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Scene+ is Coming November 3rd, 2022 to Sobeys in Ontario

November 2nd, 2022 is the last day you can Earn & Redeem AIR MILES at Sobeys in Ontario

Scene Coming
Scene Coming

What is Scene+?

Scene+ is one of Canada’s leading lifestyle loyalty programs. The Scene+ program offers members opportunities to earn and redeem points when and how they want to be rewarded. Members can earn and redeem Scene+ points at Sobeys and other participating grocery stores and pharmacies, for travel with Expedia, movies at Cineplex, dining at Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, Montana’s and more.

Scene+ offers members rewards their way – allowing them to earn points on things like movies, banking, entertainment, shopping, dining, and much more.

You can now earn Scene+ points at Sobeys and other participating grocery and pharmacy locations in Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB). Scene+ members can already earn and redeem at participating grocery stores and pharmacies in Atlantic Canada (NB, NS, PEI, NFLD). For a full list, please visit sceneplus.ca.

Scene+ offers several ways to redeem points on things like travel with Expedia, movies, gift cards, Apple and Best Buy products and dining. You can also redeem your Scene+ points for an account credit on eligible Scotiabank debit and credit cards.

You can now redeem Scene+ points at Sobeys and other participating grocery and pharmacy locations in Atlantic (NB, NS, PEI, NFLD) and Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB). 1000 Scene+ points redeemed is equal to $10 toward your purchase. For a full list, please visit sceneplus.ca.

There are a few ways to earn Scene+ points at Sobeys, including:

Everyday Rewards: Earn points through weekly flyer events and everyday product offers in-store and online with Voilà

Personalized Offers: Sign up to receive weekly offers just for you, delivered to your email or grocery store App

Pharmacy: In Provinces, where permitted by law, you will be able to earn Scene+ points on the full cost of prescriptions at Sobeys Pharmacy to a maximum of 5000 Scene+ points per day.

Banking Products: Earn even more points by shopping at Sobeys and other participating grocery stores using a Scotiabank debit or credit card.

If you already have a Scene card, you’re automatically a Scene+ member. To enroll to become a Scene+ member, please visit www.sceneplus.ca/register

Yes, customers can pick up a physical card and enrollment kit in in-store. Please note that only one physical card is available per Scene+ account, but additional family members are able to download the Scene+ app and use the same Scene+ account to rack up points for the family.

Members can only have one Scene+ physical card per account. For access to your card at your fingertips, or family sharing, download the Scene+ app.

Simply ensure your Scene+ card is registered and scan it in store to earn Scene+ points.

Simply tell your cashier that you’d like to redeem Scene+ points on your purchase. You can get $10 off your bill for every 1000 Scene+ points redeemed.

You can get your Scene+ membership number emailed to you by visiting the Send me my card page on the Scene+ website. If there has been a change to your email or you require further assistance, please contact Scene+ support at 1-866-586-2805.

No, Scene+ points are non-transferable.

Your Scene+ account may be closed if it remains inactive for more than 24 consecutive months.  

However, if you have a Scene+ Scotiabank product linked to your Scene+ card, your points won’t expire as long as that Scotiabank product remains open.

You’ll be notified in advance if your account is ever at risk of being closed. 

You can find out how many points you have by logging into your account on sceneplus.ca or opening the Scene+ app. You can also link your Scene+ card to your Sobeys account and view your points balance in the Sobeys app or on mygroceryoffers.ca

If you are having trouble with your Scene+ app, please contact Scene+ Support at 1-866-586-2805.

Be sure to keep your receipt and visit our in-store Customer Service desk or email support@sceneplus.ca.

There are three ways you can register to receive personalized Scene+ point offers:

  1. Sign up for a Sobeys account and register your Scene+ membership number
  2. Sign up for an account on www.mygroceryoffers.ca to receive personalized offers from Sobeys and other participating grocery stores
  3. Download the Sobeys app and link your Scene+ card

Personalized Scene+ offers are weekly offers that are just for you, delivered to your email or Sobeys app, selected based on your shopping activity. While you will receive grocery store offers through your Scene+ app, your personalized offers are only available on the Sobeys app or www.mygroceryoffers.ca

Please note that personalized offers are not currently available for Voilà by Sobeys and Voilà by Safeway purchases. Voilà by Sobeys and Voilà by Safeway customers will receive 500 points for each $50 they spend online or through the app.

While you will receive weekly grocery product offers on the Scene+ app and website, personalized offers are only available in participating grocery store apps, by email from a participating store, or on mygroceryoffers.ca.

Sobeys Pharmacies in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, & Nova Scotia

Yes, you will be able to earn 2 Scene+ points for every dollar spent on the full cost of prescriptions filled at Sobeys Pharmacies in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, & Nova Scotia to a maximum of 5000 Scene+ points per day.

