City of Timmins plants gardens to attract more pollinators
The buzz around Timmins is that two new flower beds have been planted in an effort to attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, bats and moths.
Timmins became a 'Bee City' in September 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has delayed planting the flowers until now.
The timing couldn't be better since this week is also International Pollinator Week.
“Every community needs pollinators," said Christina Beaton, a member of the local Bee City team and an environmental co-ordinator for the City of Timmins.
"We also want to protect the pollinators we do have ... create pollinator habitats; educate our residents about pollinator-friendly gardens ... and also to celebrate pollinators."
The Bee City team is establishing two pollinator-friendly beds: one in front of the Michael JJ Doody Centre of Excellence and the other in front of the Timmins Public Library.
Local landscaper Jennifer Nobel helped select the flowers to plant.
“A lot of them are low maintenance, which is a great thing for the city. The first few years, they take a while to establish, but after that they’re much lower maintenance than planting annuals, which typically we’ve been planting so far and you have to plant year after year," Nobel said.
"The perennials we have here, many of them are native, are low maintenance, drought tolerant and they’re beautiful and attract fantastic pollinators.”
Timmins Mayor George Pirie is giving the initiative a green thumb's up.
"There (are) various cities across Ontario that have these friendly competitions and I’d like to start one up for next year ... and everybody participate in making the city more beautiful,” Pirie said.
The Bee City team encourages everyone to create a pollinator-friendly garden of their own.
Some perennials to consider include: coneflower, bee balm, lavender, and catmint. And when it comes to annuals: cosmos, zinnias and sunflowers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.