More than 300,000 bees now reside on the roof of The Fairmont Royal York Hotel - helping to pollinate thousands of plants in the city's downtown core
Toronto, Ontario - More than 300,000 now bees now reside in six hives on a 14th-floor rooftop of Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Hotel. The bees producesbout 800 pounds of honey a year, which will be used by the culinary staff and enjoyed by hotel guests. Along with producing a unique product for the hotel, the bees are expected to forage for nectar over a five or six kilometer radius from the hotel. This will mean helping to pollinate thousands of plants in the downtown core, including the Toronto Islands, Don Valley Watershed and city parks. The project was established in partnership with the Toronto Beekeepers Association. It's a natural extention of the Royal York's decade old flourishing rooftop herb garden, which is maintained by twelve of the hotel's apprentice chefs.
In the News: In 2009 the rooftop apiary was expanded from three to six hives. Honey that has been harvested has been used in the hotel’s cocktails and cuisine. The honey placed third in the Dark Honey category at the 2009 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
There are now hives at more hotels across the country: the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver shares has six honeybee hives on the hotel’s third-floor terrace. At Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec, there are four hives in the Chef's roof top garden, and at the Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick there's now a hive in the hotel’s lavish gardens.
Where: The hotel is located across the street from Toronto's Union Station. It's linked to the 27 km underground PATH system, and is steps from the Hockey Hall of Fame. It's a 10-minute walk to the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, The Sony Centre, and the St. Lawrence Market. Serious shoppers are 15 minutes from the Toronto Eaton Centre.
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email Lucy@CanadaCool.com. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to lucy@CanadaCool.com
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
