A ‘Honey’ of a story…

Barrie will be designated Canada’s 30th Bee City at an event this morning at City Hall.

The designation is awarded to cities, towns, municipalities, schools, campuses, businesses and organizations that publicly declare to protect pollinators and their habitat through coordinated and collaborative actions that align with the Bee City program.
 
Barrie has worked with residents and community partners to enhance naturalization and pollinator opportunities for the last 20 years. City efforts toward Bee City designation include:

• implementation of a Pesticide Reduction Policy in 2003
• Council adoption of a Naturalization Policy for all city lands in 2007
• creation of a pollinator healthy community by various efforts, including pollinator gardens and a bee hotel, naturalized areas and a monarch butterfly program that is also beneficial to the bee population
• working with community organizations for further education, training, partnership and event opportunities

Pollinator Initiatives

The City of Barrie has been active in creating pollinator spaces

• Bee Hotel at Sunnidale Park
• Pollinator Gardens installed across the city – Sunnidale Park, Northshore Trail, Allandale Station Park
• Pesticide Reduction Policy- removing the use of cosmetic pesticides from our operations
• Naturalizing areas within our parks
• Monarch Butterfly Program
• Pollination Week 2020

How to make your yard more pollinator-friendly

• Plant multiple pollen- and nectar-producing plants. When possible, plant native plants. The David Suzuki Foundation has a helpful list of native plants that bloom in different seasons to attract a diversity of bees.
• Provide nesting places by leaving bare patched of ground for native bees to build nests in soil, or leave hollow stems to attract cavity-nesting bees.
• Garden without pesticides.
• Offer fresh water to pollinators in a shallow dish or birdbath.

Orillia, Clearview, Severn, Newmarket, King, and Kawartha Lakes have also received the Bee City Designation.