We are not able to offer Scene+ points on prescriptions filled in British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, & Newfoundland due to provincial regulations.

You will be able to earn Scene+ points on over-the-counter purchases made at any participating pharmacies nationwide. 

Urban Beekeeping

Bringing the Buzz to the Basket with Alvéole

As a family nurturing families here at Sobeys, we've partnered with Alvéole in a new honeybee project to nurture a very important pollinating family: bees.

Using urban rooftop beehives, we're bringing message honey to your home, while giving one to the bees on top of our selected Sobeys stores.

Since 2013, Alvéole has been installing beehives all across North America (and France!) to educate people about beekeeping. Whether it's schools, families, or large companies, they're helping spread the buzz about important issues surrounding industrial agriculture. For example, the use of pesticides, monocultures, and the loss of biodiversity.

Read on to learn more about urban beekeeping and how to help the bees in Canada.

×

Sobeys x Alvéole | Webinar Registration links

  • Webinar Date Time (Local) Registration link
  • September 14th (Calgary) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 16th (Toronto) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 21st (Edmonton) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 23rd (Ottawa) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 28th (Vancouver) *Kids 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 5th (Calgary) *Kids 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 7th (Toronto) *Kids 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 12th (Edmonton) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • October 14th (Ottawa) 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 19th (Vancouver) 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now

What Urban Beekeeping is

Urban beekeeping simply means keeping bees for mutually beneficial purposes within an urban environment, such as in rooftop beehives. And, when we say urban beekeeping, we really mean making use of city building grey spaces that otherwise contribute to the heat island effect!

Not only does urban beekeeping reduce environmental impact, but it also brings honey production to a hyper-local level, reduces monocultures, and increases pollinator populations to help local ecosystems thrive. Now that's what we call a win-win!

The process is simpler than you might think: there's the apiary, the bees, and the beekeeper. The only hard part is safely moving a colony to an urban environment to help save the bees in Canada. After this, it's a case of checking the hive every three weeks to make sure each little buzzer is happy, healthy, and thriving!

Learn more about the heart of the hive with Alex Mclean, President and Co-Founder of Alvéole

OurPartTM

sobeys bulbDid you know?

Each hive in our honeybee project will house around 50,000 individual buzzing bees!

The Benefits of Urban Beekeeping

All around the world, we're seeing a decline in the populations of bees. There are unsustainable methods used in agriculture that not only harm bee-kind (such as the use of pesticides) but can cause habitat loss and contribute to climate change.

So, there's a whole hive of reasons why urban beekeeping can make a difference. Using rooftop beehives - just like the ones on selected Sobeys stores - we can:

  • Support ecological agriculture
  • Help hives grow
  • Reduce pesticide use
  • Keep colonies healthy
  • Hyper-localize honey production
  • Preserve new habitats
  • Keep annual flowers blooming
  • Provide safe water to bees
  • Educate our beekeepers of tomorrow
  • Reduce unhealthy bee farming

Become a beekeeper for a day and find the Queen bee at a virtual workshop hosted by Alvéole.

Learn More

Why Bees Make Honey

Long story short, bees make honey to eat it! They store all their hive-made honey in honeycomb so they have a good source of energy for the winter when the flowers aren't in bloom.

Worker bees will travel out of their rooftop beehives and explore within a 5 km radius. They'll buzz over to a pretty flower and use their long tongues to collect nectar from a plant's nectary (it's a special plant organ!).

The worker bee then takes this nectar back to the hive for the magic to begin! The bee will pass the nectar back to a house worker bee who dries the nectar using a warm breeze from their wings to take the honey from 80% moisture to 20%.

Finally, the sugary-sweet honey is placed in individual cells in the hive before being covered by a wax lid for storage. Luckily, honey can be stored indefinitely at room temperature because of its high sugar content.

sobeys bulbDid you know?

Depending on the flower the worker bees take their nectar from, honey's flavour can range from mild and sweet to strong and bitter!

The Bees Making Honey in Canada

There are over 800 species of native bees throughout Canada. Some are solitary, and others are hive-bound! For example, one type of bee in Nova Scotia called the 'sweat bee' has a shiny green body and is often mistaken for the common housefly!

But, there's really only one species of bee capable of making our honey; honey that's made-at-hive with love by the honeybee.

Scientifically, these bees are called "Apis Mellifera", and they were imported from Europe centuries ago for their sheer honey-making value and calm temperament.

Meet your Canadian-European honeybees at a virtual urban beekeeping workshop with hive-mind Alvéole!

Learn More

If you want to know what happens after the yearly fall harvest, our fuzzy Italian bees have their plan. In fact, in the words of our partners over at Alvéole, "beekeeping takes a holiday during the winter months".

