The debate over Billy Bishop Airport isn't just about jets vs. noise, it's about future of Toronto’s waterfront. For many, the harbour is cottage country. Do we take that away for increased flights? Or continue to restore the connection to Lake Ontario? open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Looking forward to first week of June.

Fantastic Canadian voices (and one brilliant Irish one!) are heading to the 21st Annual Joe Burke Wolfe Island Literary Festival on Brophy’s Point. An afternoon of storytelling, fiction, and award-winning poetry right by the river. It’s a Great Lakes classic

20% of world’s surface fresh water is flowing by the Island but taking water for granted turned this privilege into a crisis. Lack of investment in proper sewage treatment was a red flag. Montreal warning residents of water shortages this summer. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Thank everyone who came out and supported Swimmable Drinkable Fishable water last night. Means the world to our work.

Great night for water.

Today is the Swim Drink Fish Gala, supporting the Waterkeeper mission to get people back to the water’s edge. With projects like the Wave Prize & the Binnagami project, we are getting people off screens & back to the water that makes swimmable drinkable fishable water possible

Back in 2009, the Watershed Sentinel (Friends of the Watershed Sentinel on FB) published an in-depth series on Canada’s uranium reality. Here is the Yellowcake Trail series: watershedsentinel.ca/article/nucl...

In 2006, colleague shared this word cloud from my speech. It helped me see my work differently. From self correcting type writers, to word processors, wordstar, word perfect, Google Docs, Grammerly etc …tools change but only useful when furthering a mission. What’s yours?

Toronto Hydro says affected 1300 customers? That includes customers with tens of thousands of people working in buildings with elevators. Wierd? www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...

Toronto's aging infrastructure means a heavy downpour quickly triggers sewer overflows. Engineering fixes take decades, but honest communication shouldn't. Why the City needs to ditch the PR spin and tell the truth about our water quality open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

When Elon Musk chose Queen’s, he famously said he did it just because it looked more fun than Waterloo. But Queen's has a different legacy now, shaped by Gord Edgar Downie Pier & a swimmable lake. How a pier, a poet & a swim changed the soul of a campus. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

While historic schools like Yale fiercely document and preserve their history in brick and stone, Queen's is defining its legacy by how it choosing to reconnect with and restore a living ecosystem. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee... #yale #queens @swimdrinkfish

These little guys are always unfazed by my runs. Just soaking up the sunlight, making the most of a perfect, lazy afternoon on the Island.

The US EPA is awarding nearly $10 million in grants to states to monitor beach water quality. Ensuring safe public access to our beaches is a critical step in promoting long-term water sustainability. Use @swimguide to share results. content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USE...

Great to see my sister receive an Honorarey Doctorate from Yale last weekend. Well deserved. Awesome yale2026.yale.edu/hd-recipient...

That time of year, the turtles are out of the water and on the move to lay their eggs. An ancient ritual that’s been going on since long before us. Watch out for them on the roads! 🐢🥚 @swimdrinkfish

Every time it rains in Toronto our sewers overflow into Lake Ontario. We are drifting toward a dangerous future, but art might just be the thing that saves us. Here is why the Swim Drink Fish Art for Water gala matters now more than ever: open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Such a beautiful day here on Wolfe Island. The ground is warming up, the trees are jumping and everyone is happy. Spring is great.

Polluters pay. ArcelorMittal Exploitation Minière Canada hit with a record-breaking $100 MILLION fine for illegally dumping toxic, acidic & high-metal effluents into Quebec waterways. The historic fine will help fund environmental restoration projects. www.canada.ca/en/environme...

Swimmable water isn't a "nice-to-have" luxury; it’s the democratic baseline for a functioning society. It’s time we stop treating clean water as an optional perk. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Art preview for @swimdrinkfish Art For Water tonight. Such amazing generosity and beauty.

54 years today since Pierre Trudeau & Richard Nixon launched the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Despite home to voters who decide elections, have not seen this level of bilateral leadership on watershed since. Need to bring that same energy back to the water. @LOWaterkeeper

A couple billion. That’s the price tag on the massive effort to fix a century of nuclear waste in on Lake Ontario’s North Shore. But the cost of silencing a debate about the future is much higher. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Nothing like a forest floor blanketed in White Trilliums to remind us of the beauty of moms, resilient, elegant, and always blooming right where they’re needed most. @swimdrinkfish Happy Mother’s Day.

