Blue skies, blue waters, blue flags — all good for swimming. However, Toronto’s waterfront has always had a stigma attached to it when it comes to enjoying a cool dip in the lake on a hot day. As triathlon enthusiast John Smart emerged from a daily training swim at Bluffer’s Park Beach on Lake Ontario one morning last week, he looked refreshed while pulling off his cap and googles.
Now retired, he said he initially took up swimming after quitting smoking 20 years ago, but got back into activity after a 15-year hiatus resulting from life and work commitments. “Actually, it is beautiful today. And I’ve been coming out the past couple of weeks.
” Smart said he understands the “stigma” around swimming at Toronto’s beaches, as many feel the lakefront is “dirty” or “not clean.” But Smart noted the places he swims are monitored and deemed safe. “I constantly get that in my mind, but I know that this is a Blue Flag beach, so they are testing water quality daily,” said Smart.
“And I check the water quality before I come down every day. “I know generally that the water maintains its quality as long as there isn’t a big storm,” said Smart. Mark Mattson, president and waterkeeper of Swim Drink Fish, fully endorses the rewards of the Blue Flag program.
Mattson said that Bluffer’s, especially, has become quite a success story since 2005 when it was deemed “one of the dirtiest beaches in Toronto.” “They (the city) did some remediation after some .