My watermark is Lake Ontario.

This lake has always been a huge presence in my life - a way to orient myself geographically, its enormous horizon calms my nervous system and gives me a sense of perspective. In a practical sense as the source of our drinking water, this lake sustains me along with millions of others.

But when I was growing up, it had a dark side - something to avoid because it was often dirty, smelly and could make you sick. I recall standing above the sewer outflows after a heavy rain and seeing dark clouds filled with condoms, tampons and other garbage, flowing out into the lake. During my years as a waterfront lifeguard, we would go out of our way to avoid making contact with the water. Swimming was reserved for lakes further north.

All that changed for me in the winter of 2022.

A friend introduced me to winter lake dips, and I was instantly hooked! There is nothing quite like feeling icy cold water on your skin, while being at eye level with the horizon as the sun fills the sky with its deep orange glow and then bursts up over the dark water, into the winter sky!

Months went by, and I kept returning to the water; my cold dips evolved into swimming and my connection with the lake deepened.

Still, something was missing. As a winter lake user, the most common question I would get asked wasn’t, “is it freezing?” but rather, “is it dirty?” and I really didn’t have an answer. This led me to Swim Drink Fish and the launch of a community winter water monitoring hub, which marked the beginning of my water stewardship journey. Sharing this watermark with you is another step in that journey and my ever evolving relationship with the lake where I live.


“You need water, but the water also needs you.” Swim Drink Fish Canada