Swim Drink Fish Blog
Read the latest updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, Artists for Water, and more.
How'd your beach do?
Every year, nearly two-thirds of Canadians pack their swim gear and head out with their family and friends in search of swimmable water. As it turns out, reliable facts and figures about beach water quality are hard to come by.
Congratulations to our September Winner, Rich Wallin!
Last month, we asked you to recall where your greatest memory of water took place.
Government of Canada weakens Fisheries Act, again. (This time, it’s for the aquaculture industry)
Aquaculture facilities, like fish farms, pollute surrounding waters with pesticides, drugs and organic waste. The new regulations are intended to give more power to the aquaculture industry regulate itself.
The 6 qualities of a water leader
I’ve been asked this question over and over again and I always come back to the same notion: the people who make the smartest choices for their communities are the ones who understand their personal connection to water. But who are they? And what qualifies them to lead?
Are we on the verge of a Great Lakes renaissance?
Everywhere I turn, the Great Lakes are on people’s minds. When I came back from the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Water Quality Board meeting in Windsor recently, I felt like interest in our sweetwater seas is on the rise.
Chow down on this month’s challenge!
Friends, it's time to eat! As we celebrate the month of Thanksgiving, please show us the tasty, scrumptious Fall delights that your watershed gave to you.
Energy Board defends Great Lakes from bitumen spills
Yesterday, the National Energy Board revoked Enbridge’s Line 9B pipeline project until it proves they’re taking reasonable precautions to protect our drinking water. The decision reflects the overwhelming evidence that Line 9 was not built for, nor is it prepared to move bitumen along Lake Ontario.
Enbridge pipeline project delayed by water protection concerns
Until Enbridge proves that there are shutoff valves located on all major waterway crossings, the flow of oil through Line 9B cannot be reversed. According to the Board's letter, 104 major waterway crossings along the pipeline. Only 6 have shutoff valves within 1km of the water.
I learned to stop worrying and love failure: Dispatch from the Living Waters Rally 2014
“This past weekend, 110 delegates of Living Waters Rally 2014—representing recreational, indigenous, cottage association, faith, philanthropic, environmental, business, academic, and arts and culture groups from across Canada—came together to discuss the future of Canada’s freshwaters.”
I'm in Ottawa this weekend with sewage on the tip of my tongue
On Friday, I’ll be packing up my car and heading to Ottawa for the second Living Waters Rally. My plan is to talk about economics, sewage, and failure (in that order). Of all the water issues in the country, sewage pollution is the one that gets me most worked up for one reason: it is totally unnecessary.