During the winter, our rooftop beehives will keep the bees comfortably warm and cozy! Here, they'll cluster around the Queen and stay warm by contracting their thoracic muscles (the middle part of the bee!). In fact, temperatures can even reach a cozy 35°C inside these rooftop beehives!

sobeys bulbDid you know?

To make approximately 2 and a half jars of honey, our Canadian honeybee will fly the equivalent of four times the Earth's circumference!

How to Help The Bees in Canada

plant

Plant a bee-loving garden with bright flowers of violet and blue to attract our honeybees and let them do what they buzz best!

chemical-free

Try going chemical-free. Whether it's pesticide use at home or helping out farmer friends with other ideas to help keep their crops healthy.

bee

Why not fly into the realms of becoming a bee specialist yourself? Or encourage the little ones to discover their own passions as a beekeeper or environmentalist.

trees

Our bees need trees, too. So, make sure to always be on the side of nature's giants when you look to the smaller wonders and help the bees in Canada.

honey

Opt for hyper-localized production of grocery items such as wax, shampoo, honey, candles, balms, perfumes, and so much more!

You can find out how to help the bees in Canada even more by visiting one of the select Sobeys stores with Alvéole rooftop beehives:

Store Locations

All Provinces Alberta Ontario
  • Sobeys Country Hills
    200 500 Country Hills Blvd NE Calgary AB T3K 4Y7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Forest Lawn
    5101 - 17 Avenue S.E. CALGARY AB T2A 0V7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Hollick Kenyon
    5119 - 167 Ave NW Edmonton AB T5Y 0L2 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Mahogany
    #1200, 7 Mahogany Plaza SE Calgary AB T3M 2P8 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys McKenzie Towne
    20 MCKENZIE TOWNE AVENUE SE CALGARY AB T2Z 3S7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Millrise
    #2000, 150 Millrise Blvd SW Calgary AB T2Y 5G7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Millwoods Common
    5011 23 Ave Edmonton AB T6L 7G5 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Silverado
    #704, 19369 Sheriff King St SW Calgary AB T2X 0T9 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Southbrook
    1109 JAMES MOWATT TRAIL Edmonton AB T6W 1S4 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Strathcona
    300-555 Strathcona Blvd. SW Calgary AB T3H 2Z9 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Bradford
    40 Melbourne Drive Bradford ON L3Z 3B8 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Danforth
    2451 Danforth Ave East Toronto ON M4C 1L1 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Extra Burlington-Brnt
    1250 Brant Street Burlington ON L7P 1X8 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Glen Abbey
    1500 Upper Middle Road Oakville ON L6M 3G3 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Kanata
    700 Terry Fox Drive Kanata ON K2L 4H4 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys March Road Kanata
    840 March Road Kanata ON K2W 0C9 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Todmorden East York
    1015 Broadview Avenue Toronto ON M4K 2S2 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Trim & Innes Cumberland
    5150 Innes Road Orleans ON K4A 0G4 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Maplegrove
    511 Maple Grove Drive Oakville ON L6J 4W3 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Queensway Etobicoke
    125 The Queensway Etobicoke ON M8Y 1H6 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Whitby
    1615 Dundas Street East Whitby ON L1N 2L1 Ontario Get Directions
  • Ajax
    260 Kingston Road West Ajax ON L1T 4E4 Ontario Get Directions
  • No Results...

How to Avoid a Bee Sting with the Honey Bees Project

Bees are very commonly mistaken for wasps because of their similar appearances (at least to the naked eye!). And, with this, there are so many of us who think our buzz-friends will sting us without reason. But it's not true!

The bees making a home in our rooftop beehives are very docile and won't want to sting at all. The reason is that bees will pass away when they sting because their stinger gets stuck and, when they leave, it tears away and takes their abdomen with it. Which makes for quite the final act in life!

That said, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful when sharing the city as we help the bees in Canada. After all, just like us, the pollinators in our honeybee project are just as likely to become defensive of their colony if they feel threatened.

So, just remember how to "beehave" around a beehive. Turn a beekeeping experience into an awe-inspiring adventure with rooftop beehives just by staying calm, moving slowly, and keeping a distance from the heart of the hive. Sting chances will be nearly zero with this honeybee project!

sobeys bulbDid you know?

The Queen bee has a smoother stinger and is able to use it multiple times when battling for her colony without it getting stuck!

