Another successful Great River Cleanup at the Cornwall Harbour 

Connor McLaughlin, Special to Seaway News
Another successful Great River Cleanup at the Cornwall Harbour 
Scrap metal being pulled out of the Cornwall Harbour at their Sept. 23, 2021, Great River Cleanup event (Stephany Hildebrand).

CORNWALL, Ontario – The Great River Network have removed over 40 tonnes of garbage from the river in Akwesasne, Cornwall, and Lancaster, since their start in 2016. 

The Great River Network is an organization that consists of over fifty organizations, agencies, and individuals on the St. Lawrence River. They successfully lead another of their “Great River Cleanup” events on Sept. 23, 2021. 

At the event, a small group of volunteers, as well as hired commercial divers and a 40-tonne crane, removed around five cubic yards of garbage, along with 2.75 metric tonnes of metal. 

Some of the items pulled out this year included sixteen grocery carts, car seats, a mattress, tires, bicycles and more. 

The cleanup organizing committee consists of, committed volunteers, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, the River Institute, the Raisin Region Conservation Authority, the Cornwall Lunker Club, and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.  

Patricia O’Hara, Chair of the Great River Network, says that she is proud of all the dedicated Network partners and volunteers, who have helped with the events in the past year. 

“This cleanup is yet another initiative that the Network partners and volunteers have completed to improve the condition of the St. Lawrence River,” she stated. “We are very grateful to the divers and to the community for supporting this important work.” 

The Great River Network partnered with the river institute and received funding from the Great Lakes Local Action Fund, as well as donations from many local businesses, to help conduct this cleanup. 

The River Institute is a non-profit charitable organization, founded in 1994, as a community partnership with the City of Cornwall, and the Mohawks of Akwesasne. In order to help with research and education, with its primary focus on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystems. 

To support the River Institute, visit  

https://www.riverinstitute.ca/donate/ 

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