Kew-Balmy

Toronto, Ontario
Managed by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
PortsToronto: Proud Swim Guide sponsor and partner in keeping Toronto's Harbour safe & clean.

Kew and Balmy Beaches were first opened to Toronto in the 1930s. Torontonians would swarm the sand, the boardwalk and the amusement parks that dotted the shore. Today these beaches still hold onto some of that charm and history – with the Kew Beach lawnbowling club, and the Kew Gardens Bandstand (built on the remains of a lost river!). The bandstand hosts bands throughout the warmer months as well as the annual Jazz Festival. Right on the shore is a beach club that dates back to 1905. Members of the Beach Club have won gold and silver medals at the Olympics and their football team won the Grey Cup, twice, in 1927 and 1930. At the most eastern end of the beach is the Robert Harris Water Filtration Plant – a gorgeous art deco palace – that was memorialised in Michael Ondaatje’s novel In the Skin of a Lion. The City of Toronto merged Kew and Balmy beaches in 2006.

While you're here try stand up paddling (SUPing) with SupGirlz! Find them online at www.supgirlz.com.

Kew-Balmy is a Blue Flag beach. The Blue Flag is awarded to beaches and marinas that meet strict standards for water quality, environmental management and education, safety and services.

WATER QUALITY
  • Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on . Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
16°C
Clear and sunny
  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

Kew-Balmy is sampled daily from June 5th to September 4th

SOURCE INFORMATION

Toronto Public Health samples water quality on a daily basis from early June until Labour Day. Swim Guide updates Toronto beaches using the City of Toronto's Open Data.

The official swim season in Ontario is June 1 - September 30.

Ontario beaches are monitored according to the province's Beach Management Protocol. Municipal health authorities monitor most public beaches. Provincial park beaches are monitored by Ontario Parks. The Protocol says that authorities must check water quality at least weekly from June to Labour Day at beaches where there are formal swimming programs or lifeguards. Most municipalities do not actually begin sampling until mid June. Beaches in Ontario are posted when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period exceeds 100 E. coli / 100 ml of water.

A Ministry of the Environment procedure says that a clean beach is open at least 95% of the swimming season, even if it is near a sewage pipe. This rule applies to every place that is public, accessible, and feels like a good place to swim. When all else fails, the Ontario Environmental Protection Act strongly states that no one can interfere with the use that you can make of a public waterway - like swimming!

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

Kew-Balmy

Toronto, Ontario
Managed by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
WATER QUALITY
  • Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on . Lake Ontario Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
16°C
Clear and sunny
PortsToronto: Proud Swim Guide sponsor and partner in keeping Toronto's Harbour safe & clean.

Kew and Balmy Beaches were first opened to Toronto in the 1930s. Torontonians would swarm the sand, the boardwalk and the amusement parks that dotted the shore. Today these beaches still hold onto some of that charm and history – with the Kew Beach lawnbowling club, and the Kew Gardens Bandstand (built on the remains of a lost river!). The bandstand hosts bands throughout the warmer months as well as the annual Jazz Festival. Right on the shore is a beach club that dates back to 1905. Members of the Beach Club have won gold and silver medals at the Olympics and their football team won the Grey Cup, twice, in 1927 and 1930. At the most eastern end of the beach is the Robert Harris Water Filtration Plant – a gorgeous art deco palace – that was memorialised in Michael Ondaatje’s novel In the Skin of a Lion. The City of Toronto merged Kew and Balmy beaches in 2006.

While you're here try stand up paddling (SUPing) with SupGirlz! Find them online at www.supgirlz.com.

Kew-Balmy is a Blue Flag beach. The Blue Flag is awarded to beaches and marinas that meet strict standards for water quality, environmental management and education, safety and services.

  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

Kew-Balmy is sampled daily from June 5th to September 4th

SOURCE INFORMATION

Toronto Public Health samples water quality on a daily basis from early June until Labour Day. Swim Guide updates Toronto beaches using the City of Toronto's Open Data.

The official swim season in Ontario is June 1 - September 30.

Ontario beaches are monitored according to the province's Beach Management Protocol. Municipal health authorities monitor most public beaches. Provincial park beaches are monitored by Ontario Parks. The Protocol says that authorities must check water quality at least weekly from June to Labour Day at beaches where there are formal swimming programs or lifeguards. Most municipalities do not actually begin sampling until mid June. Beaches in Ontario are posted when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period exceeds 100 E. coli / 100 ml of water.

A Ministry of the Environment procedure says that a clean beach is open at least 95% of the swimming season, even if it is near a sewage pipe. This rule applies to every place that is public, accessible, and feels like a good place to swim. When all else fails, the Ontario Environmental Protection Act strongly states that no one can interfere with the use that you can make of a public waterway - like swimming!

WATER QUALITY GRAPH



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 Lake Ontario Waterkeeper.| See Legal.

© Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, 2011 - 2018