TORONTO – As Toronto swelters under heat alerts and high humidity, many are looking for relief from the high temperatures; yet a long standing stigma surrounding the safety of swimming at Toronto’s beaches may prevent some from venturing into lake Ontario for a refreshing dip.
However, 8 of the city’s 11 beaches are currently designated as Blue Flag beaches – meaning they have met strict guidelines regarding water quality, as well as environmental education and management.
Toronto’s Blue Flag beaches met the required criteria for swimming 80 per cent of the time on average in 2011, making these beaches quite safe to swim at.
The city received its first two Blue Flags in 2005 and has seen an increase in the number of certified beaches in each subsequent year.
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“Things have changed dramatically over the years, through the blue flag program the city had implemented many measures to improve the water quality in Toronto,” said coordinator of the Blue Flag Canada program Brett Tryon.
“The provincial guidelines are some of the strongest in the world – 100 counts of E-coli per 100 litres of water.”
Toronto’s beaches meet that standard 97 per cent of the time on average, according to Tryon.
The beaches that made the list this season are Bluffer’s Park Beach, Centre Island Beach, Cherry Beach, Gibraltar Point Beach, Hanlan’s Point Beach, Kew-Balmy Beach, Ward’s Island Beach and Woodbine Beach.
Sound-off: Would you take a dip in Toronto’s beaches? Tell us by visiting Global Toronto on Facebook and joining the discussion.
View Toronto’s Blue Flag beaches in a larger map
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