7 steps to take if you've been stung by a bee:

  1. Step away from the hive
    The last thing you want after a bee sting is another one. So, be sure to step away from the hive (or where you think the hive might be) and allow yourself to react with a hearty scream!
  2. Find a place to sit down
    There's no way of knowing how your skin could react or even how you could react as a whole. If paper cuts and splinters get to you, you'll want to take a seat before moving onto the next step.
  3. Remove the stinger
    It's super important you don't just grab and pull the stinger away. The top of the stinger still has venom in it and you risk squeezing that into your skin. So, use a card or your fingernail and gently push the stinger out from the side.
  4. Assess the sting zone reaction
    You'll want to see whether you've got general symptoms (known as a local reaction) or some slightly worse symptoms (which is called a systemic reaction and could be a sign of an allergy).
  5. Treat the local reaction
    If you've got a local reaction, it's likely there'll be a bit of redness in the sting zone as well as some swelling and pain. So, grab yourself some ice, avoid scratching your sting zone, and head to your local pharmacy for some sting relief!
  6. Request immediate help for a systemic reaction
    With a systemic reaction, you'll have all the local reaction symptoms plus some extras such as dizziness, difficulty breathing, and nausea. If this is the case, reach for an EpiPen (which the Alvéole team is always equipped with!), call 911, and ask someone to keep you company while you seek medical support.
  7. Remember how to "beehave" around a beehive
    You and the little ones can turn a beekeeping experience into an awe-inspiring adventure with rooftop beehives just by staying calm, moving slowly, and keeping a distance from the heart of the hive. Sting chances will be nearly zero!

The Role of These Buzzing Pollinators in Your Food

Honeybees play a crucial role from breakfast through to dinner. In fact, the decline in pollinators like our bees and butterflies coincides with a growth in demand for agriculture, resulting in a rise in food costs!

sobeys bulbDid you know?

Bees will buzz to nearly 3 million flowers for every pound of deliciously runny honey they make!

Pollinators are the reason our plants can thrive and bring us so many of the deliciously nourishing foods in our diet. They're actually responsible for pollinating over 130 varieties of fruits and vegetables (which is over a third of all foods we eat!).

To summarize, honeybees make excellent pollinators. With thanks, in part, to their large colony numbers. And they're available on-demand: many crop farmers even depend on beekeepers to travel to their location with hundreds of hives in tow!

Almonds, cranberries, apples, blueberries, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, avocados, coffee: these are just some examples of the crops that entirely depend on pollinating insects. This is why we are taking on the urban honeybee project; so we can continue to feed and nurture your family as well as help the bees in Canada!

Made possible by

General mills jif smuckers The folger coffee co

So, have a look at some of our favourite recipes you can continue to enjoy
as our pollinators buzz around the roofs of our stores:

View Recipe
Honey Chili Cashew Shrimp Stir-Fry
Total Time
35 min
Serves
4
View Recipe
Honey Macadamia Nut Brittle
Total Time
30 min
Serves
1
View Recipe
Honey, Parmesan & Rosemary Scones
Total Time
35 min
Serves
9
View Recipe
Lemon, Honey & Rosemary Turkey
Total Time
255 min
Serves
12

FAQ

Qu’est-ce que Scène+?

Scène+ est l’un des principaux programmes de fidélisation axés sur le mode de vie au Canada. Le programme Scène+ offre à ses membres l’occasion d’accumuler et d’échanger des points à l’endroit, de la manière et au moment de leur choix. Les membres peuvent accumuler et échanger des points Scène+ chez Sobeys et d’autres épiceries et pharmacies participantes, contre des voyages avec Expedia, des sorties dans les cinémas Cineplex, des repas dans les chaînes Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s et Montana’s, et plus encore.

Scène+ offre à ses membres des récompenses à leur façon, ce qui leur permet d’accumuler des points pour des sorties au cinéma, des services bancaires, du divertissement, des achats, des repas et plus encore.

Vous pouvez maintenant accumuler des points Scène+ dans les magasins Sobeys et d’autres épiceries et pharmacies participantes au Canada, à l’exception du Québec.Pour obtenir la liste complète, rendez-vous sur sceneplus.ca.

Il existe plusieurs façons d’échanger des points Scène+ contre des voyages avec Expedia, des sorties au cinéma, des cartes-cadeaux, des produits Apple et Best Buy et des repas. Vous pouvez également échanger vos points Scène+ contre un crédit porté au compte d’une carte de débit ou de crédit de la Banque Scotia admissible.

Vous pouvez maintenant accumuler des points Scène+ dans les magasins Sobeys et d’autres épiceries et pharmacies participantes au Canada, à l’exception du Québec.Pour obtenir la liste complète, rendez-vous sur sceneplus.ca. Chaque tranche de 1 000 points Scène+ équivaut à 10 $ de rabais sur votre achat.

Voici quelques façons d’accumuler des points Scène+ dans les magasins Sobeys.

