since 1998, chefs at the royal york have been foraging the 17 beds and 23 planters of chocolate mint, cayenne peppers, italian red kidney beans and arctic berries. there are also two pear trees, five cherry trees and a green apple tree to tart up the hotel’s seriously local menu. so if your entrée is taking a while, maybe the chef is stuck on the elevator after plucking some lemon balm in the rooftop garden!
in 2014, bee hotels were introduced to allow rest stops for wild mason bees. habitat loss is a major contributor to the bees’ decline—and because wild bees are three times more effective at pollinating, they are a food chain heavyweight.
the bee hotels differ from the royal york’s posh indoor suites with their lcd screens, minibars, wi-fi and pillow-top beds, and are often fashioned out of sticks or logs drilled with 1 cm (0.4 inch) holes for nesting purposes.
in fall 2011, the hotel harvested a record 363 kg (800 pounds) of honey from six of its hives in partnership with both toronto beekeepers co-operative and foodshare. now, that’s sweet!
what to check out at the halifax central library
interior of the halifax central public library.
the innovation of the $55-million halifax central library is a genuine jaw dropper. the connection to the outdoors is immediate, with direct views from over 90 percent of the building’s interior. that is, if you lift your eyes from your book, which is mandatory here. it’s no surprise that when the library opened in 2014, the design landed the lieutenant governor’s design award in architecture for its contemporary style.