TeamOVOXO

Greetings... We are __Team OVOXO__. (Nakayla, Maryam & Luxmy) If you were wondering, we named our group OVOXO because OVO refers to Drake and OX refers to The Weekend. They are both Canadian artists, so we decided to incorporate them in our group name.

In our group, we have 3 students. The names are Nakayla, Maryam and Luxmy. Like any other team, we enjoy eating, listening to music and having a good time. All three of us have been in the french immersion program since kindergarten and are now currently in the 11th grade. We have a variety of different music we listen to. From Drake, to the Weeknd as well as Justin Bieber. Nakayla is part of the steel pan. The teenager life in Toronto is all about tumblr, facebook, twitter, blackberry smartphones and Iphones. We have a vaste variety of foods that we enjoy here as well since this is a multicultural country. We have pizza, barbeque chicken, macaroni and cheese, patties, pasta, as well as indian food such as curry.
 * Student Introductions:**

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Here is one one of the songs that we listen to the most.

Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute is a Secondary school in Toronto Ontario Canada. It consists of 5 floors and 1400 students ranging from the 9th-12th grade. We have a mascot which is the Cedarbrae Colt. We have countless number of sports. From a swimming team, to a basketball team, as well as an Archery club ! Our school colours are white, green and blue. We also have a school page which is [] The use of the school website is really helpful when you want to know the different updates and special activities occurring in our school. The school also offers many special programs such as french immersion, extended french, spanish, steel pan, digital art, co-op, and dual credits that many other schools don't offer. The following video is our school's steel pan touring in Trinidad.
 * School Description:**

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Toronto is made up of different cultures. Nakayla is Jamaican, Maryam is Indian and Luxmy is Sri Lankan. As you can see, Toronto is a perfectly good example of very diverse cultures. Here, all cultures and religions are accepted with open arms. This city is made up of about **2 503 281 people,** and is filled with many buildings ranging from shopping malls, to ancient monuments. Toronto is mainly known for it's landmark- The CN Tower, and attractions such as Wonderland, ACC Center, and the Rogers Center. The community is a friendly enviroment that hold alot of events that bring us together, for example: Caribanna, Santa Claus Parade and fireworks on special occasions like Canada Day or New Years.
 * Community Profile:**



Nowadays, there are many chemicals, toxins and unnecessary substances added to things. From clothing, food, toys, and even pillow covers are made with toxins to give them a "softer texture". Therefore, it's natural to assume that there are added chemicals and substances in our water too, which is so important to our everyday life. We'd like to know what is the main water source for your community, what are the added substances are in your water and how it is filtered in your communities. Here in Toronto, we almost waste our water. Sometimes we even take it for granted, unfortunately. We get our water from Lake Ontario, where it goes through many steps and processes before reaching our taps.
 * Our Research Question:**

The city's only source of drinking water is from Lake Ontario. Water bottles are also present throughout the city at almost any location but most individuals now carry reusable water bottles to cut down on the amount of plastic we waste when we buy or use normal water bottles. Some of us even use the Brita filter to further filter it in order to get rid of excess toxins and to decrease the use of plastic water bottles.


 * env5, Calvary Temple A.G, Liberia Question:**


 * We are concern about water pollution and its impact on the earth hydrosphere. We have join a number of environmental group on the advocacy for WATSAN(water and sanitation)program. A program highlighting the importance of water and control of water pollution from domestic sewage.Your response to the following questions will help us in our advocacy.**
 * 1. What can we do as future citizen to help save the earth waters from pollutants that are detrimental to marine plant and animals and that may have subsequent impact one safe drinking water.**
 * 2. Do your country have a clean water act to help protect waters from pollutants?If yes,how has the clean water act been effective in mitigated water pollution control.If no,What policy or program are into place to help control water pollution.**
 * 3.What are some point source of water pollution in your country?What regulatory measures are in place to control the flow of pollutants from these source.**
 * 4What is your advised or any additional comments about water pollution and control?**

Our Answer:

1. There are quite a few ways we can save earth waters from pollutants that are detrimental to marine plants and animals and that may have subsequent impact on safe drinking water. I believe that the first and most beneficial way, is going green! The littlest things do make a difference. First off, you can turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth. As well, drinking bottled water is a huge contribution to water pollution. When the bottle is tossed away, the unrecyclable plastics make it's way into the lakes and oceans which would then cause our water to be polluted. Being inconsiderate about water in this century is not acceptable for our future generations. Many individuals do not know what to do with leftover paints and oils, so they drain it down the sinks. This affects water quality because those countries who do have tap water, may sometimes not be filtered thoroughly, and these are the toxins that end up in our body. This not only affects us humans, but living sea creatures as well. Mercury content would rise and affect the seafood we eat which is extremely hazardous to our health. Garbage bins and recycling bins should be placed at more locations so that it doesn't give individuals to litter. Plastics and other types of garbage should always be sorted into their specific bins so that it does not contaminate our water sources. We do not want to live in a generation where we don't have clean drinking water, so we should take action as soon as we can.



