MBiz

MANAGEMENT Couple's plan bee stirs up interest in urban hives By David Schmeichel A buzz-worthy local business venture took to the rooftops of the city skyline this summer, stirring up a swarm of new partnerships while seeding interest in an eco-friendly food movement. And while urban beekeeping is already a fixture of many major centres, its emergence in downtown Winnipeg seems particularly well-timed, coinciding with increased support for sustainable practices and locally sourced food. Beeproject Apiaries was launched in 2009 by husband-and- wife team Chris Kirouac and Lindsay Nikkel, both of whom were working as nurses when a shared passion for DIY projects led them to explore urban agriculture. They'd soon progressed from small garden plots to a hobbyist beekeeping course at the University of Manitoba, and by 2014 had amassed 100-plus hives, many of them now housed at a farm outside Gimli. Until recently, the rest were kept at approved educational institutions throughout Winnipeg (plus a few, um, undisclosed sites in select neighbourhoods), but as of this spring, changes to city zoning bylaws allowed Beeproject to expand its operation downtown. Partnerships with area businesses and community organizations ensued, and from April to September, the couple tended to hives on the rooftops of Red River College, the Fairmont Winnipeg and the Manitoba Hydro building, among others. The pair say reaction to their urban pollination plan has been uniformly positive, noting they're especially encouraged

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