Woodbine-Ashbridges Bay beach in Toronto. (Photo via Swim Guide )

In the Huron language, Lake Ontario means Lake of Shining Waters. Stand on the crest of the slope on Jones Avenue, just below the Danforth, and, when the sun hits the water it’s like a mirror. But of all the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, which is furthest downstream, is almost certainly the most polluted.

This week, we invite you to join the Toronto Star’s Antonia Zerbisias as she explores the extremes of Lake Ontario. The Star is publishing a series of stories about our own Lake Ontario this summer, and Zerbisias’ piece is the grand-daddy of the lot. This is the first time in our memory that the paper has dedicated so much space to Lake Ontario issues and we are over-the-moon thrilled with the quality of the reporting.

“Lake of Shame” features Waterkeeper Mark Mattson, Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller, John Nevin of the International Joint Commission, and Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and Chair of the Board of Washington-based Food and Water Watch. The article is online here.

We also encourage you to check out the Toronto beach feature written by Ben Kaplan over at the National Post:

On a perfect summer afternoon in the city, every beach we check on Swim Guide shows up as perfectly safe for a swim. The city may not yet catch Chicago in terms of usage, but awareness seems on the rise. At Cherry Beach, there’s about a dozen people spread out by the water. As Mattson wades out into the lake, he says: “How can anyone look at this and think Toronto’s not great?”

Ben tours Toronto’s beaches with Mark Mattson and LOW staffer Allie Kosela and comes to the same conclusion that we did: these beaches are an important part of our city. You can “Go Jump in the Lake” here.

Lake Ontario needs your help. Text DRINK to 45678 to make a $10 donation. Thank you!