Page 16 - INSIGHT MAGAZINE_July 2025

MEMBER PROFILE

Step through the doors of the
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
and you are immediately
transported to another world, filled
with lush plants, bugs, birds, a
waterfall and, of course, a colourful
array of tropical butterflies.
For nearly 25 years, the Kossuth Road
facility has been a popular tourist
attraction in Waterloo Region delighting
and educating thousands of visitors
thanks to its extensive and exotic
collection of living creatures.
“My office is a tropical rainforest,”
jokes Doug Wilson, President of the
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, and
one of several partners who founded
and operate the facility which now
welcomes approximately 130,000
visitors annually.
What began as a discussion first
instigated in 1992 by the late John
Powers, a former Waterloo Regional
Police officer and butterfly enthusiast,
transformed into a vision that would
take nearly 10 years to come to fruition
thanks to the dedication of Doug and
his partners Dale and Roberta Schofield
of Breslau, and William Thomson of
Kitchener.
The former photojournalist, who later
became an instructor at Conestoga
College before becoming involved in
a sports licensing business, found his
interest piqued by the idea and became
a proponent of the conservatory and
its potential impact on local tourism.
While serving on the board of a local
tourism organization he was involved
in discussions surrounding the
development of G2G Rail Trail, which
now connects Guelph and Goderich via
'It’s not just about a 132-kilometre walking trail.

“We (his wife Lynda) were the first to
delivering a product – it’s walk it. It took us seven days, and it was
the hottest week of the year. I thought I
was going to die,” laughs Doug, noting
about sparking emotion’ Lynda published a book about the
experience entitled Walking Home.
As a long-time local resident raising
two sons, he has always been a
- Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory strong supporter of local tourism and
recognizes the unpredictability of
operating a business in the sector.

PHOTOS BY BRIAN RODNICK & CAMBRIDGE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY

16 Summer 2025 www.cambridgechamber.com