Canada Water Week launches with community celebrations across the nation

Today marks the launch of the inaugural Canada Water Week campaign inviting Canadians to create local events for the national week-long celebration starting March 14 and culminating with World Water Day on March 22, 2011.

“Our vast country is home to some of the largest, most beautiful and most economically important rivers and lakes in the world,” said Tim Morris, Program Manager of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation’s Freshwater Protection Program. “We launched this initiative to both celebrate the connection we all have to this precious resource and to inspire action at the individual, community, provincial and federal level to ensure that our rivers are healthy, our lakes are living and our water is clean.”

Canadians are encouraged to create their own events to celebrate local waterways during Canadian Water Week. From guided walks to documentary screenings to footprint reductions, there are hundreds of ways to celebrate Canada Water Week and make a difference in their communities.

“Canadians feel a special bond with their local rivers and lakes that gives them a sincere interest in protecting these sensitive ecosystems” said Tony Maas, Director of WWF’s Freshwater Program. “We’re proud to be a part of Canada Water Week, which supports WWF’s commitment to protecting water for nature and for people and keeping our rivers healthy.”

The Canada Water Week national team invites community groups, businesses, governments and individuals to visit canadawaterweek.com to add their favourite water images to the Flickr pool, register their events on the online calendar and join the conversation by clicking on the Facebook and Twitter links. There are a variety of resources available for people interested in organizing their own events, including logos and web banners. Soon, canadawaterweek.com will host a blog featuring stories and insights from people dedicated to protecting their lakes and rivers, making the website a one-stop resource for Canada’s water issues and their champions.

“We work with community leaders, schools, local governments and other organizations to bring attention to the health of our lakes and work on long-term protection strategies,” said Kat Hartwig, Executive Director of Living Lakes Network Canada. “Creating an annual event for the Canadian public to rally around gives us the opportunity to unite the voices of organizations such as ours, and amplify the impact we can make.”

Quotes from local Canada Water Week event organizers
“We want to empower all those who attend our CWW event by providing them with actions they can implement to improve our water quality such as highlighting a program for the safe disposal of pharmaceuticals in our community…The North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper has a vision for watersheds where we can all safely and enjoyably swim, drink and fish: this is what CWW is all about.”
– Glenn Issac, North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper, Edmonton

“We are really excited about having local musicians and artists collaborate to create a Live Lake Concert and Art Show to celebrate our lakes and to promote the need for all of us to work at preserving and protecting them. It’s a first in Winnipeg and we’re proud to be taking part in Canada Water Week.”
– Vicki Burns, concert organizer, Winnipeg

“Our events this [Canada Water Week] will be packed with information presented through film showings, public panels, and workshops that challenge the status quo and draw out the complexities involved in ensuring a just water future that protects human rights and ensures ecosystem needs are met.”
– Sheila Muxlow, Sierra Club Prairie, Edmonton

About Canada Water Week
Canada Water Week is a week-long celebration of water from coast-to-coast-to-coast, starting March 14 and culminating with World Water Day on March 22, 2011. Individuals, organizations and governments across the country are encouraged to get involved by organizing or participating in fun and educational events. Together, we will raise the profile and understanding of water and its importance to Canada’s prosperity. Visit canadawaterweek.com and connect with us @CanadaWaterWeek on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation was established in 1965 as a private charitable foundation with a mandate to improve public policy in Canada. One of its major programming areas supports the development of a comprehensive legal, regulatory and citizen action framework for the purpose of protecting the quality and quantity of fresh water resources for future generations of Canadians.

About WWF-Canada
WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is one of the world’s largest independent conservation organizations, active in more than 100 countries. WWF is creating solutions to the most serious conservation challenges facing our planet, helping people and nature to thrive. In Canada, we work collaboratively with governments, businesses and the public to help fight climate change; conserve our oceans and freshwater resources; and educate and mobilize people to build a conservation culture.

Living Lakes Network Canada
Living Lakes Network Canada facilitates collaboration in education, monitoring, protection, rehabilitation and policy development initiatives for the long-term protection of Canada’s water bodies. The Network emphasis is on linking academia and action, fostering citizen based water stewardship and promoting watershed level protection of Canada’s water resources.

For more information, please contact:
Tanya Guy
Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation
[email protected]
647-224-0422

Riannon John
WWF
[email protected]
416-347-1894