Ocean Week Canada, with events being hosted across the country, helps to get Canadians involved in, and passionate about, ocean protection.
This week, individuals, organizations, and communities across the country are coming together to celebrate Ocean Week Canada and raise awareness about the significance of the global ocean and its vital role in sustaining life on earth.
Ocean Week Canada is an annual celebration that started in 2022 and rapidly grew into a nationwide festival of events. Community-led events are the heart of the celebration because they reflect unique geographical and cultural connections to local waters. The Ocean Week Canada festival connects these regional celebrations to form a national movement of public engagement, knowledge sharing, and community action.
The wave is growing! There are over 180 registered events in 2023 and organizers expect more than 500,000 people to dive into Ocean Week.
The weeklong festival features a number of activities including a traveling giant ocean floor map/Augmented Reality experience, science talks and book readings, art exhibits and performances, water quality testing, shoreline tours and cleanups, film screenings, and more.
One of the biggest events is hosted by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Canadian Geographic at 50 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, which features an exhibit titled PRESSURE, showcasing James Cameron’s DEEPSEA CHALLENGER. A complete list of public events can be found on the Ocean Week Canada website.
Ocean Week Canada is organized by the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC), a national project office that coordinates multi-partner collaborations to advance ocean literacy in Canada.
“Through these events, the goal is for Canadians to gain a deeper understanding of humanity’s relationship with the ocean. By creating spaces for public conversations and diverse pathways for engagement, we hope to draw attention to the urgent need for ocean conservation, through education, collaboration, and community action,” says Meghan Callon, Communications and Design Lead for COLC.
To find an Ocean Week event near you or to create your own, visit OceanWeek.ca.
