The gates have finally been removed from the flower gardens on the grounds of the Legislature in Regina.

Crews have been working on a long list of upgrades and improvements to the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens to mark the 100th anniversary of the Legislature and the 50th anniversary of the Wascana Centre Authority (WCA), the body that operates the park space.

The province, the city, and the Wascana Centre Authority collectively put $1.3 million into the project with the province picking up about $920,000 of the bill. A further $520,000 is also being spent by the province to upgrade lighting on Legislative Drive.

The improvements are drastic; most notably the crusher dust footpaths that bordered the gardens have been replaced with wide paving stone walkways. Inner pathways have also been added, ensuring that the entirety of the garden is vastly more accessible. Parking spaces facing the gardens have been outfitted with new lighting fixtures, irrigation has been added, new trees have been planted, and other lighting fixtures matching those on Legislative Drive have been added to the inside of the gardens.

Some of the new elements have also been designed to reflect the Legislature itself, according to WCA CEO Bernadette McIntyre.

"The pillars of the benches were made of Tyndall stone, which is the same material that the Legislative building is made of. So it helps make it a great place for people to come and lounge and meditate and enjoy the beautiful floral display."

A grand opening ceremony has been planned for Sunday, August 12 at 2pm. McIntyre says in addition to political dignitaries a team of horses from the RCMP musical ride will also take part in the festivities.

Edited by CJME's Lisa Schick.