The Case for Toronto’s Western Beaches
Toronto’s Western Beaches give city dwellers the opportunity to step away from the hustle and bustle of the city and connect with nature – so why are they so often overlooked?
Visitors to the Western Beaches during summer months are frequently met with “no swimming” signs or beach closures due to poor water quality. In addition to ruining a day of summer fun, these signs serve as an important reminder of a much larger issue: Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).
Warning Sign at Sunnyside Beach in Toronto
People in Toronto don’t often take the time to consider their city's infrastructure, let alone the web of CSO pipes that remain hidden beneath our homes, streets, offices and roads. These systems, designed to manage storm and wastewater, have a direct impact on the water quality in Lake Ontario and operate largely out of sight and out of mind.
On October 9th, 2024, the Toronto Star brought this issue to the forefront with an article that sparked debate around the implications of closing down a CSO in the Western Channel and what exactly that means when it comes to water quality.
When conversations like this become more mainstream, it raises questions about the issues and why certain actions are being taken while others are not. People should be asking why certain infrastructure changes are being invested in while others have remained untouched for decades. We cannot undervalue the power of a community voice.
At Swim Drink Fish, we ensure transparency with all our open source data. It’s time that we have an informed, honest, and clear conversation on water quality, sewage transparency, and swimming access in the West End. This is why we hope to encourage a conversation that involves all stakeholders and shines a light on water quality issues and keeps the public engaged. Without this engagement, we can’t hold decision-makers accountable when it comes to protecting and prioritizing the health of Lake Ontario.
The Need for Transparency
This problem isn’t specific to the West End, as sewage transparency is an issue throughout the whole city. Approximately 23% of the City of Toronto is currently built on a combined sewage system, resulting in 94 sewer outfalls that often discharge untreated sewage and stormwater into the lake, posing health risks to those who choose to enter the water.
Having precise and timely overflow data that identifies areas where pollution is not impacting the shoreline provides the opportunity to increase access to the waterfront and help people feel more comfortable with using the lake recreationally. The timeliness of this data is important because water quality is constantly changing. In addition to helping recreators make more informed decisions, this data would help bridge the information gap between the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario, as well as politicians, ENGOs, and community members advocating for critical infrastructure upgrades.
For the past 6 years, we have been calling for the City of Toronto to implement a Real-Time Monitoring (RTM) system of reporting. This by no means fixes the core issue: the combined sewage system. However, it provides community members with relevant and timely information about the health of their local water bodies and gives them the opportunity to make informed decisions about their own health and well-being. Other regions have seen success with similar systems, including the City of Kingston which began providing public alerts in 2013 for when sewage is overflowing into the lake as an effort to keep people safe.
Why The Western Beaches?
Recent efforts to improve water quality by the City of Toronto have primarily been focused in the East End. These investments have been successful and have qualified all the other public beaches in Toronto to become Blue Flag certified, a prestigious environmental award that indicates exceptional practices for beaches and marinas globally. All while the West End beaches have some of the poorest water quality in Toronto with Sunnyside and Marilyn Bell Park only being open for about 60% of the summer due to high levels of bacteria, making it unsafe for swimming. Despite these challenges, these West End beaches are a hotspot for open water swimming, rowing clubs, kayaking, and more.
Sunnyside Beach, Toronto
Considering this is one of the few places to recreate in Toronto’s West End, it’s clear that action needs to be taken to protect the health and safety of recreationists. The City of Toronto re-opening the conversation around the Western Beaches Public Realm Plan is an opportunity to bring this issue to the forefront. The plan updates the City’s initial 2009 Western Waterfront Master Plan with a revitalized vision for the Western Shoreline. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to advocate for change in the West End.
The changes to the Western Beaches will affect everyone. Water quality in the area must be addressed and data transparency is an essential first step in the process. Though the public consultation period has closed on the Western Beaches Public Realm Plan, this is still an opportunity to have our voices heard. If you want to help us protect the West End, you can get involved by signing our letter of support for Real-Time Monitoring in the West End, donating to our efforts, and becoming part of the solution.