2. Canada is home to over 34 million people and contains 891,163 km2 masses of water. In order to keep all of Canadian’s safe, and provide them with clean drinking water, it is a necessity to have a Clean Water Act. Although the Water Act is deferent in each province, indeed there is one to protect Canadian’s for the present and the future. With that said, we are located in the province of Ontario, home to over 13 million people, containing 158,654 km2 masses of water. Ontario is surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes and we have more than a quarter of a million lakes, rivers, streams and rich groundwater resources. The Clean Water Act is a law enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada to protect drinking water from source to tap with a multi-barrier approach that stops contaminants such as from industrial sources, sewage systems, chemicals in use at farms, or any other source, even rainwater containing particulates from polluted air from entering sources of drinking water such as lakes, rivers and aquifers. The Clean Water Act, Bill 43, created on October 18, 2006,ensures that every Ontarian has access to safe drinking water and lays out how Drinking Water Source Protection will be carried out in Ontario. The Clean Water Act also includes the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program which offers financial assistance to farmers, landowners, and small or medium businesses for activities that reduce threats to local drinking water sources. Ontario Environment Minister Laurel Broten, the enforcer of this act states that "Our government is committed to protecting the environment and the health of all Ontarians," said Broten. "Today, and into the future, we all deserve to be fully confident that our drinking water is reliable and clean." The Clean Water Act has proven this statement.

Ontario's Clean Water Act:
 * “requires that local communities - through local Source Protection Committees - assess existing and potential threats to their water, and that they set out and implement the actions needed to reduce or eliminate these threats”
 * “empowers communities to take action to prevent threats from becoming significant”
 * “requires public participation on every local source protection plan - the planning process for source protection is open to anyone in the community”
 * “requires that all plans and actions are based on sound science.”

A number of actions are taken to prevent our water from becoming contaminated, including using up to date water treatment systems, ensuring that the pipes, water mains and storage towers are in good repair, water testing and training water managers. If individuals or companies aren’t respecting the Act, there are consequences. For individuals convicted under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the fines range between $20,000 and $7 million or could be imprisoned depending on the offence. For corporations convicted under the Act, the maximum fines range from $100,000 to $10 million, depending on the offence.

After years of these rules being in full tack, Ontarian’s have become more attentive of pollution of drinking water and contamination. We have come to the conclusion that our drinking water is a main source of survival and that we must follow the rules and accept the consequences of contaminating our water to keep us and future generations safe and healthy.

3. The main sources of water pollution in Canada would be the industrial, municipal and agricultural wastes. The run off from garbage disposal sites, seepage from waste treatment plants, sewage and illegal dumping which are municipal wastes, greatly contributes to polluting lakes, rivers and groundwater. Agricultural wastes, fertilizers and pesticides are also capable of polluting our water because of precipitation that causes the excess to run off of farmland and into nearby water sources. Finally, one of the most widely recognized source of pollution in general, industrial gases, are also water pollutants.The carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide from manufacturing and milling plants creates smog that mixes with rain to form //acid rain.// Acid rain would not only contaminate our water resources but our land as well. It could slow down tree growth, clear lakes with no fish or good vegetation. Industrial discharge from factories and production plants also contain many toxic synthetic chemicals that cannot be broken down by natural processes. Some of these substances, even in tiny amounts, can cause serious harm. These toxic elements include PCBs, mercury, iron, lead, nickel, zinc, cadmium, arsenic and dioxin. They not only pollute the location they were released in but they also affect the ecosystem of the drainage basin to all the way to the ocean. In Canada we also have many regulatory measures in place to control the flow of pollutants from these sources. We have a significant network of specialists that collect water quality data and monitor the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of our water from more than 3,000 sites across Canada. There are also many Water Pollution Control Centres or Sewage Treatment Facilities across Canada that treat waste water coming from residential, industrial, commercial, and institutional sources. Some also use ultra violet radiation to disinfect the water instead of chlorine to treat all the sewage from the City before sending it into the Lakes. We also have the Pollution Prevention (P2) which focuses on avoiding the creation of pollutants instead of trying to manage them after they have been created. This also includes regulation of specific industries like metal mines and pulp and paper. There is also research being conducted at the National Water Research Institute for water-related issues by sharing scientific knowledge needed to resolve environmental issues and sustain our natural resources and freshwater ecosystems.

4. Some ways to prevent water pollution is conserving water, since the less you use, the less water would be running down drains and gutters, carrying pollutants with it. Keep pet litter and debris out of street gutters. Decrease your use of pesticides or just use compost to fertilize your garden. People tend to use 10 to 50 times more fertilizer than necessary on their lawns and gardens and way more than what is required for good plant health. Keep your vehicles running properly and if you have an oil leak, fix it immediately. If you change your own oil, dispose of the used oil properly. You could also use natural cleaners like baking soda, vinegar and borax, and detergents with less phosphate. Apparently sewage plants can only remove about 30 percent of the phosphates from waste. We also beleive that polluting water is the same as polluting the air. In the end, its going to be at our disadvantage so we should take care of the Earth so that it can take care of us.

__References:__

http://www.woodroffehs.ocdsb.ca/geomatics/en/pdf/l6b.pdf http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=E86BC86A-1 http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=B1128A3D-1 http://www.safewater.org/PDFS/resourcesknowthefacts/WaterPollution.pdf http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=...84f0cebc77 http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=064e3f68-0415-4033-a677-af93c15d86c4&st=2 http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/25040437?uid=3739448&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=55979962213 http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=083B1647-1