vision and strong leadership. I hope that Aldona isn't hindered.

There are a few things I would personally change about the TBG. I would put an entry pavilion on Leslie St., to make it easier for tourists to come and go on public transit. A reasonably sized tropical greenhouse would give visitors a reason to come in winter. And for obvious reasons, I think the website could be made easier to use and better at selling the TBG as a tourist destination.

Mark Disero

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