As of 11:30 a.m. today, lifeguards are on duty at six of Toronto’s swimming beaches. Lifeguards will supervise swim areas from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. With the hot summer weather and extended closure of indoor public spaces, it’s important for Torontonians to have opportunities to cool down outdoors.
Toronto’s beaches have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Beaches were not closed under Province of Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. The City’s beach water quality testing program, which includes water sample analysis by Toronto Public Health, and lifeguard supervision will ensure people can swim safely at Toronto beaches. More information on beach water quality testing is available at http://app.toronto.ca/tpha/beaches.html.
The six swimming beaches opening today are:
The four Toronto Island Park beaches will open for swimming on July 1. Rouge Valley Beach is inaccessible, and a supervised swim program will not operate there this summer.
While visiting a beach or park, residents must practise physical distancing and avoid crowding.
Toronto beaches and parks provide many opportunities for recreation, for escaping the summer heat and for enjoying the calming effect of nature. Toronto boasts some of the best swimming beaches around. Eight of Toronto’s 11 beaches have been awarded Blue Flag certification, meeting high standards for water quality, environmental management and education, safety and services. These beaches are perfect for taking a swim during the hot summer months. Each day, park staff groom beaches, empty waste bins and use a tractor-mounted magnet as required to pick up metal items, in addition to the manual collection of larger items. People can keep beaches clean by properly disposing of waste and ‘packing out’ if bins are full. More information about the City’s swimming beaches is available at toronto.ca/beaches.
Parents and caregivers are reminded to supervise children at all times and stay within an arm’s reach of children who are in or near the water. Swimming without the supervision of a lifeguard or outside designated swim areas is not recommended. More information on Toronto beaches is available at www.toronto.ca/beaches or by calling 311. More information about swimming in the city is available at toronto.ca/swim.
Quotes:
“Thank you to our lifeguards who will be out all summer on our beaches. We want everyone to be safe when swimming and enjoying other water activities. It’s why we regularly test beach water quality and ensure swimming beaches are supervised by lifeguards.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Swimming is a great way to stay healthy, keep active and cool down in the summer. Many people take advantage of our outdoor aquatic amenities each summer. I encourage those who haven’t considered swimming at Toronto beaches to give it a try. It’s a great experience to take advantage one of the worlds largest freshwater urban beach systems. Our swimming beaches are supervised by lifeguards so that everyone can participate in Toronto’s beach season, have fun and stay safe.
– Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 6 York Centre), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee
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