The former Garden City Lands Coalition Society, which had accomplished its main goal, became the Garden City Conservation Society with broader purposes, as stated later on this page. We are gradually adapting the rest of this website accordingly. A key goal that we have retained is that of the old Garden City Lands Coalition.

Coalition goal: To keep the Garden City Lands green in the Agricultural Land Reserve and to steward their natural legacy for agricultural, ecological and open-land park uses for community wellness. The coalition is a community of people who cooperate toward that goal as a public service for the citizens of Richmond, as well as the region, the province, and the world.

We are incorporated as a society in the Province of British Columbia. (See the bottom of this page to look over the society's constitution and bylaws.)

Contact us by email at GardenCityLands@shaw.ca.
Or write to Jim Wright, President, at 8300 Osgoode Dr., Richmond, B.C., V7A 4P1.

2017 Annual Gathering

For the 2017 Annual Gathering of the Garden City Conservation Society, we will return to the church hall of the Richmond United Church, an eco-friendly faith group. The location is 8711 Cambie Road, Richmond. It is on the north side of Cambie, just west of Garden City Road. The date is Wednesday, June 21, 2017.

From 6:20 pm on, there will be a light finger-food snack, along with beverages (coffee, tea, juice, etc.). From 7:00 pm to 8:20, there will be an interactive gathering that enables the participants to have fun experiencing conservation as a whole-body experience to the extent one chooses. That will include brief self-introductions as each participant is welcomed into the group. It will also briefly include the standard elements of the society's annual general meeting. The gathering will then conclude with a brief opportunity for final input from each participant.

We will be celebrating the Summer Solstice, National Aboriginal Day, the final day of Rivers to Oceans Week, and— looking ahead ten days—the 150th birthday of our country, Canada.

Click here for details of the 2017 Annual Gathering of the Garden City Conservation Society on Wednesday, June 21, 2017.

2016 Annual Gathering

In 2016, we're back at the Red Barn at Terra Nova Rural Park, near the west end of Westminster Highway, Richmond, B.C., on Thursday, June 23. As usual, all members are welcome, and you can join at the door if you support the purposes of the Garden City Conservation Society.

(The annual fee is a nominal $10, and you can also scroll down on this page to join.)

There will be quick mini-presentations (including slides) about activities and accomplishments of the past year. The main facilitated discussion will be "Our way into the future," led by Sharon MacGougan.

There will be our usual light dinner buffet from around 6 pm on. There may also be Richmond Eco-Net display boards around the room.

A few minutes before 6:30, James Gates, Executive Director of the Sharing Farm, will gather an agri-tour group. The tour group will head east to the nearby Sharing Farm (6:30-7 pm). The goal is an introduction to the brand new Mary's Barn, named after the late visionary leader Mary Gazetas (left), a founding director of our society.

We'll come to order by 7:15 pm, and there's a very positive and interactive agenda until 8:30. (One is welcome to choose to leave at any time.)

The gathering very efficiently includes the requirements of an AGM, such as the election of directors, which is typically by acclamation. Our host for the evening is Anita Georgy, Executive Director of the Richmond Food Security Society.

To come to the Annual Gathering of June 23, quickly do the RSVP form. You'll find with the form that you don't have to be sure whether you're coming or not, because there are ways to say Maybe. We have been using this innovative system for a few years now, and it works very well for all concerned. Go to the 2016 Annual Gathering RSVP Form here.

2015 Annual Gathering

For the 2015 Annual Gathering for members of the Garden City Conservation Society, we were welcomed to a new location. It was the church hall of the Richmond United Church, an eco-friendly faith group. The gathering was at 8711 Cambie Road, just west of Garden City Road, on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. There was a light finger-food dinner from 6 pm on and a short optional eco-tour at 6:20. From 7:00 pm to 8:20, the gathering included an interactive keynote with city parks manager Marie Fenwick and a brief annual general meeting. Full details here.

Note: As the photo shows, there is plenty of parking room in stalls between the church and Cambie Road. Please use unmarked stalls or ones marked B or C.

