Local beaches flying blue flag this summer

Photo: Dean Seguin

With a month to go until the official start of summer, blue flags are flying along many local waterfronts. The internationally renowned eco-certification acknowledges that a beach or marina is clean, swimmable and meets high safety and environmental standards.

Awarded only once per year, local beaches to be certified include Bluffer’s Park Beach, Centre Island Beach, Cherry Beach, Gibraltar Point Beach, Hanlan’s Point Beach, Kew-Balmy Beach, Ward’s Island Beach and Woodbine Beach.

“A Blue Flag symbolizes that a beach or marina is clean, swimmable, and meets high safety and environmental standards,” said Brett Tryon, a program manager with Environmental Defence, said in a release. “When you see a Blue Flag flying, you know you are at a world class beach or marina.”

More than 4,000 beaches and marinas have been certified in 49 countries worldwide, including 26 beaches and six marinas in Canada.