Councillor Grimes May 31 2013 update

From the Councillor’s Office:

Please find the full eNewsletter attached as a .pdf

May 31, 2013

Eight of Toronto’s beaches will open on Saturday

Eight of Toronto’s beaches will open on Saturday

Eight of Toronto’s 11 swimming beaches will be officially open this weekend. Lifeguards will be in place at all but three beaches on Saturday. The remaining three will have lifeguards in place by June 15.

Toronto boasts some of the best swimming beaches around. Eight of Toronto’s 11 swimming beaches have earned Blue Flags over the past few years, making them a great choice for family fun and cooling down during the hot summer.

The City is required to apply for Blue Flag status annually and accreditation is still pending for 2013.

Toronto’s beaches are:

• Bluffer’s Beach (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguards in place this weekend
• Centre Island Beach (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguards in place this weekend
• Cherry Beach (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguards in place this weekend
• Gibraltar Point Beach (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguards will be in place by June 15
• Hanlan’s Point Beach (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguard this weekend
• Kew-Balmy Beach (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguards in place this weekend
• Marie Curtis Park Beach – lifeguards will be in place by June 15
• Rouge Beach – lifeguards will be in place by June 15
• Sunnyside Beach – lifeguards in place this weekend
• Ward’s Island Beach (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguards in place this weekend
• Woodbine Beaches (Blue Flag 2012) – lifeguards in place this weekend

The City’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation division operates and maintains all recreation-related beach facilities and amenities. This service includes regular beach grooming and care of washrooms and change rooms. Toronto Police Marine Unit provides lifeguard services and takes daily water samples on behalf of Toronto Water and Toronto Public Health.

Toronto tests beach water quality daily at its 11 swimming beaches from June through to Labour Day. These samples are analyzed, using the most stringent testing standards in the world, to ensure Toronto’s beaches meet the highest water quality standards for swimming. If water tests show E. coli levels exceed the provincial guidelines of 100 E. coli per 100 ml of water, Toronto Public Health warns against swimming at the affected beach. Toronto’s Blue Flag beaches met the criteria for swimming, on average, 96 per cent of the time last summer.

Daily water quality postings are available on the Beaches Hotline (416-392-7161), the web or via an iPhone App available at http://www.toronto.ca/beach.

Event Cancellation

Councillor Grimes grand re-opening for Marie Cutis Park, previously scheduled for Saturday, June 8, 2013, has been postponed. A new date will be distributed in the coming weeks.
Councillor Mark Grimes’ Office
Ward 6, Etobicoke Lakeshore
City Hall
100 Queen Street West, Suite C48
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Tel: 416-397-9273 Fax: 416-397-9279
www.markgrimes.ca ( http://www.markgrimes.ca/ )