Alberta Lt.-Gov Lois Mitchell, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and His Highness the Aga Khan have officially inaugurated the Aga Khan Garden, Alberta. The Aga Khan Garden, located at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden southwest of Edmonton, features an idyllic expanse designed for education, reflection and the promotion of intercultural understanding and harmony.
?This garden is a testament to a province where differences are valued and diversity thrives,? said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. ?In Alberta, we don?t care who you love, where you worship or what colour your skin is. We respect and celebrate our differences. Alberta?s Ismaili community is a great example of that and so is this wonderful garden.?
The 4.8-hectare Aga Khan Garden is a stunning contemporary interpretation of Islamic landscape architecture. A gift from the Aga Khan to the University of Alberta and all Canadians, it joins a network of 11 gardens around the world built or restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture ? and is the northernmost in the world. ?Our responsibility to be good stewards of the earth extends to cultural heritage, whether in the form of parks or monuments. I believe this stewardship is even more critical today than ever before,? said His Highness the Aga Khan. ?In the developing and the developed parts of the world alike, societies are plunging into an increasingly bewildering future at an ever-accelerating pace. At such a time ? and on occasions such as this ? it is important t...