The 15th Annual Grand Splash brought some 150 Montealers to the Old Port to leap into the St. Lawrence River with Mayor Valérie Plante to raise awareness about water access and the island's shorelines.
Before her big splash,Mayor Plante said that she has high hopes for the initiative.
"We're in the right place in history where Montrealers want to have access to clean water more and more often," she said.
The mayor said it's important for citzens to not only be able to access shorelines, but to actually make use of and enjoy the water around the Island of Montreal.
If you're hesitant about whether you'd take a plunge into the St. Lawrence River or have question about its cleanliness, Montréal Children’s Hospital nurse, Sasha Dyck, says the Montreal's water has never been better.
"Look online at the RSMA. It's a sampling of fifty sites arond the island everday of the water quality and you can see that it is always "green," said Dyck
Plante also hinted that more announcements related to water access could be coming, such as the proposed "Harbor Bath" project for the Old Port.
"It is still in the plan and we're really excited to share some announcements about that," said Plante.
Former Mayor Denis Coderre first announced the Harbour Bath project in March 2015, which is supposed to allow citizens to swim in the St. Lawrence near the clock tower in the Old Port. At the time, it was hoped that the Harbour Bath would be open by summer 2017 - in time for Montreal’s 375th anniversary.
Mayor Plante added that an announcemenbt is "not ready yet, but it's still in the plan."
* With files from Shawn Dearn