2014 Annual Gathering

The Annual Gathering of the Society—a happily creative evening—was on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Once again it was at the Red Barn (Terra Nova Farm Centre), 2631 Westminster Hwy, Richmond. There’s free parking there and at the Terra Nova Natural Area to the east and on the road.

The gatherings typically include a feature presentation. In  2014 the presentation was actually a set of quicker ones. The presenters included Michael Wolfe (left) and Sharon MacGougan (right) teachers with insights to share.

2013 Annual Gathering

The 2013 Annual Gathering of the Garden City Conservation Society took place on the evening of Monday, June 17, at the Red Barn, Terra Nova Rural Park, with thirty participants. As usual, it went very well. You'll find the details of the plans in this 1-page PDF or, alternatively, this 1-page Word document.

The 2013 annual gathering included an optional Super-Food Agri-Tour for members. It too went well.

For details about being a member, please scroll lower on this page.

2012 Annual Gathering

The 2012 Annual Gathering of the Garden City Lands Coalition Society was on Monday, June 18, 2012, at The Red Barn, Terra Nova Rural Park. There was a light buffet and an optional agri-tour led by Ian Lai. At the annual general meeting at the gathering, a special resolution to update our name and purposes passed unanimously.

We didn't manage to get a group photo, but here's one from a previous gathering:

Become a member of the society and/or Friend of Garden City!

If you support the goals of the society, you can be part of the the Garden City Conservation Society in two ways:

• By becoming a "Friend of Garden City." That simply involves being on the opt-in/out emailing list for the Garden City News, typically sent out twice a month. To opt in, simply email GardenCityLands@Shaw.ca with "Subscribe" in the subject line.

• By becoming a member of the incorporated Garden City Lands Coalition Society.(All members of the society are also automatically Friends of Garden City.)

The society welcomes new members. New memberships are for the period from now until June 30, 2017. Being a member is a way to act for a good cause. If you support the purposes of the society (listed in the constitution below), you are invited to belong.

Having many members:

• Adds to our credibility as a group speaking for many citizens.

• Helps offset expenses (and maintain a financial reserve) with the $10 membership fee.

• Facilitates quick action, as well as pervasive communication via word of mouth, web, vehicle. . . .

Membership Option: Free Save Garden City logo sticker, while quantities last. Looks like the logo at the top of this page. At 5.7" diameter (14.3 cm), it is a good size for most vehicle bumpers, and it is easily removable.
Please request a logo sticker only if you intend to display it. It will be mailed to you.

To use PayPal to become a member:

• Check that you support the goals of the society.

• Choose your preferred "Free Sticker" option below (Yes or No).

• Click the Buy Now button. (It is below the options.)

• Fill in the information when the PayPal form appears on your screen. (The information is used only for membership purposes, such as to inform members of any general meetings.)

• Be aware that you are applying for membership for the period ending at the end of June 2017.

Note: You don't have to have a PayPal account or even to log in to PayPal in order to pay with it. PayPal gives credit card users the option of continuing without logging in.

Free Save Garden City Logo bumper sticker?

No, but thanks for offering! Yes, please send me one!

   Thank you!

Constitution of the Garden City Conservation Society

 1.    The name of the society is the Garden City Conservation Society.

 2.    The purposes of the society are:

1. To help steward the natural legacy of Richmond’s Agricultural Land Reserve area called the Garden City Lands for agricultural, ecological and open-land park uses for community wellness.

2. To research, educate and act to help steward other natural legacies of the “Garden City,” Richmond, in consultation with government and community.

3. To encourage respect for the legacy name “Garden City” as a community value.

The bylaws of the society are those set out in Schedule B to the Society Act.

Web presence and Gardencitylands.ca languages

Besides the Garden City Lands blog and this website, there is a Garden City Lands Facebook group and a Garden City Lands Coalition Google group.

This website is bilingual, since approximately half the people in Richmond speak a Chinese language. The website uses Traditional Chinese, rather than Simplified Chinese, because the Chinese-language media in Canada generally use Traditional Chinese.

To read a PDF file, you may need to download Adobe Acrobat. To do so, click on the icon at left.