EDMONTON -- The University of Alberta Botanic Garden is giving kids and students free admission for the rest of the 2020 season.
The decision was made in part to help families coping with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Kids and families are stressed. They need a chance to relax and be outside and forget their cares for a little while," interim executive director Carl Charest said in a written release. "Getting kids connected to nature is something so necessary to wellbeing, and that’s a remedy the Garden can provide.”
The 240-acre Botanic Garden, southwest of Edmonton, features plants that thrive in the northern climate and special culture-themed spaces including the Indigenous and Aga Kahn Gardens.
The facility would like to make the free admission permanent to make the garden more accessible to all but will need community partners to make it possible.
"We can make sure that children from all walks of life have a chance to be restored by nature and learn to see the trees in the forest,” Charest said.
Visitors must book online before visiting and follow COVID-19 protocols within the garden.
The Botanic Garden is open until Oct. 12.
