OTTAWA, Sept. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To help launch this year's Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, the Ottawa Police Services (OPS) Marine Dive & Trail Unit is doing their part in keeping our shorelines healthy by diving into the Rideau Canal for an underwater cleanup. This is the OPS Marine Dive and Trail Unit's fifth year participating in the Shoreline Cleanup, one of many groups signed up across Canada to clean shorelines.
The OPS Marine Dive and Trail Unit also uses the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup as an opportunity to fulfill its annual commercial diver's license requirements. "Objects like shopping carts, barricades, bicycles, beer bottles and rusted pieces of metal have been found in the water," says Cst. Raphael Millaire of the Ottawa Police Marine Dive and Trail Unit. "These items present a hazard to swimmers and boaters. We're happy to take part in this important conservation initiative."
You don't have to be a diver to participate in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited. Every year, the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF encourage people of all ages to pitch in to collect and dispose of shoreline litter, by organizing their very own Shoreline Cleanup, or joining an existing local cleanup in their community.
"Even though dive cleanups are not officially part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, divers across Canada are helping raise awareness of this fall's Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, and reveal all the types of litter we find along our shorelines." says Susan Debreceni, program manager, Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. "From everyday items like food wrappers, plastic bags and cigarette butts; to unusual items like wedding dresses, disco balls and kitchen sinks — we're always surprised at what we see."
Across Canada in 2013, the GCSC registered 1,950 sites, and 58,500 registrants cleaned 3,035 kilometres, filling 10,891 garbage bags. The highest percentage of trash collected came from discarded single use food and beverage items — things like water and pop bottles — and from items related to smoking.
As this year's Shoreline Cleanup starts to ramp up, organizers hope to see record numbers of Canadians sign up to make Canada's largest community-led, volunteer-powered conservation program better than ever.
"The Shoreline Cleanup serves as a reminder of how human activity can damage our ecosystem," says David Miller, President and CEO of WWF-Canada. "Shoreline litter is one of the biggest threats to the health of our rivers, lakes and oceans. Participating in these cleanups is a perfect way for people to get involved in their local community while tackling this important issue."
Being a site coordinator is easy. Simply choose a date, invite a group made up of family and friends, co-workers or even an entire community, and lead a cleanup any day during the months of September and October. Some coordinators might want to "think globally and act locally" in a deliberate way, timing their cleanup to coincide with the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 20. The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is one of Canada's largest direct action conservation programs, is the most significant contributor to the International Coastal Cleanup in Canada, and is the third largest cleanup in the world.
"The Shoreline Cleanup is a great way for all Canadians, including our colleagues and customers, to take direct positive action on the environment," says Bob Chant, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communication, Loblaw Companies Limited. "More than 1,000 Loblaw employees will be taking part in the Shoreline Cleanup this year in communities across Canada." This is Loblaw's fourth consecutive year presenting the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, made possible through partial proceeds from Loblaw's charge-for-plastic shopping bag program.
Please sign up to coordinate a shoreline cleanup in your neighbourhood in September or October, 2014 at www.ShorelineCleanup.ca.
About the Ottawa Police Marine Dive & Trail Unit
The Ottawa Police - Marine, Dive and Trails Unit (M.D.T.U.) is tasked with conducting underwater related scene analysis and other water related investigations. M.D.T.U. members are Occupational Divers under the Health and Safety Act and, therefore, certified Commercial Divers. Members need to train every year to maintain certification. They operate in those waters on a daily basis and can relate to the level of pollution found in our waterways.
About the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited, is one of the largest direct action conservation programs in Canada. A conservation initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium and
WWF, the Shoreline Cleanup aims to promote understanding of shoreline litter issues by engaging Canadians to rehabilitate shoreline areas through cleanups. www.ShorelineCleanup.ca
About Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium is a non‐profit society dedicated to the conservation of aquatic life.
www.vanaqua.org
About WWF
WWF is creating solutions to the most serious conservation challenges facing our planet, helping people and nature thrive. www.wwf.ca
About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's food and pharmacy leader, the nation's largest retailer, and the majority unit holder of Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust. www.loblaw.ca
Note for Editors: Still photographs and B-roll are available, as are backgrounders on the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
Attached Photo:
The Ottawa Police Service Marine Dive and Trail Unit haul up items, both large and small, from the Ottawa River in Ottawa, ON, Wednesday, September 3, 2014, for the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF's Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited. To sign up and organize your shoreline cleanup this fall, visit ShorelineCleanup.ca. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Vancouver Aquarium
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=27444
