There's a buzz at Air Canada’s Montreal headquarters.

As part of Air Canada's ongoing commitment to creating a better environment, the airline has extended a helping hand to bees, which are a vital part of our ecosystem.

At the end of June, two beehives were installed behind the parking lot at Air Canada's Montreal headquarters in partnership with Alvéole, a Canadian company that is raising awareness of the importance of bees.

The two beehives house roughly 100,000 bees and Air Canada employees will be able to take part in workshops on how to be a beekeeper and, this fall, on how to harvest the honey.

“Air Canada is committed to both leaving less of a footprint on our environment and doing more in the communities we operate in. Hosting bee hives directly improves local biodiversity and ecosystems while providing a space for our employees to engage with the world around them. The honey is just a bonus! Whether it’s working with community partners around Canada to recycle uniforms and or donate duvets to good causes, or initiatives like this one, doing more is important to Air Canada,” said Teresa Ehman, Director of Environmental Affairs at Air Canada.

"With the installation of two urban hives, Air Canada is helping to make Montreal one of the fastest growing cities in urban agriculture in the world. This movement contributes to the transformation of cities into oases for pollinators and is a springboard for raising awareness around the importance of bees, who pollinate more than a third of our food," said Alex McLean, co-founder of Alvéole.

About 200 jars of honey are expected to be harvested from the beehives, and Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge customers will be able to have a taste. The Maple Leaf Lounges in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver will share 30 jars of the sweet honey. The remaining jars will be divided between the employees who took part in the workshops and others who helped make the project a reality.

This is the second significant environmentally-friendly project by Air Canada in the Montreal area this year. In June, a group of Air Canada employees helped install an urban agriculture project at a seniors' residence in Dorval that included 500 edible plants and bushes to be enjoyed by the residents.

Fore more information on Air Canada’s environmentally friendly efforts, you can view our Corporate Sustainability Report online here.