Blue Flag Canada

Apply for a Blue Flag

Swim Drink Fish is here to help you through the Blue Flag application process.

Blue Flag destinations attract millions of Canadians every year. Flying the Blue Flag at your beach or marina tells visitors you are committed to helping them connect with the water. The Blue Flag brings tourists to your waterfront to support local businesses and promotes environmental protection efforts to ensure your community remains swimmable and fishable for years to come.

How to apply for a Blue Flag in Canada

Here are the seven steps to get Blue Flag certified:

1. Contact us - contact Swim Drink Fish to indicate your interest in applying for a Blue Flag. Get in touch with us using our contact form.

2. Feasibility study - arrange a Feasibility Study with Swim Drink Fish staff to assess your beach or marina’s Blue Flag Canada eligibility. 

3. Candidate phase - implement recommendations from your feasibility study.

4. Blue Flag application - once Blue Flag Canada criteria are met, submit your application to Swim Drink Fish.

5. National Blue Flag jury - the national jury reviews all Blue Flag Canada applications. Successful applications are submitted to the international jury. 

6. International Blue Flag jury - the international jury reviews all applications. Swim Drink Fish awards Blue Flags that receive international jury approval.

7. Blue Flag season begins - Once swimming season starts, Blue Flags can be raised. Swim Drink Fish staff work with you, the site operator, to ensure Blue Flag Canada criteria continue to be met throughout the season.

Blue Flag certification lasts for one year. After a successful application, you are awarded a Blue Flag date stamped for the current year. As a beach or marina site operator, you can re-apply for Blue Flag certification every year. Swim Drink Fish staff will gladly guide you through this process.

Blue Flag beach criteria

Blue Flag beaches meet 33 criteria across four categories.

Environmental Education and Information

1. Information about the Blue Flag program must be displayed.

2. Environmental education initiatives must be offered and promoted to beach users.

3. Information about recreational water quality must be displayed. 

4. Information about the local ecosystem must be displayed. 

5. A map of the beach indicating different facilities must be displayed.

6. A code of conduct that reflects appropriate laws governing the use of the beach and surrounding areas must be displayed. 

Water Quality

1. The beach must fully comply with the water quality sampling and frequency requirements.

2. The beach must fully comply with the requirements for water quality analysis. 

3. No industrial, wastewater or sewage-related discharges should affect the beach area.

4. The beach must comply with the Blue Flag microbiological standards for Escherichia coli (E.coli) and intestinal enterococci (streptococci).

5. The beach must comply with the Blue Flag requirements for the following physical and chemical parameters.

Environmental Management

1. The local authority/beach operator must establish a beach management committee. 

2. The local authority/beach operator must comply with all regulations affecting the location and operation of the beach.

3. Sensitive areas must be managed accordingly. 

4. The beach must be clean.

5. Seaweed or natural debris must be left on the beach.

6. An adequate number of garbage bins must be available at the beach. They must be regularly maintained.

7. Recycling bins must be available at the beach.

8. The beach must have an adequate number of toilet or restroom facilities.

9. The restroom facilities must be kept clean. 

10. The toilet or restroom facilities must have controlled sewage disposal. 

11. Camping, driving and dumping are prohibited on the beach.

12. Domestic animals must be prohibited from the beach.

13. All buildings and beach equipment must be appropriately maintained. 

14. Marine and sensitive freshwater habitats in the vicinity of the beach must be monitored.

15. A sustainable means of transportation should be promoted in the beach area.

Safety and Services

1. Appropriate public safety control measures must be implemented.

2. First aid equipment must be available on the beach. 

3. Emergency plans to cope with pollution risks must be in place.

4. There must be the management of different users and uses of the beach to prevent conflicts and accidents. 

5. There must be safety measures in place to protect users of the beach.

6. A supply of drinking water should be available at the beach. 

7. At least one Blue Flag beach in each municipality must have water access and facilities for the physically disabled.

Blue Flag marina criteria

Blue Flag marinas meet 38 criteria across six categories.

