NOEL GRZETIC
LIFE REPORTER
The City of Toronto aquatics manager said there are plenty of ways for Humber students to keep cool this summer. Anne Jackson said Toronto has 11 supervised beaches opening the first weekend of June and 59 outdoor pools opening June 26.
“It is a very popular way to cool off and still get exercise in the summer when it’s warm,” said Jackson.
Jackson said the popularity of the leisure swim, which is free at all city pools, is directly proportional to the weather. She estimated between 1.5 million and three million people visit the pools each summer.
Education and outreach director with the green advocacy agency Environmental Defence Sarah Winterton said the city’s beaches are increasing in popularity, despite a history of pollution in Lake Ontario.
“It’s a great resource for Torontonians to have right at their doorstep,” said Winterton, who is involved in the Blue Flag Program which monitors Toronto’s beaches.
To be awarded a blue flag, beaches have to meet strict criteria in areas of water quality, environmental management, education and service.
Winterton said six beaches were certified last year: Cherry Beach and Woodbine Beach in Toronto’s east end and four on the Toronto Islands, including Hanlan’s Point, the city’s only nude beach.
She said she expects those beaches to be open again, although the results of their applications will not be known until the end of April.
Humber professor Shawn Cleary, who teaches water quality management, said he thinks the certified beaches are a safe way to cool off, “assuming people aren’t swallowing large amounts of water.”
Cleary said he advises checking the city’s website for the lake’s E. coli levels before heading out for a swim, updated daily by public health officials.
Jackson said the best way to get information on both pools and beaches this summer is through the city’s 311-service number.
Open Beaches
Toronto Islands
- Centre Island Beach (Blue Flag)
- Gibraltar Point Beach (Blue Flag)
- Hanlan’s Point Beach (Blue Flag)
- Ward’s Island Beach (Blue Flag
The Beach
- Cherry Beach (Blue Flag)
- Kew – Balmy Beach
- Woodbine Beaches (Blue Flag)
West end
- Marie Curtis Park East Beach (Etobicoke)
- Sunnyside Beach (High Park)
East end
- Bluffer’s Park Beach (Scarborough)
- Rouge Beach (Scarborough)