For the Checking In series, Mark Mattson checks in with Kingston’s Gord Edgar Downie Pier. The Gord Edgar Downie Pier is a flagship Great Lakes restoration project, in part made possible by The W. Garfield Weston Foundation. Swim Drink Fish attended the unveiling of the Gord Edgar Downie Pier In July 2018. Since it opened, this swimming pier has become one of Lake Ontario’s most popular swimming destinations.

Checking In: Mark Mattson speaks with Meredith Brown, Riverkeeper Emeritus for Ottawa Riverkeeper. Meredith Brown is known throughout the Ottawa River watershed as the founding Executive Director and Riverkeeper for Ottawa Riverkeeper. Over 15 years, she raised the profile of the Ottawa River and brought together community leaders to restore the health of the watershed. Here is their conversation.

Checking In: Mark Mattson checks in with Bluffer’s Beach in Toronto. From the late 1990s to 2005, Bluffer’s Beach was one of Toronto’s dirtiest beaches. Today it is one of the best.

For the Checking In series, Mark Mattson speaks with Lynda Lukasik, Executive Director, Environment Hamilton.

Lynda Lukasik is a long-standing champion for swimmable, drinkable, fishable water. In 1999-2000, Dr. Lukasik worked with Mark Mattson and Doug Chapman in the private prosecution of the City of Hamilton for polluting Red Hill Creek. Today she leads Environment Hamilton. Here is their conversation.

For the Checking In series, Mark Mattson speaks with Swim Drink Fish Ambassador William Tozer. William Tozer is the co-founder, educator, and Watermark collector of Camp Onakawana in northern Ontario. This camp is for Indigenous youth to build community and learn skills that generate confidence in the great outdoors. The Tozers were the first Swim Drink Fish supporters to bring the movement to northern Canada. Here’s what William had to say.

For the Checking In series, Mark Mattson speaks with Swim Drink Fish Ambassador Lauren Brown Hornor. Lauren's long history in the Swim Drink Fish movement includes working as an attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance, being a founding Board Member with Miami Waterkeeper, and helping launch Fraser Riverkeeper in 2007. Here is their conversation.

For the Checking In series, Mark Mattson speaks with Swim Drink Fish Ambassador Patrick Wedaseh Madahbee. Patrick Wedaseh Madahbee retired as Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief after spending 46 years working on First Nation issues. He is an advisor and former President of the Little NHL, and is an advisor to Great Lakes Guide. Patrick Wedaseh Madahbee has helped the Swim Drink Fish movement connect with Indigenous history and language.