Blue Flag Canada is newest Swim Drink Fish initiative
May 13, 2020 | Mark Mattson and Krystyn Tully
Today we proudly announce Blue Flag Canada is Swim Drink Fish’s newest initiative. We are thrilled to be working with Blue Flag International and the Foundation for Environmental Education to expand this program in Canada.
We took the National Operator role over from Environmental Defence in 2020 to help grow the Blue Flag program in Canada and connect Canadian beach and marina managers with the rest of the world.
For nearly a decade we have been working to highlight the powerful relationship people have with beaches. A day at the beach can turn someone into an environmental guardian for life, if they have the right tools and the right community to support them.
We created Swim Guide to help people connect with a beach near them. Any beach at all will do for most people on most days. Swim Guide has always proudly advocated for the right to swim in clean water in every community and the right to access data about water quality.
As Swim Guide’s popularity grew, people started asking for advice on the best places to swim. They want to know where water quality is consistently good, but also where the water will be accessible and there are facilities they can use to enjoy a long day on the water. Blue Flag certification answers that question.
We are excited to add the Blue Flag certification program to the Swim Drink Fish family. It will help us celebrate and reward communities investing in beach restoration and protection. It will also promote marinas and the boating community who care about water as much as beach-goers. Blue Flag beach and marina recipients work hard to be amongst Canada’s best waterfront destinations.
Our Blue Flag initiative will help restore Canadian waters
Since 2001, our programs have been reconnecting Canadians to their waterfronts. We have been supporting communities working to restore swimmable water and take down the No Swimming signs that have disconnected too many people from their waterways.
Now, Swim Drink Fish can help communities restore their waterfronts and replace those No Swimming signs with Blue Flags. The more Blue Flags flying across Canada, the healthier and more vibrant your waterfront communities have become.
Each Blue Flag brings us one step closer to a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future.
Connecting Blue Flag to Swim Guide and Great Lakes Guide makes it easier for you to find swimmable water
As the demand for swimmable water grows, especially in our cities, more people than ever before are asking “Where can I swim?” There are two pieces of information you need when thinking about this question. First, you need to know where to go. Second, you need to know what the latest water quality results are.
Swim Guide shows you nearly every official, monitored beach in the country. It is also a one-stop show for the latest recreational water quality results. That data is crucial because beach water quality is like the weather: it changes every day. With Swim Guide, you’ve always been able to check the water quality at your local beach, get outside, and connect with a local affiliate working to protect that beach.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper created the tool to help protect beaches on Lake Ontario. Fraser Riverkeeper was the second program to utilize Swim Guide. Now, 90 Swim Guide affiliates feed data into the Swim Guide platform.
With beach information in eleven countries covering 8,000 beaches, that’s a lot of information. For some, it’s overwhelming and they don’t know where to start. Picking a beach should be easy. That’s where Blue Flag comes in.
Blue Flag Canada helps you decide where to go. Blue Flag beaches and marinas are among Canada’s best waterfront destinations. These communities have met Blue Flag’s strict international criteria and are working hard to promote swimmable, drinkable, fishable water. By including marinas in the Blue Flag program, we can also help people find water access points away from crowded beaches. If you want to get out on the open water or go fishing, Blue Flag marinas are the places to start.
When you visit any Blue Flag beach or marina, look for the Blue Flag information board to learn about the amazing features of each site.
What happens next?
In early June 2020, Swim Drink Fish will announce this year’s Blue Flag Canada awards. All applications are reviewed by a national and international jury. The Blue Flag International Jury awards Blue Flags on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education.
Sign up to the Swim Drink Fish newsletter and be the first to know which beaches and marinas are awarded Blue Flags for 2020.
Once the new beaches are announced, bookmark yours in the Swim Guide app. Pay attention to local guidance around social distancing and be sure to use the beach responsibly. When water testing begins, we’ll be updating Swim Guide regularly.
All beaches can experience poor water quality, even Blue Flag beaches from time to time. You may also want to see special updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why we recommend checking Swim Guide before swimming, paddling, or boating. You don’t need to be a scientist to understand the water quality results either. Swim Guide makes it easy.
If you are a beach or marina operator and you want to be part of the Blue Flag program in 2021, please contact us and we will gladly share more information about the application process.
Read more about the Blue Flag certification program here.