In 2016 the Toronto Monitoring Hub began publishing data to Swim Guide for the first time from sites along the Lake Ontario shoreline in Toronto, Canada. Since then hundreds of volunteer citizen scientists, have helped to sample the Toronto shorelines and ensure that the water quality results are available on Swim Guide. Swim Drink Fish initiatives have been sampling in Toronto since as early as 2001 and since then the program has only continued to grow.
There are now three citizen science monitoring hubs in the Great Lakes region in Ontario:
A fourth hub that has been established on the west coast of Canada:
Making these results public gives communities direct access to the information they need to make an informed decision about getting in their local waters. It also allows citizen scientists to contribute to the education of their community on water quality. Long-term, Swim Drink Fish will develop a model that can be shared and replicated, allowing any community to set up and manage their own monitoring hub.
If you live in the neighbourhood of the one of the hubs, you can contact them or sign up to become a citizen scientist at the links below:
The Toronto Hub
The Lake Erie – Niagara Hub
The Zhiibaahaasing First Nation Hub
The Vancouver Hub
For the Toronto Hub, the Lake Erie – Niagara Hub and the Zhiibahaasing First Nation Hub:
This project was undertaken with financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Ce projet a été realisé avec l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada agissant par l’entremise du ministère fédéral de l’Environnement et du Changement climatique.
Swim Guide shares the best information we have at the moment you ask for it. Always obey signs at the beach or advisories from official government agencies. Stay alert and check for other swimming hazards such as dangerous currents and tides. Please report your pollution concerns so Affiliates can help keep other beach-goers safe. Swim Guide, "Swim Drink Fish icons," and associated trademarks are owned by SWIM DRINK FISH CANADA.| See Legal.
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