  • Récompenses de tous les jours : Accumulez des points grâce aux circulaires hebdomadaires et aux offres de produits de tous les jours en magasin et en ligne avec Voilà.
  • Offres personnalisées : Inscrivez-vous pour recevoir des offres hebdomadaires personnalisées, par courriel ou dans l’application Sobeys.
  • Produits bancaires : Obtenez encore plus de points chez Sobeys en magasinant avec une carte de débit ou de crédit de la Banque Scotia.

Si vous avez déjà une carte Scène+, vous êtes automatiquement membre Scène+. Pour devenir membre Scène+, rendez-vous sur la page www.sceneplus.ca/fr-ca/register.

Oui, les clients peuvent se procurer une carte physique et une trousse d’inscription en magasin. Veuillez noter qu’il n’est possible d’avoir qu’une seule carte physique par compte Scène+, mais que les autres membres d’une même famille peuvent télécharger l’application Scène+ et utiliser le même compte pour accumuler des points.

Les membres ne peuvent avoir qu’une seule carte physique par compte Scène+. Télécharger l’application Scène+ permet à chaque membre de la famille d’avoir la carte à portée de main.

Assurez-vous simplement que votre carte Scène+ est enregistrée et scannez-la en magasin pour accumuler des points Scène+ sur les achats admissibles.

Dites simplement à la caisse que vous souhaitez échanger des points Scène+ lors de la transaction. Vous pouvez obtenir un rabais de 10 $ sur votre achat pour chaque tranche de 1 000 points Scène+ échangés.

Vous pouvez obtenir votre numéro de membre Scène+ par courriel en visitant la page Recevoir ma carte par courriel sur le site Web de Scène+. Si votre adresse courriel a été modifiée ou si vous avez besoin d’aide supplémentaire, veuillez communiquer avec l’équipe de soutien de Scène+ au 1 866 586-2805.

Non, les points Scène+ ne sont pas transférables.

Votre compte Scène+ peut être fermé s’il demeure inactif pendant plus de 24 mois consécutifs.

Toutefois, si vous avez un produit Scène+ Banque Scotia lié à votre carte Scène+, vos points n’expireront pas tant que ce produit demeure actif.

Vous serez avisé à l’avance si votre compte risque d’être fermé.

Vous pouvez voir votre solde de points en vous connectant à votre compte sur sceneplus.ca ou en ouvrant l’application Scène+. Vous pouvez également lier votre carte Scène+ à votre compte Sobeys et consulter votre solde de points dans l’application Sobeys ou sur mygroceryoffers.ca.

Si vous éprouvez des difficultés avec votre application Scène+, veuillez communiquer avec l’équipe de soutien de Scène+ au 1 866 586-2805.

Conservez votre reçu et montrez-le à notre service à la clientèle en magasin ou envoyez un courriel à support@sceneplus.ca.

Il y a trois façons de vous inscrire pour recevoir des offres personnalisées de points Scène+ :

  1. Ouvrez un compte Sobeys et inscrivez votre numéro de membre Scène+.
  2. Ouvrez un compte sur www.mygroceryoffers.ca pour recevoir des offres personnalisées de la part de Sobeys et d’autres épiceries participantes.
  3. Téléchargez l’application Sobeys et liez votre carte Scène+.

Les offres personnalisées Scène+ sont des offres hebdomadaires sélectionnées en fonction de votre activité de magasinage qui vous sont envoyées par courriel ou dans l’application Sobeys. Bien que vous receviez des offres d’épicerie par l’entremise de l’application Scène+, vos offres personnalisées ne sont disponibles que sur l’application Sobeys ou www.mygroceryoffers.ca.

Veuillez noter qu’aucune offre personnalisée n’est actuellement disponible pour les achats sur Voilà par Sobeys et Voilà par Safeway. Les clients de Voilà par Sobeys et de Voilà par Safeway recevront 500 points pour chaque tranche de 50 $ d’achats en ligne ou dans l’application.

Bien que vous receviez des offres hebdomadaires de produits d’épicerie dans l’application et le site Web Scène+, les offres personnalisées ne sont accessibles que sur l’application ou dans le courriel des épiceries participantes, ou encore sur mygroceryoffers.ca.

Urban Beekeeping

Bringing the Buzz to the Basket with Alvéole

As a family nurturing families here at Sobeys, we've partnered with Alvéole in a new honeybee project to nurture a very important pollinating family: bees.

Using urban rooftop beehives, we're bringing message honey to your home, while giving one to the bees on top of our selected Sobeys stores.

Since 2013, Alvéole has been installing beehives all across North America (and France!) to educate people about beekeeping. Whether it's schools, families, or large companies, they're helping spread the buzz about important issues surrounding industrial agriculture. For example, the use of pesticides, monocultures, and the loss of biodiversity.

Read on to learn more about urban beekeeping and how to help the bees in Canada.

