‘Every little piece helps’: Ocean Week Halifax starts with cleanup Saturday

Next Week is Oceans Week Halifax, and we find out what they have planned to celebrate the city's connection to the Atlantic.

Ocean Week Halifax (OWH) is set to kick off Saturday in Africville. The ten-day celebration highlights the role of the North Atlantic by bringing together communities, organizations, researchers and artists.

Organizers say there are over 40 different activities and events planned around ocean conservation and education.

“It’s so important to Canada coast-to-coast-to-coast, especially here in Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia,” says Lucija Prelovec, co-chair of OWH to CTV Your Morning Atlantic’s Crystal Garrett.

“Throughout the week, there will be events in the evenings, a lot at the Beaty Centre of Marine Biodiversity happening.”

Saturday will start with an ocean cleanup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Africville Museum and Marina.

“Here in Nova Scotia, we see the ocean, we’re never far from it. But I think we forget the impact it could have on us, everything from the weather to temperature,” she says, encouraging residents to participate in cleanup efforts. “Every little piece helps.”

She says a big celebration will conclude OWH on the Halifax waterfront, June 6.

“We’ll have live music, face painting, so lots to bring the community and it’s free, so anyone is welcome to stop by,” she says.

Halifax is one of the hub locations under the national Ocean Week Canada, it takes place around Jun 1 to 8 each year. The national campaign week is typically centered around World Ocean Day on June 8, which Prelovec also connects to Halifax.

She points out Ocean Day started at the Maritime Museum in Halifax in 1992, then went on to become recognized by the UN as a global event in 2008.

“So, we were kind of the home-grown origin story for World Oceans Day,” says Prelovec.

She says she’s most excited for this year’s community programming and credits the collaborators that have planned events for OWH.

“We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without all the amazing organizations helping,” she says.

More information about where and how to participate in OWH is available on their website.

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