As part of Ocean Week Canada (OWC), the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC), together with 15 national content partners and marking World Ocean Day tomorrow (June 8) with a national program of over 100 events taking place across the country.
Why a national ocean celebration matters
Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world, 50% of which is in the Arctic, and 20% of the planet’s freshwater resources. Of the 38 million people in Canada, over 7 million live in coastal marine areas; 1 in 2 Canadians live along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Whether coastal or inland, all Canadians are connected to the ocean, and each other, through watersheds.
Canada has committed to protecting 25% of Canada’s ocean space by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Currently, we are halfway there. There is only one big interconnected global ocean. Canada has a role to play in caring for it. Biggest coastline, big responsibility. In February 2023, Canada will be hosting the global community at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver.
2021-2030 is the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Canada is actively supporting and contributing to this global initiative, including the creation of a ‘community of champions’ to mobilize the Canadian ocean community and foster innovative and transformative science-based actions.
Canada is the first country with a national ocean literacy strategy. Widely defined as the extent to which we “understand the ocean’s impact on you and your impact on the ocean,” ocean literacy is fundamentally about our relationship with the ocean. The National Strategy (launched in spring 2021) provides a common framework for action over the course of the UN Ocean Decade and serves as an important opportunity for people in Canada to work together to help ensure a healthy, equitable, and sustainable relationship with the ocean and local waterways for present and future generations.
Ocean Week Canada is an annual national celebration of ocean events, learning, and engagement held during the week of World Ocean Day (June 8). This national ocean celebration is an important part of this framework for action.
Giant map and augmented reality ocean learning experience
Canadian Geographic, COLC, and Ocean School have partnered to bring Ocean, Freshwater, and Us – a giant interactive floor map to locations across Canada, featuring the latest in augmented reality technology. This initiative is part of Ocean Week Canada and the Ocean Festival, a pan-Canada ocean education and marine conservation celebration made possible through a collaboration between the COLC and 15 national partner organizations, together with the generous support of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The giant floor map (8m x 11m) shows that all waterways are connected to the ocean by allowing visitors to follow the flow on a massive scale. Augmented reality, 360° video, and other interactive activities help bring data layers on the map to life. The map is made to walk on – putting a network of watersheds, coastal areas, and marine protected areas right beneath your feet. Learn more about the map here.
On World Ocean Day, the map will be at the below locations.
Vancouver
Where: Science World
1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
When: June 8 — World Ocean Day
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Representatives from COLC, Swim Drink Fish, Year of the Salish Sea, Friends of False Creek, and other invited partners will be in attendance.
The map will also be at the Vancouver Maritime Museum on June 10 and the Beaty Biodiversity Museum on June 11.
Toronto
Where: Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
288 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON
When: Through June 12
Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
An additional giant floor map is being activated throughout the Greater Toronto Area during Ocean Week Canada by COLC’s National Education Coordinator, Jae Williams, at the following locations:
- Ecole La Mosaïque – June 9
- North York Central Public Library and Great West Life – June 10-11
Other Locations
The map will also be at the Discovery Centre in Halifax on June 11, the Biosphere in Montreal from June 10-12, and Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria on June 12.
Ten copies of this giant floor map will be travelling across the country throughout the summer-long ‘Ocean Festival’ – a unique to 2022 extension of Ocean Week Canada as part of the lead up to Canada hosting IMPAC5. To book the map for your space or to learn more, visit the Ocean Week Canada website.
Other events taking place on World Ocean Day as part of the Ocean Week Canada celebration include:
- The virtual Launch of the Blue Expedition
- COAST Talks: Connecting Ocean Knowledge to Ocean Action
- Clean Water Kickoff in Vancouver, Toronto, and Kingston
- The Canadian Museum of Nature Ocean Scavenger Hunt
- Oceans & You: World Oceans Day event at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
- Rivers to Oceans Day 2022 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
- The virtual World Oceans Day: Revitalisation – Mini to Massive
- International Student Video Conference
- Water Rangers’ Beach Days in Victoria, British Columbia
About Ocean Week Canada and the Ocean Festival
Ocean Week Canada is a national celebration of ocean events, learning, and engagement that is held annually during the week of World Ocean Day (June 8). Ocean Week Canada 2022 is taking place June 3-12. Unique to 2022, Ocean Week Canada will continue with events and activities throughout the summer as Canada gears up to host the global community at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver in February 2023.
Over the following three months and beyond, Canadians will learn about the importance of the ocean and sustainable interactions with it. The Festival will strengthen Canadians’ connections to their local watersheds and Canada’s coastline—the longest in the world—and inspire community-based action to ensure a healthy ocean for future generations. The Festival will celebrate Indigenous-led, community, government, and private sector conservation success stories and help to build momentum towards reaching Canada’s conservation targets of protecting 25% of Canada’s ocean space by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Through both in-person and virtual events, this national celebration includes art installations, film screenings, cultural programming, educational workshops, presentations and panels, community science activities, and many other types of events taking place in communities across the country. For the full events program, visit www.oceanweekcan.ca
Ocean Week Canada is nationally coordinated by the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC) project office. This year’s celebration brings together 15 diverse organizations/ institutions from across Canada as national content partners, including the IMPAC5 Secretariat, Canadian Geographic; Canadian Museum of Nature; Ingenium, Indigenous Leadership Initiative; Students on Ice Foundation; Ocean School (a collaboration of the National Film Board of Canada and Dalhousie University); Parks Canada, Water Rangers; Ocean Networks Canada; Canadian Network for Ocean Education; Hakai Institute; Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP) Canada; Entremission; and Emdash. Ocean Week Canada and the Ocean Festival also bring together over 100 event partners from across the country.
This national collaboration and celebration is made possible through a contribution of $2.3 million from Fisheries and Oceans Canada over two years (2021-2023) through the Oceans Management Contribution Program.
To learn more about Ocean Week Canada and the Ocean Festival, visit www.oceanweekcan.ca.
Quotes
“Canada’s oceans connect us all and are a vital part of our past, present, and future as Canadians. Restoring and regenerating them for future generations is a goal we can only achieve by working together. That’s why I am so proud the Government of Canada’s Oceans Management Contribution Program provided $2.3M over two years to support the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition and its many organizations, networks, and communities that are working together to better understand and advance ocean literacy in Canada. With such exciting and meaningful initiatives on the agenda for the coming year, I look forward to joining forces to help educate millions of Canadians about the importance of valuing and protecting our oceans.”
The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
“Our connections with land, freshwater, coastal areas, sea ice, and the open ocean are deeply shaped by our diverse experiences. When we share, strengthen, and celebrate our relationship with the ocean and local waterways, and come together to conserve and protect what we care about, we ensure a healthy ocean for future generations. This is the core mission of our national collaboration.”
Dr. Diz Glithero, National Lead, Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition
“Canadian Geographic is pleased to bring innovative educational and engagement tools to this important collaboration to make Canada’s enormous ocean better known to Canadians and the world.” John Geiger, CM, CEO, Canadian Geographic
“The ocean connects us all, touches us all, brings us all together. As a proud founding member of the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition, the Ocean School team looks forward to contributing to this special celebration of our ocean connections. Let’s create a wave of excitement for our ocean nation.”
Boris Worm, Scientific Director of Ocean School