×

Sobeys x Alvéole | Webinar Registration links

  • Webinar Date Time (Local) Registration link
  • September 14th (Calgary) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 16th (Toronto) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 21st (Edmonton) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 23rd (Ottawa) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • September 28th (Vancouver) *Kids 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 5th (Calgary) *Kids 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 7th (Toronto) *Kids 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 12th (Edmonton) 11:30 AM 11:30 AM Register Now
  • October 14th (Ottawa) 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now
  • October 19th (Vancouver) 9:30 AM 9:30 AM Register Now

What Urban Beekeeping is

Urban beekeeping simply means keeping bees for mutually beneficial purposes within an urban environment, such as in rooftop beehives. And, when we say urban beekeeping, we really mean making use of city building grey spaces that otherwise contribute to the heat island effect!

Not only does urban beekeeping reduce environmental impact, but it also brings honey production to a hyper-local level, reduces monocultures, and increases pollinator populations to help local ecosystems thrive. Now that's what we call a win-win!

The process is simpler than you might think: there's the apiary, the bees, and the beekeeper. The only hard part is safely moving a colony to an urban environment to help save the bees in Canada. After this, it's a case of checking the hive every three weeks to make sure each little buzzer is happy, healthy, and thriving!

Learn more about the heart of the hive with Alex Mclean, President and Co-Founder of Alvéole

OurPartTM

sobeys bulbDid you know?

Each hive in our honeybee project will house around 50,000 individual buzzing bees!

The Benefits of Urban Beekeeping

All around the world, we're seeing a decline in the populations of bees. There are unsustainable methods used in agriculture that not only harm bee-kind (such as the use of pesticides) but can cause habitat loss and contribute to climate change.

So, there's a whole hive of reasons why urban beekeeping can make a difference. Using rooftop beehives - just like the ones on selected Sobeys stores - we can:

  • Support ecological agriculture
  • Help hives grow
  • Reduce pesticide use
  • Keep colonies healthy
  • Hyper-localize honey production
  • Preserve new habitats
  • Keep annual flowers blooming
  • Provide safe water to bees
  • Educate our beekeepers of tomorrow
  • Reduce unhealthy bee farming

Become a beekeeper for a day and find the Queen bee at a virtual workshop hosted by Alvéole.

Learn More

Why Bees Make Honey

Long story short, bees make honey to eat it! They store all their hive-made honey in honeycomb so they have a good source of energy for the winter when the flowers aren't in bloom.

Worker bees will travel out of their rooftop beehives and explore within a 5 km radius. They'll buzz over to a pretty flower and use their long tongues to collect nectar from a plant's nectary (it's a special plant organ!).

The worker bee then takes this nectar back to the hive for the magic to begin! The bee will pass the nectar back to a house worker bee who dries the nectar using a warm breeze from their wings to take the honey from 80% moisture to 20%.

Finally, the sugary-sweet honey is placed in individual cells in the hive before being covered by a wax lid for storage. Luckily, honey can be stored indefinitely at room temperature because of its high sugar content.

sobeys bulbDid you know?

Depending on the flower the worker bees take their nectar from, honey's flavour can range from mild and sweet to strong and bitter!

The Bees Making Honey in Canada

There are over 800 species of native bees throughout Canada. Some are solitary, and others are hive-bound! For example, one type of bee in Nova Scotia called the 'sweat bee' has a shiny green body and is often mistaken for the common housefly!

But, there's really only one species of bee capable of making our honey; honey that's made-at-hive with love by the honeybee.

Scientifically, these bees are called "Apis Mellifera", and they were imported from Europe centuries ago for their sheer honey-making value and calm temperament.

Meet your Canadian-European honeybees at a virtual urban beekeeping workshop with hive-mind Alvéole!

Learn More

If you want to know what happens after the yearly fall harvest, our fuzzy Italian bees have their plan. In fact, in the words of our partners over at Alvéole, "beekeeping takes a holiday during the winter months".

During the winter, our rooftop beehives will keep the bees comfortably warm and cozy! Here, they'll cluster around the Queen and stay warm by contracting their thoracic muscles (the middle part of the bee!). In fact, temperatures can even reach a cozy 35°C inside these rooftop beehives!

sobeys bulbDid you know?

To make approximately 2 and a half jars of honey, our Canadian honeybee will fly the equivalent of four times the Earth's circumference!

How to Help The Bees in Canada

plant

Plant a bee-loving garden with bright flowers of violet and blue to attract our honeybees and let them do what they buzz best!

chemical-free

Try going chemical-free. Whether it's pesticide use at home or helping out farmer friends with other ideas to help keep their crops healthy.

bee

Why not fly into the realms of becoming a bee specialist yourself? Or encourage the little ones to discover their own passions as a beekeeper or environmentalist.

trees

Our bees need trees, too. So, make sure to always be on the side of nature's giants when you look to the smaller wonders and help the bees in Canada.

honey

Opt for hyper-localized production of grocery items such as wax, shampoo, honey, candles, balms, perfumes, and so much more!