2. The sign says 'Wildlife Habitat Council Gold Certified,' but the future threat of 10 new nuclear reactors. Finding hard to accept destruction Wesleyville Lake Ontario shoreline as part of Ontario’s energy plans. #PortHope #CleanEnergy #Conservation open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

1. There’s a heavy silence at Wesleyville today. Hard to accept idea of 10 new nuclear reactors lining these Lake Ontario shores. It’s a beautiful stretch of Lake already holding breath since coal plant built by Ontario Hydro in 1980s but never operated. @swimdrinkfish

Considering deep history of Great Lakes/St Lawrence, mixed with modern science, the proposals for Great Lakes nuclear expansion & lake-filling for airports, are steps backward. Biinaagami suggests prosperity isn’t possible when sacrificing clean water. substack.com/@waterkeeper...

What happens when we combine a meaningful story about the history of the Great Lakes St Lawrence River with modern science? substack.com/@waterkeeper...

Hoping for more scrutiny and discussion about pros and cons of building an energy grid that relies on nuclear power. Thankful Water Canada starting that conversation x.com/canadianwate...

In this room, for this moment, the Great Lakes took precedence over everything else. And it felt great. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee... @swimdrinkfish @CanGeo

Good to see Mark Fisher at Great Lakes St Lawrence Cities Initiative meeting. The President of the Canada Water Agency has an important job working for Canada’s waters. @swimdrinkfish

Hamilton Harbour’s spill in slow motion is a 150-year-old toxic legacy. Deep dive into the massive engineering effort to contain the black slicks of Randle Reef and what it means for the future of the Great Lakes. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee... @swimdrinkfish @IJCsharedwaters

Such a different time but also so much more wisdom and insight in our political platforms. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Hamilton — so much potential. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

My understanding of why Jane’s Walks are the gold standard for advocacy: they empower the community to own the story, the space, and the change. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Lake Ontario is not an empty canvas. It is already the most nuclear‑industrialized body of freshwater on the planet. Read why Great Lakes communities need to do more work & research before giving green light to 10 new reactors at Wesleyville. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee... @Waterkeeper

In our divided world, built on labels & character assassination, we’re losing the ability to find common ground. Soundkeeper & Waterkeeper Terry Backer always said: respect isn't just a courtesy, it’s our life raft. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

River feels right at home in the St Lawrence chasing minnows and hoping for sticks.

Jets in harbour like Jane Jacob’s fight over Spadina Expressway in Toronto. thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/t... Chicago’s lakefront is democratic legacy of Daniel Burnham a "forever open, clear and free" waterfront for all. Learn how they kept it public: openlands.org/chicago-lake...

Imagine if Chicago returned its waterfront to airport with jets? Today, the waterfront is the heart of economy & community. With 28 miles of accessible lakefront, 24 beaches, trails & swimming lanes, it is the city’s greatest asset.

Our shorelines are some of our greatest local treasures, but are they accessible enough? Great op-ed in @FreshetNews about why Canada, our cities need to do more to connect residents to the water. www.freshetnews.ca/op-ed-cities... @swimdrinkfish

The era of No Swimming in urban waters is over. From Seine in Paris to Lake Ontario in Kingston, in Vancouver and across the Great Lakes, a global movement is restoring our water. Here is why the 2026 Swimmable Waters revolution is growing in Canada. open.substack.com/pub/waterkee...

Fish kills at Canadian Great Lakes nuclear plants are no joke. Almost all countries have banned once thru cooling but for Canada — reason the Simpson’s nuclear plants have large cooling towers. saugeenojibwaynation.ca/news/bruce-p... see waterkeeper submission to CNSC 2012 @swimdrinkfish

Ontario just hit with 30% hydro rate jump. Now, look at Georgia: their $36B nuclear project just triggered a 25% increase, and voters responded by firing the regulators. Nuclear is not cheap or clean. Can Ontario Energy Board save us? www.utilitydive.com/news/after-2...

Perfect day. Lots of walks, a short swim to fight off a cold, work related to swimmable water and swimmable cities. And finally — a sunset on “One Less Lonely Lake”

Just a beautiful morning to wake up beside the river and be grateful. Happy Earth 🌍 Day everyone. @swimdrinkfish @LOWaterkeeper @Waterkeeper @biinaagami @CanGeo

Why are ultrafine particles from plane & car exhaust still unregulated in Canada? What do jets on an expanded runway in Toronto Harbour mean for Toronto’s air quality? Will there be a study funded to find out before making decision on jets? www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Fan’s Note: Since 2018 opening of Gord Edgar Downie Swimming Pier on Lake Ontario, Kingston became blueprint for a "swimmable city" on Great Lakes. Prioritizing sewage treatment, rigorous monitoring & open data, makes urban water restoration possible. #Kingston #GreatLakes