Beaches

Routine beach water sampling was not providing timely or reliable information for swimmers. Limitations included:

• Lab results arrived too slowly to provide useful information for swimmers.
• The water was only tested about 3 times each summer. This is not often enough to address quickly changing conditions.
• The Health Unit district is large and contains many public beaches; limiting our ability to ensure all beaches were monitored.

By posting signs at every public beach, beachgoers get useful and easy-to-follow information about beach safety each time they visit a beach.

• minor skin infections;
• respiratory infections;
• gastrointestinal illness;
• ear or eye infections.

Evidence suggests that contact with sand, such as digging or getting sand in the mouth, is often a stronger predictor of illness than swimming in the water itself. 

• not swallowing water while swimming;
• avoiding swimming during or after a heavy rainfall or high winds;
• avoiding swimming when large numbers of birds are present;
• after swimming or playing in the sand, wash your hands before eating;
• avoid swimming with an open wound.

E. coli is a germ that is commonly found in the feces of humans and animals. It is naturally found at beaches, and higher numbers of the bacteria are often found in water where there is untreated sewage, there are lots of birds, where there is stagnant water, or when the water or the sediment at the bottom of the lake or rivers is stirred up due to heavy rainfall or high wind.

While beach water testing looks only for E. coli, beaches can contain other bacteria, viruses, and other “germs” that may make people sick.

Contact us at 705-474-1400 ext. 5400 if you feel there are unusual conditions causing water quality concerns at your local public beach. We will continue to respond to complaints, conduct sampling and investigations as appropriate, and take public health action when needed.

Signs are posted at public beaches, which are beaches that are owned or operated by a municipality and officially designated as public beaches.

Across the district, there are many lakes, shoreline areas or other public access points such as boat launches, where people have enjoyed swimming for many years. While these areas are open to the public, they are not always designated as public beaches and are not included in the beach signage program.

In some cases, signs may be temporarily missing due to weather, damage, or vandalism. If you are unsure whether a location is a designated public beach, or if you notice a missing sign, you can contact your municipality or the Health Unit for more information.

Wherever you choose to swim, it is always a good idea to follow general water safety tips to help protect your health.

The signs highlight:

• factors that increase risk (rain, wind, birds)
• visual indicators (cloudy water, debris, algae)
• steps to reduce your risk

Signs are available in English and French.

We will be providing municipalities with standardized signs to be posted at public beaches. We will continue to work with municipal partners to respond to concerns and investigate complaints.  

No. We do not offer sampling of beach water collected by members of the public. Recreational water sampling has a specific purpose and must be conducted using standardized methods, locations, and timing to support a public health assessment.

Environmental factors such as rainfall, wind, and aquatic bird activity can cause bacterial levels to change quickly, meaning results from a single sample may no longer be relevant by the time they are known. For this reason, individual samples are not an effective way to assess swimming safety.

The Health Unit response to blue‑green algae at public beaches is not changing. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) will continue to be responsible for sampling related to blue‑green algae.

The Health Unit will continue to work with the MECP and advise the public when potentially harmful blue-green algae blooms are confirmed. When results suggest a potential health risk, the Health Unit will continue to take appropriate public health actions, such as posting on our Harmful Algae Blooms webpage and posting signage at affected beaches to warn the public.

This approach remains separate from the recreational beach water program and will continue as it has in previous years.

Routine sampling will not be done in 2026, and the Health Unit is working with municipalities to post the new signs.