You can find out how to help the bees in Canada even more by visiting one of the select Sobeys stores with Alvéole rooftop beehives:

Store Locations

All Provinces Alberta Ontario
  • Sobeys Country Hills
    200 500 Country Hills Blvd NE Calgary AB T3K 4Y7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Forest Lawn
    5101 - 17 Avenue S.E. CALGARY AB T2A 0V7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Hollick Kenyon
    5119 - 167 Ave NW Edmonton AB T5Y 0L2 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Mahogany
    #1200, 7 Mahogany Plaza SE Calgary AB T3M 2P8 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys McKenzie Towne
    20 MCKENZIE TOWNE AVENUE SE CALGARY AB T2Z 3S7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Millrise
    #2000, 150 Millrise Blvd SW Calgary AB T2Y 5G7 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Millwoods Common
    5011 23 Ave Edmonton AB T6L 7G5 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Silverado
    #704, 19369 Sheriff King St SW Calgary AB T2X 0T9 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Southbrook
    1109 JAMES MOWATT TRAIL Edmonton AB T6W 1S4 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Strathcona
    300-555 Strathcona Blvd. SW Calgary AB T3H 2Z9 Alberta Get Directions
  • Sobeys Bradford
    40 Melbourne Drive Bradford ON L3Z 3B8 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Danforth
    2451 Danforth Ave East Toronto ON M4C 1L1 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Extra Burlington-Brnt
    1250 Brant Street Burlington ON L7P 1X8 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Glen Abbey
    1500 Upper Middle Road Oakville ON L6M 3G3 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Kanata
    700 Terry Fox Drive Kanata ON K2L 4H4 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys March Road Kanata
    840 March Road Kanata ON K2W 0C9 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Todmorden East York
    1015 Broadview Avenue Toronto ON M4K 2S2 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Trim & Innes Cumberland
    5150 Innes Road Orleans ON K4A 0G4 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Maplegrove
    511 Maple Grove Drive Oakville ON L6J 4W3 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Queensway Etobicoke
    125 The Queensway Etobicoke ON M8Y 1H6 Ontario Get Directions
  • Sobeys Whitby
    1615 Dundas Street East Whitby ON L1N 2L1 Ontario Get Directions
  • Ajax
    260 Kingston Road West Ajax ON L1T 4E4 Ontario Get Directions
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How to Avoid a Bee Sting with the Honey Bees Project

Bees are very commonly mistaken for wasps because of their similar appearances (at least to the naked eye!). And, with this, there are so many of us who think our buzz-friends will sting us without reason. But it's not true!

The bees making a home in our rooftop beehives are very docile and won't want to sting at all. The reason is that bees will pass away when they sting because their stinger gets stuck and, when they leave, it tears away and takes their abdomen with it. Which makes for quite the final act in life!

That said, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful when sharing the city as we help the bees in Canada. After all, just like us, the pollinators in our honeybee project are just as likely to become defensive of their colony if they feel threatened.

So, just remember how to "beehave" around a beehive. Turn a beekeeping experience into an awe-inspiring adventure with rooftop beehives just by staying calm, moving slowly, and keeping a distance from the heart of the hive. Sting chances will be nearly zero with this honeybee project!

sobeys bulbDid you know?

The Queen bee has a smoother stinger and is able to use it multiple times when battling for her colony without it getting stuck!

7 steps to take if you've been stung by a bee:

  1. Step away from the hive
    The last thing you want after a bee sting is another one. So, be sure to step away from the hive (or where you think the hive might be) and allow yourself to react with a hearty scream!
  2. Find a place to sit down
    There's no way of knowing how your skin could react or even how you could react as a whole. If paper cuts and splinters get to you, you'll want to take a seat before moving onto the next step.
  3. Remove the stinger
    It's super important you don't just grab and pull the stinger away. The top of the stinger still has venom in it and you risk squeezing that into your skin. So, use a card or your fingernail and gently push the stinger out from the side.
  4. Assess the sting zone reaction
    You'll want to see whether you've got general symptoms (known as a local reaction) or some slightly worse symptoms (which is called a systemic reaction and could be a sign of an allergy).
  5. Treat the local reaction
    If you've got a local reaction, it's likely there'll be a bit of redness in the sting zone as well as some swelling and pain. So, grab yourself some ice, avoid scratching your sting zone, and head to your local pharmacy for some sting relief!
  6. Request immediate help for a systemic reaction
    With a systemic reaction, you'll have all the local reaction symptoms plus some extras such as dizziness, difficulty breathing, and nausea. If this is the case, reach for an EpiPen (which the Alvéole team is always equipped with!), call 911, and ask someone to keep you company while you seek medical support.
  7. Remember how to "beehave" around a beehive
    You and the little ones can turn a beekeeping experience into an awe-inspiring adventure with rooftop beehives just by staying calm, moving slowly, and keeping a distance from the heart of the hive. Sting chances will be nearly zero!

