Swim Drink Fish Stories
Read the latest stories, updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, and more.
Swim Season Impacts
Everyday, we’ve been collecting water samples with the help of our Community Scientists at our water quality monitoring hubs in Toronto, Kingston, Edmonton and Vancouver. We’ve collaborated with various community partners on events and programs to help people connect with their local waters.
Have You Heard the News?
You may have seen Swim Drink Fish in the news, A LOT lately. That’s because we put in the work sampling your waters to better equip our communities with the knowledge of whether it’s okay, or not, to get into the water.
Niki Cesta nominated among Canada’s Clean50 Emerging Leaders
Swim Drink Fish is excited to announce that Niki Cesta has been nominated for Canada’s Clean50 Emerging Leader award. Niki is being recognized for her work as Co-Founder and Executive Director at The Wasteland Plan Foundation (TWP)
Understanding CSOs
We want to better help you understand sewage issues, to better help you get into the water more often, where you know it's okay to do so. This is what we call water literacy. It's one of the initial steps in helping you become a community advocate in supporting swimmable, drinkable, fishable water for everyone
Understanding Ontario Place: Looking Back to Move Forward
Ontario Place West Island Beach, an unofficial beach, has become the favourite ‘hidden gem’ of swimming in our city. It’s the most accessible site access point to recreational water for many who live in the downtown area. The beach has boasted clear waters and offers visitors peace and quiet that is otherwise elusive in the downtown core. Unfortunately, more recently, the beach has been the site of poor water quality that has caused many of its regulars to search for swimmable waters elsewhere.
Into The Weeds: Q&A with Jennifer Baichwal
This weekend members of our community will gather on Wolfe Island for a small and intimate viewing of Jennifer Baichwal’s new documentary Into The Weeds. We sat down with Jennifer for a Q&A in anticipation of the screening on Saturday. Here is what she had to say about the film.
DFO Shuts Down Gill Bar, the Site of FVIDA’s Annual Cleanups
On Thursday, July 28 it was announced that Gill Bar on the Fraser River in Chilliwack is now closed to vehicle traffic. This decision has been made by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) after a long and complicated history of harmful activity that negatively impacts the habitat in the area. Gill Bar is home to gravel beds which provide important habitat for salmon and sturgeon and hold cultural significance for local First Nations.
Innovation at the Forefront of Water Quality
A city that was once alienated from its waterfront has been able to change its community’s relationship with the shorelines of Lake Ontario. Kingston is now considered the gold standard for what can only be defined as a swimmable city. With such a vibrant recreational water community, Kingston has proven to be the right place for Swim Drink Fish to launch our innovation hub.
Weekend of Heat
Our community-based Water Monitoring teams in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Kingston have been hard at work all summer sampling your waterways to help best inform you about the water quality, allowing you to make the best decision to enter the water.
Victory For a Swimmable Vancouver
The City of Vancouver set a big standard for cities alike around the world on July 20th. City Council unanimously voted to approve a motion, For a Swimmable Vancouver.