Environmental Education and Information

1. Information relating to local ecosystems and environmental elements must be available to marina users.

2. The marina must display a code of conduct that reflects appropriate laws governing the use of the marina and surrounding areas.

3. The marina must display information about the Blue Flag program and marina criteria.

4. The marina is responsible for offering at least three environmental education activities to the users and staff of the marina.

5. The Individual Blue Flag for boat owners is offered through the marina

6. Twice a year there the marina must meet with the staff and go over Blue Flag measurements / environment / sustainability.

7. The marina must ensure that every employee knows about Blue Flag and can communicate about Blue Flag with the guests.

Environmental Management

1. The marina must establish a marina management committee that is in charge of instituting environmental management systems and conducting regular environmental audits of the marina facility.

2. The marina must have an environmental policy and an environmental plan. The plan must include references to water management, waste and energy consumption, health and safety issues, and the use of environmentally-friendly products wherever possible.

3. The sensitive area must be managed. 

4. Adequate and properly identified, segregated containers must be in place for the storage of hazardous wastes. A licensed contractor must handle and dispose of the waste at a licensed facility for hazardous wastes.

5. The marina must have adequate and well-managed litter bins and garbage in place. A licensed contractor must handle and dispose of the waste at a licensed facility.

6. The marina must have facilities for receiving recyclable waste materials, such as bottles, cans, paper, plastic, organic material, etc.

7. Bilgewater pumping facilities should be available at the marina.

8. Toilet tank waste reception facilities must be present at the marina for marina tenants.

9. All buildings and equipment must be properly maintained and comply with national legislation. The marina must be well integrated into the surrounding natural and built environment.

10. Adequate, clean and well signposted sanitary facilities, including washing facilities, must be in place and provide drinking water. Sewage waste disposal must be controlled and directed to a licensed sewage treatment plant.

11. If the marina has boat repairing and washing areas, no pollution must enter the sewage system, marina land and water or the natural surroundings.

12. The marina should promote sustainable transportation.

13. Parking/driving is not permitted in the marina, except in specifically designated areas.

14. The water consumption in the sanitary facilities and showers must be controlled.

15.  There must be an environmental policy and an environmental plan for the marina. The plan should include a data collection of water management, waste and energy consumption, health and safety issues as well as the use of environmentally friendly products wherever possible. All employees must be informed and educated about these issues.

16. Only environmentally friendly cleaning products must be used for the cleaning of the facilities in the marina.

17. Only environmentally friendly toiletries, paper towels and toilet papers must be provided in the sanitary facilities of the marina. Soap and other personal care products must be provided in dispensers with a dosing system.

18. Only energy-efficient lighting must be used. Sensors which regulate the use of the light should be installed wherever considered as being useful.

19. The energy supply of the marina should be based on renewable energies.

20. The marina should aim at being carbon neutral.

21. Artificially made green areas and gardens in the marina must be maintained sustainably.

22. The facilities in the marina must be made of environmentally friendly materials. Local suppliers should be preferably used when equipping the marina with new buildings, infrastructure or furniture.

Safety and Services

1. Adequate and well signposted lifesaving, first-aid equipment and fire-fighting equipment must be present. National authorities must approve equipment.

2. Emergency plans in case of pollution, fire or other accidents must be produced.

3. Safety precautions and information must be posted at the marina.

4. Electricity and water is available at the berths, and installations must be approved according to national legislation.

5. Facilities for persons with disabilities people should be in place.

6. A Map indicating the location of the different facilities must be posted at the marina.

Water Quality

1. The water in the marina must be visually clean without any evidence of pollution, e.g. oil, litter, sewage or other evidence of pollution.

Corporate Social Responsibility

1. The marina management has a CSR policy, covering the areas of Human Rights, Labour Equity Environmental Education and Anti-corruption.

Social and Community Involvement

1. The marina management takes at least two measures to encourage sustainable relationships in the immediate environment and to fulfill its commitment to perform better on social fields.