Lake Ontario, ON

My Watermark is Lake Ontario.

You might think I'm in the Caribbean or Thailand, somewhere tropical. I'm on an island in the middle of Lake Ontario, off of a bigger island called Main Duck Island. Mark calls this Waterkeeper Island.

I came out here when I was 25 years old with Mark and a bunch of other friends. It was really one of the most amazing experiences ever. This is the first place I ever swam in Lake Ontario. I was a quarter of a century old and I swam in these very waters nine years ago. I caught my first fish in Lake Ontario right here nine years ago, which we then ate later on that day – we had a big fish cook up.

Since that day, I've made it a personal mission to have a stronger connection with Lake Ontario. Now I paddle board on the water all the time, I boat on the water, I take my York boat on the water, I swim on the water. This is exactly why it is so important to create a future where people can safely swim, drink, and fish in the waters that they live in.

Waterkeeper Island, also known as Yorkshire Island, was my first Watermark on the Great Lakes.