West Queen West joins City of Toronto Bee City Program
Toronto's West Queen West Business Improvement Area aims to use location based mobile technology to tell its stories.
The West Queen West (WQW) Business Improvement Area (BIA) has officially joined the City of Toronto’s Bee City initiative. Working along with Green Gardeners, all 77 WQW planters contain plants that will attract over 300 species of Bees and hundreds of other pollinators. The 2 kilometer stretch on Queen Street West from Bathurst to Gladstone aims to become a pollinator paradise.
“It's super important for the general public to understand the importance of pollinators and bees in our city and this gives WQW a lovely opportunity to educate folks about the importance of bees with respect to food sustainability and food supply,” shared Councillor Justin Di Ciano.
At the same time, WQW is working to add to their “Outdoor Planter Art Gallery,” an initiative for local artists to create one-of-a-kind pieces on each planter. Over 40 planters will be covered with art by the end of the summer. WQW is more than just a trendy shopping and dining location, it is a conscientious and creative community that is truly worth experiencing.
“Our office is happy that West Queen West has decided to join in “Bee City”, by planting plants that attract pollinators in their 77 planters; I’m also excited to take a stroll along the “West Queen West Outdoor Planter Art Gallery” and hear all the great stories, ” highlighed, Councillor Michael Layton.
Building on both of these initiatives, WQW has partnered with MyStreet to use location and proximity based mobile technology to tell these stories. By downloading the MyStreet app, visitors can become more connected to the WQW community, learn about what has been planted in each planter, who the artists were that decorated them, and build a deeper connection with the neighbourhood.
“MyStreet allows you to interact with and engage your visitors without requiring them to keep their eyes glued to their phones. Campaign messages arrive when visitors are in specified areas and ranges, so they can enjoy browsing around and know they'll be notified about what's important to them when the time is right,” shared Tom Hawkett of My Street.
