Growing up in Hamilton, Ontario, I had a first-class seat to the sorry state of environmental protection in Canada. Decades of unchecked environmental degradation brought about by Hamilton’s industries have left Hamilton's portion of Lake Ontario, one of the largest freshwater sources on Earth, a functionally no-swim zone. Cootes Paradise, one of, if not THE, hotbeds of biodiversity, reeks of sewage in the summers and remains largely ice-free in the winters of a rapidly changing climate. Randal Reef, in particular, a mass of toxic sludge encased in concrete, ensures that Hamilton’s industrialized past and present will be remembered for generations to come.

Despite these threats to clean water in Hamilton, tucked away on the escarpment, a hidden swimming oasis remains: Christie Conservation Area. The small lake and accompanying networks of trails offer year-round access to cycling and running, swimming, paddling, fishing, and family and community barbecues. As I have grown up and seen the Great Lakes and the World’s Oceans, my mind always returns to Christie in my dreams and apparitions of home. Christie serves as a valuable reminder of the value of offering community members a connection to water and the natural world in an increasingly inaccessible world. In doing so, when I think of Christie Conservation, I am reminded of hope for Ontario's waters. Their protection must be fought for; we'll miss them when they're gone.