Recreation

On June 22, 2025, Ottawa Riverkeeper proudly became a signatory to the Swimmable Cities Charter, joining a global movement that champions the right to swim and celebrates urban swimming culture.

In the summer of 2025, Sarah Dobbin swam an incredible 50 km along the Ottawa River, creating a new marathon route while simultaneously fundraising for Ottawa Riverkeeper and raising awareness about open water swimming. Read about her experience in her own words in this guest blog!

We are frustrated and disappointed by Ottawa Public Health’s decision to stick with weekly testing at City-run beaches into the 2026 swim season, and by the Board of Health’s refusal to intervene. This is bad news for public health and the long-term understanding of water quality trends.

Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Water Quality Assistant for the summer of 2025, Maya Lawson, shares some of her experiences going to beaches to test water quality this summer, and the connections she made with people and the river!

Ottawa Riverkeeper staff recently took part in a boat washing activity at the Aylmer Marina, hosted by OZero and the City of Gatineau, and we came away inspired!