Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup data reveals cleanest and dirtiest shorelines across the nation

(Toronto and Vancouver – August 17, 2011) Where are some of Canada’s cleanest and dirtiest shorelines? The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited, today released a list of its most and least littered shorelines across Canada, based on results from the 2010 cleanup. The list shows that Canada’s shorelines need some help. To make your favourite shoreline clean and healthy for the communities and wildlife that depend on it, register today for this year’s Shoreline Cleanup, September 17 to 25, at www.ShorelineCleanup.ca.

NATIONAL LIST

Most Littered
1st  Millhaven Creek, Sydenham, Ontario – 5000 kg/km

2nd  Kanaka Creek and Kanaka Creek Regional Park, Maple Ridge, British Columbia – 3200 kg/km

3rd  Baie des Chaleurs, Charlo, New Brunswick 2720 – kg/km

4th Tom Hopkins Ravine Park, Surrey, British Columbia – 1200 kg/km

5th  Brownsville Bar Park along Fraser River, Surrey, British Columbia – 1200 kg/km

Least Littered
1st  Running Creek in Crothers Conservation Area, Wallaceburg, Ontario – 0.10 kg/km

2nd  Lynde Shores Conservation Area, Whitby, Ontario – 0.13 kg/km

3rd  Eagle Points Blue Rapids Park, Drayton Valley, Alberta – 0.20 kg/km

4th  Ferry Island, Terrace, British Columbia – 0.36 kg/km

5th  Beach at Firelane, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario – 14 0.50 kg/km

Alberta
Least littered – Eagle Points Blue Rapids Park, Drayton Valley – 0.20 kg/km
Most littered – Conjuring Creek, Calmar – 500 kg/km

British Columbia
Least Littered – Ferry Island, Terrace – 0.36 kg/km
Most Littered – Kanaka Creek and Kanaka Creek Regional Park – 3200 kg/km

Manitoba
Least Littered – Riverbank Discovery Centre, Brandon – 7 kg/km
Most Littered – Assiniboine River, Winnipeg – 467 kg/km

Saskatchewan
Least Littered – South Saskatchewan River, Outlook – 3 kg/km
Most Littered – Meewasin Park, Saskatoon – 262 kg/km

Ontario
Least Littered – Running Creek in Crothers Conservation Area, Wallaceburg – 0.10 kg/km
Most Littered –Sydenham Lake, Kingston – 5000 kg/km

Quebec
Least Littered – St. Lawrence River, Parc George O’Reilly, La Salle – 2 kg/km
Most Littered – Rivière à l’Orme, Pierrefonds – 750 kg/km

New Brunswick
Least Littered – Plage de Petit Rocher, Petit Rocher – 7 kg/km
Most Littered – Baie des Chaleurs, Charlo – 2720 kg/km

Newfoundland and Labrador
Least Littered – Octagon Pond Trail, Paradise – 1 kg/km
Most Littered – Harbourview Park, St. John’s – 1100 kg/km

Nova Scotia
Least Littered – South Side Beach, Clark’s Harbour – 1 kg/km
Most Littered – Russell Lake, Dartmouth – 460 kg/km

Prince Edward Island
Least Littered – Cabot Beach Provincial Park, Summerside – 3.75 kg/km
Most Littered – Charlottetown Harbor, Charlottetown – 100 kg/km

Northwest Territories
Least Littered – Frame Lake near City Hall, Yellowknife – 12 kg/km
Most Littered – Frame Lake near Ruth Inch swimming pool, Yellowknife – 20 kg/km

Nunavut
Least Littered – Pond Inlet, Pond Inlet, Mittimatalik – 80 kg/km
Most Littered – Stanners Harbour, Taloyoak – 130 kg/km

Yukon
Least Littered – McIntyre Creek near Yukon College, Whitehorse – 33 kg/km
Most Littered – Porter Creek, Whitehorse – 367 kg/km

Quotes
“We hope that Canadians will be inspired by this list and the difference they can make as Shoreline Cleanup participants.” – Jill Dwyer, Program Manager, Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Vancouver Aquarium

“This list shows what a great difference the cleanups can make to our rivers, lakes and oceans – the amount of litter that was removed is remarkable and, if neglected, could have serious impacts on the health of our waters.” – Tony Maas, Director, WWF’s Freshwater Program

“We are thrilled to be supporting this conservation initiative through our national charge-for-plastic shopping bag program and to know what a difference Canadians can make for their shorelines and the planet.” – Bob Chant, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Loblaw Companies Limited

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited is also supported by The Home Depot Canada Foundation and Molson Canadian Red Leaf Project as national sponsors, and in Ontario, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

About the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited, is one of the largest direct action conservation programs in Canada. A conservation initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF, the Shoreline Cleanup aims to promote understanding of shoreline litter issues by engaging Canadians to rehabilitate shoreline areas through cleanups. www.ShorelineCleanup.ca

About the Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium is a global leader in connecting people to our natural world, and a self-supporting, non-profit association dedicated to effecting the conservation of aquatic life through display and interpretation, research and direct action. www.vanaqua.org

About WWF
WWF is creating solutions to the most serious conservation challenges facing our planet, helping people and nature thrive. www.wwf.ca

About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada’s largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. www.loblaw.ca

For more information, please contact:
Ryley Murray, WWF – [email protected], 416-489-4567 ext. 7337
Jean Fong, The Vancouver Aquarium, [email protected], 604-659-3561

Correction: Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup data reveals cleanest and dirtiest shorelines across the nation

Please note that Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup’s recent media release on Canada’s cleanest and dirtiest shorelines is based on data from the 2010 Shoreline Cleanup. In this release, Sydenham Lake was identified as the shoreline in Canada where the most litter was collected. More specifically, it was Millhaven Creek, a long untended area of the Sydenham Lake watershed, where the greatest kilograms per kilometer of litter was collected, which included a car that was pulled from the creek. We apologize for any confusion this has caused.

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup would like to thank the students and teachers who cleaned Millhaven Creek in 2010. Their hard work and dedication has helped to make the Sydenham Lake watershed healthier for everyone.