Blue Flag getting ready for beach season

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Sure, summer may be more than three long months away, but we’re already itching for our swimsuits. It seems we aren’t the only ones though; 2011 is shaping up to be the Blue Flag program’s hottest summer yet, with a record number of applicants vying for a shot at international acclaim, and proving their shores have what it takes to fly the top-notch, environmentally sound Blue Flag.

Last week, the Great Lakes Regional Jury representing some of Ontario’s leading public, private and environmental organizations brought their expertise in risk management, coastal ecosystem science, tourism, local governance and public health to evaluate how well over 20 applicants met strict criteria pertaining to water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety and services.

So who made the final cut? We can’t say yet!  Before Blue Flag award winners are announced in April, applicants will have to finish wading through the rigorous international application process.  Right now, they’re awaiting their local juried results, then they have to implement the conditions the local jury sets out, and finally they gotta clear the scrutiny of a Blue Flag International Jury which meets in Copenhagen in March. 

The multi-staged process is set in place so that you can check your worries at the shore this summer, knowing that Canada has got some of the world’s cleanest beaches. So thanks to the Great Lakes Jury for their hard work, good luck to the Blue Flag communities who have submitted applications this year, and congratulations to all those involved in making sure that the only thing we have to fret about this beach season is what to wear.