TinyTRA proud to sponsor Water Walk 2025

Water Walk 2025: Honouring & Understanding the Purest Water on Earth — Right Here in Tiny

We all know that Tiny is a special place. But what many residents — and most people across Canada — don’t realize is that the purest water ever studied anywhere on Earth flows beneath our feet.

Yes, right here in our township, near the community of Elmvale, lies a globally significant aquifer system. The groundwater that rises to the surface through artesian flows has been studied for decades by scientists like Dr. William Shotyk and Dr. Mike Powell, who have found it to be cleaner than Arctic ice, with contaminant levels so low that they have become the benchmark by which other water is measured. This is not just the cleanest water in Ontario, or even North America — it is the cleanest known to science.

And it's under threat.

A Fragile Treasure Already Impacted

For years, industrial gravel extraction has been taking place in and around the recharge zone that feeds our aquifer. These operations dig deep into glacial soils and sands, directly interfering with the natural filtration processes that make this water so uniquely pure. Studies have already documented impacts to groundwater quality in neighbouring private wells, raising alarm among residents and scientists alike.

Despite public opposition and expert warnings, new mining proposals have been approved, expanding operations even closer to this sensitive recharge area. This reckless expansion not only increases the risk of contamination — it makes it harder and harder to reverse course. We are playing a dangerous game with a resource that took millennia to form and could be degraded in a matter of years.

These cumulative industrial activities are not theoretical threats — they are happening now, with visible consequences. And unless we take a stand together, the very systems that make our water the cleanest on the planet may be damaged beyond repair.

That’s why TinyTRA is proud to co-sponsor Water Walk 2025, alongside the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, Save Our Water Tiny, and the Canadian Museum of Water — a two-day community event focused on celebrating, learning about, and defending the sacred water of our region.

Day 1: Walking the Springs & Exploring Sacred Groundwater

Saturday, April 12 | 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Meet: Parking lot across from the Elmvale Flow, 120 Yonge St N, Elmvale

We begin at the Elmvale Flow — the iconic public tap where the aquifer’s purity is available for all to taste — before being shuttled to a nearby forest site where artesian springs flow freely from the ground. This land sits directly downflow from the scientifically studied recharge area, offering a rare chance to see where nature’s miracle begins.

With guidance from local environmental stewards and Indigenous water protectors, we’ll explore the geological, hydrological, and spiritual dimensions of this water and its source. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to live above something so rare, and what it requires of us.

Day 2: Expert Talk & Community Gathering

Sunday, April 13 | 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 80, 196 Queen St, Midland

Our community gathering will feature Dr. Mike Powell, one of the lead scientists on the Elmvale Groundwater Project. He will walk us through the research that earned this water its title as the global “gold standard” of purity, and explain why it is so vulnerable.

This talk will include a Q&A session and is your chance to connect directly with those who know the science best. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided — along with good company, good conversation, and a renewed commitment to protecting what’s ours.

Why It Matters — And Why Now

This is not just about water. It’s about our duty to protect one of Earth’s rarest natural wonders. The Guardian described Tiny’s water as “miraculous,” and sounded the alarm about how industrial activity may be compromising its future. The very systems that clean and store this water — ancient glacial soils and sands — are being dug up and removed, threatening both the quality and quantity of water available to future generations.

If we don’t act now, we risk turning a global treasure into just another lost opportunity.

Walk With Us. Learn With Us. Stand With Us.

We invite you to be part of Water Walk 2025. Come witness the miracle of water rising from the earth. Come learn from scientists and knowledge keepers. Come stand with your community as we protect something irreplaceable.

This is our water. This is our home. And this is our moment.