The Role of These Buzzing Pollinators in Your Food

Honeybees play a crucial role from breakfast through to dinner. In fact, the decline in pollinators like our bees and butterflies coincides with a growth in demand for agriculture, resulting in a rise in food costs!

sobeys bulbDid you know?

Bees will buzz to nearly 3 million flowers for every pound of deliciously runny honey they make!

Pollinators are the reason our plants can thrive and bring us so many of the deliciously nourishing foods in our diet. They're actually responsible for pollinating over 130 varieties of fruits and vegetables (which is over a third of all foods we eat!).

To summarize, honeybees make excellent pollinators. With thanks, in part, to their large colony numbers. And they're available on-demand: many crop farmers even depend on beekeepers to travel to their location with hundreds of hives in tow!

Almonds, cranberries, apples, blueberries, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, avocados, coffee: these are just some examples of the crops that entirely depend on pollinating insects. This is why we are taking on the urban honeybee project; so we can continue to feed and nurture your family as well as help the bees in Canada!

Made possible by

General mills jif smuckers The folger coffee co

So, have a look at some of our favourite recipes you can continue to enjoy
as our pollinators buzz around the roofs of our stores:

View Recipe
Honey Chili Cashew Shrimp Stir-Fry
Total Time
35 min
Serves
4
View Recipe
Honey Macadamia Nut Brittle
Total Time
30 min
Serves
1
View Recipe
Honey, Parmesan & Rosemary Scones
Total Time
35 min
Serves
9
View Recipe
Lemon, Honey & Rosemary Turkey
Total Time
255 min
Serves
12

Mise à jour pour les partenaires

Empire et certaines de ses bannières de partout au pays, y compris Sobeys, passeront d’AIR MILES à Scène+ au Canada atlantique en août 2022, puis dans le reste du pays jusqu’au début de 2023. Consultez la foire aux questions ci-dessous.

Qu’est-ce que Scène+?

Scène+ est l’un des principaux programmes de fidélisation axé sur le mode de vie au Canada. Le programme Scène+offre à ses membres l’occasion d’accumuler et d’échanger des points à l’endroit, à la manière et au moment de leur choix.

Scène+ comprendra nos principales bannières d’épiceries, de pharmacies et de dépanneurs au Canada ainsi que des points et des récompenses dans les domaines des voyages (Expedia), des solutions bancaires (Banque Scotia), de la restauration (plus de 700 restaurants Recipe, comme les chaînes Swiss Chalet, Montana’s, Kelseys et Harvey’s), des cinémas (Cineplex). Le programme comprendra aussi des échanges de points avec d’excellentes marques comme Apple, Best Buy et bien d’autres.

Scène+ remplacera le programme AIR MILES actuel dans nos épiceries, pharmacies, magasins de vins et spiritueux et dépanneurs, et avec les services d’épicerie en ligne. Nous passerons d’AIR MILES à Scène+ au Canada atlantique en août 2022, puis dans le reste du pays jusqu’au début de 2023.

Oui. Vous pouvez continuer d’accumuler et d’échanger des milles AIR MILES avec nous jusqu’à ce que le programme Scène+ soit offert dans votre magasin. Nous nous engageons à continuer d’offrir à nos clients de la qualité et des occasions promotionnelles par le biais du programme Air Miles tout au long de la transition.

Non. Vos milles de récompense AIR MILES restent dans votre compte AIR MILES. Vous pouvez utiliser vos milles AIR MILES en magasin jusqu’au lancement du programme Scène+.

Cette annonce n'aura aucune incidence sur vos points AIR MILES. Vous pouvez continuer à échanger vos points AIR MILES dans nos magasins comme vous le feriez normalement jusqu'à ce que nous passions au programme Scène+. Voir airmiles.ca/fr/gérermoncompte pour plus de détails.

Non. Vous pouvez échanger vos milles de récompense AIR MILES jusqu’au lancement de Scène+ dans votre magasin. Vous pouvez continuer à accumuler et à échanger des milles auprès des partenaires du programme AIR MILES comme vous le feriez normalement.

Les bons d’achat électroniques Sobeys n’expireront pas et continueront d’être acceptés pour les achats effectués après le lancement de Scène+.

Veuillez consulter airmiles.ca pour en savoir plus sur le programme de récompense AIR MILES.

Veuillez consulter airmiles.ca pour toute autre question à propos de vos milles de récompense AIR MILES

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