What we do

We are a collective of scientists and academics, artists and athletes, adventurers and community advocates, working to restore and protect this vital heritage we all share in our Great Lakes.

It’s hard to overstate the economic and cultural importance of the the Great Lakes to Canada, especially to the millions of Canadians and Americans who depend on their waters. This is our drinking water.

The Great Lakes basin accumulates a significant portion of the planet’s fresh water, and the entire vast ecosystem is a critical bellwether for troubling changes worldwide.

We are involved in a range of activities related to water quality, watershed integrity, and responsible stewardship in the Canadian Great Lakes basin: citizen science, community engagement, water science and policy analysis, indigenous knowledge and partnerships, and arts and adventure.

We oversee a donor-advised fund managed by the Hamilton Community Foundation, built from the grassroots by people like you. Each year we award small seed grants for creative projects in the spirit of our charitable purposes. We maintain close advisory relationships with established charitable organizations, universities, and research institutions.

We are especially focused on the swimming in SwimDrinkFish Canada's motto: #SwimDrinkFish ! We help support their internationally renowned Swim Guide programme, and we support creative and tested initiatives to foster swimmer safety in our waters. To this end, one of our primary partners, along with SDF and BARC, is Solo Swims of Ontario, a safety and ratifying organization that helps marathon swimmers safely swim routes on the Great Lakes.