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Canada Water Agency: A new focal point for freshwater protection

Canada Water Agency: A new focal point for freshwater protection

Canada is a water-rich nation responsible for 20 per cent of the global resource. This seemingly limitless bounty is easy to take for granted but, as the very basis of life, freshwater cannot be left behind as we work our way through the challenges of a changing world. In recognition of the need for broader coordination, the Canada Water Agency (CWA) was launched in 2023 as part of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Based in Winnipeg, Man., the agency will become an independent entity in the coming months with a mandate to modernize and integrate freshwater management in Canada.

Theodore TOO stops in Kingston as part of Great Lakes tour

Theodore TOO stops in Kingston as part of Great Lakes tour

Canada’s famous and beloved tugboat, Theodore TOO, announced on Jun. 9, 2021, that he would set sail from Halifax to his new home in the Port of Hamilton and would become an ambassador to the Great Lakes and the marine industry. The 65-foot life-sized reproduction of Canada’s beloved “Theodore Tugboat” has partnered with Swim Drink Fish and will take on a large role in promoting several of the organization’s initiatives including its Great Lakes Guide, according to the tugboat’s owner, Blair McKeil. “We must ensure access to clean water and promote employment in one of our nation’s most vital and skill-intensive sectors,” said McKeil, President and CEO of Breakwater Investments. “We’re incredibly honoured to join Swim Drink Fish and lend support to its work with Indigenous leaders and sustainability thought leaders in their mission-critical work rallying Canadians around a clean water strategy built on the conservation, restoration and protection of our waterways and Great Lakes. Tugboats have a big job on the water and Theodore TOO has an even bigger mandate now. We’re incredibly excited about the role he’ll play in promoting sustainability.”