Alexander Reford is a historian by training, with master's degrees in history from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
and
Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
. Born in
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, in 1962, he was raised and educated in the
Outaouais
Outaouais (, ; also commonly called The Outaouais) is a region of western Quebec, Canada. It includes the city of Gatineau, the municipality of Val-des-Monts, the municipality of Cantley, Quebec, Cantley and the Papineau Regional County Municipal ...
region of Québec. He held the position of Dean of College at St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto from 1987 to 1995. He left to assume the directorship of the
Jardins de Métis (Reford Gardens), a cultural destination and tourist attraction located on the banks of the St. Lawrence in
Grand-Métis, Quebec. The great-grandson of Elsie Reford, creator of the Gardens, he was instrumental in creating Les Amis des Jardins de Métis, a
not-for-profit organization
A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives.
While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
that purchased them from the Quebec government in 1995. Under his stewardship, a complete restoration of the gardens and the historic buildings on the property has been undertaken.
Professional associations
He is the co-founder and director of the
International Garden Festival
The International Garden Festival was a National Garden Festival, garden festival recognised by the AIPH, International Association of Horticultural producers (AIPH) and the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which was held in Liver ...
, an annual event held since 2000 that has been acclaimed by critics and garden writers as one of the premier garden design events in the world. The Gardens have also become a leader in nature conservation, undertaking the preservation of tracts of land along the St. Lawrence River and creating an ecological park on the banks of the
Mitis River that opened in the summer of 2002.
Alexander Reford is a member of the board of directors of the
Canadian Tourism Commission where he serves as the representative of the small and medium-sized enterprises from Quebec. He is also president of the Association touristique régionale de la Gaspésie. He is involved in various organizations involved in gardens, tourism, historic preservation and culture and is an active volunteer in Quebec's Lower St. Lawrence/Gaspésie region where he lives.
Publications
He has written numerous books and articles. He is a frequent contributor to the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' and is the author of the biographies of
Lord Mount Stephen
George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, (5 June 1829 – 29 November 1921), known as Sir George Stephen, Bt, between 1886 and 1891, was a Canadian businessman. Originally from Scotland, he made his fame in Montreal and was the first Canadian t ...
and
Lord Strathcona and his great great grandfathers,
Robert Meighen and
Robert Reford.
His first book, ''Des jardins oubliés 1860-1960'', an album of photographs of Quebec's historic gardens, was published in 1999. He wrote a guidebook to the Reford Gardens in 2001. ''Au rythme du train 1859-1970'', an album of photographs illustrating the history of trains in Quebec, was published in 2002. He has two other books on the history of the gardens, notably ''Elsie's Paradise – Reford Gardens'' and its sequel on the garden's plant collections, ''Treasures of Reford Gardens - Elsie Reford's Floral Legacy''. He wrote ''The Metis Lighthouse'' with Paul Gendron and is leading efforts to preserve this local landmark. He is writing a book on the gardens of Québec and a history of tourism in the province.
Politics
Reford was nominated as the
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...
candidate for the riding of
Rimouski—La Matapédia
Rimouski—La Matapédia (formerly known as Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques and Rimouski—Témiscouata) is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004.
...
in the
2025 Canadian federal election
The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. Governor General Mary Simon issued the writs of election on March 23, 2025, afte ...
.
Electoral record
Awards
He was one of the "Top Forty Under Forty" in 2000. He has also been given various honours for his contribution to landscape architecture and gardens. He was made an honorary member of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. In 2009, he was awarded the Frederick-Todd Prize by the Association des Architectes Paysagistes du Québec. In the same year, the Montréal Botanical Garden bestowed the Henry-Teuscher Prize on Alexander Reford and Elsie Reford (posthumous) for their contribution to horticulture in Québec. In 2021 he was appointed to the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
.
References
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100211061353/http://mocoloco.com/archives/001453.php
Sources
*http://www.refordgardens.com
*http://www.editions-homme.com/ficheAuteur.aspx?codeaut=REFO1000
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100302034412/http://www.top40award-canada.org/award/old/2000.shtml
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100105063440/http://www.aapq.org/16.html
*http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/candidature_henry_teuscher.pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reford, Alexander
Living people
1962 births
Writers from Ottawa
Canadian horticulturists
Canadian garden writers
Members of the Order of Canada
People from Bas-Saint-Laurent
Quebec candidates for Member of Parliament
Liberal Party of Canada candidates in the 2025 Canadian federal election