Vancouver Courier, Fred Lee - October 20, 2016
Ignacio Arrieta and Marcelo Ramirez, owners of La Mezcaleria and La Taqueria, and Manuel Otero, president of the Mexican Business Association of Canada, celebrated the official launch of La Mezcaleria’s second storefront in Gastown.
Acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky to anchor charity gala in Vancouver on October 13 to raise funds for Swim Drink Fish Canada and B.C.'s Fraser Riverkeeper
TELUS Talks speaker series to be hosted at TELUS Garden on October 12 in support of Gala
While swimmers and paddlers can be found plying BC's waters year-round, the end of the Labour Day weekend marks the end of swimmable water season for most of Canada. As the days are getting longer with Fall fast approaching, Fraser Riverkeeper and Swim Guide are taking a look back at some of the best and worst beaches of the 2016 swimming season, from May 20th to September 6th.
Tonight, the Tragically Hip will be taking the stage at Roger's Arena for their final performance in Vancouver. In honour of Gord Downie and his tremendous leadership in the Canadian Swim Drink Fish community, we are sharing this heartfelt post from Fraser Riverkeeper's President and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Mark Mattson (originally posted July 22, 2016).
In the summer of 2005 I was 13 years old. I was about to leave home on my first canoe trip, which was also the first week I would be away from my parents. I was going on a canoe trip on Lake Temagami, and my friends and I were going to have to plan our whole trip, from the route we took across the lake, down to the really important stuff, like how many chocolate chips we could put in our gorp. We spent 4 days shaping our paddles, drying our food, and preparing meals that would keep for 8 days in our wanigans. We learned how to do a j-stroke, how to tie a tumpline, and how to read a compass and judge distance.
I moved to British Columbia back in the summer of 2010. I had spent three years in Toronto after earning my four-year degree, working for an eco-conscious retailer by day and sumo wrestling at a local dojo by night, when a sort of claustrophobia set in. I guess I'd just grown tired of the hustle and bustle of city life.
We're so excited for the Waterkeeper Gala, happening in Toronto Thursday evening!
This year’s Gala will introduce 12 Swim Drink Fish Ambassadors from across Canada. These are individuals who have demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to creating a future where every Canadian can swim, drink, and fish. They are leaders who are promoting water literacy and watershed awareness, kick-starting education and protection programs, and building a strong “Swim Drink Fish Community.”
We're super proud to announce that on March 19th, over 450 community members came together from across the Lower Fraser Valley to tackle cleanups along a 10 km stretch of the Fraser River. Together, we removed more than 20 tonnes of illegally dumped garbage from community green-spaces and sensitive wilderness areas in the process.
This was far and away our most successful cleanup to date, nearly doubling last year's haul and marking more than 80 tons of garbage removed from the Fraser River and its surrounding backcountry!
Illegal dumping has been an epidemic problem in the Fraser Valley, threatening the recreational areas and wildlife habitat that we all love to enjoy. Through the Fraser Valley Illegal Dumping Alliance (FVIDA), we are working year-round to improve this issue. Our work includes education through river cleanup events, reporting incentives, improved signage and general community awareness, all in the effort to help curb the trend of people dumping garbage next to our rivers.
Fraser Riverkeeper and Woodtone are excited to host our 9th annual Fraser River Cleanup!
Illegally dumped garbage and pollution hurts our ability to access and enjoy our local recreational areas and wildlife habitat. Let's all pitch in to help clean up the green places where we love to fish, ride, relax and play!
