Ottawa, Gatineau and Canada’s National Capital Commission to Host Global Swimmable Cities Summit 2027

The following news release was sent on behalf of our partners. 

The City of Ottawa, Ville de Gatineau and Canada’s National Capital Commission (NCC) will co-host the Swimmable Cities Summit 2027, providing a forum for international leaders, experts and partners to advance investment in safe, healthy, accessible, and climate-resilient public waterways.

The global Swimmable Cities initiative is on a mission to mainstream ‘swimmability’ in urban planning, integrated water management and tourism destination development; working with a growing international alliance of municipalities, organisations and advocates across 116 cities and 37 countries. The goal: to restore rivers, lakes, coastlines and waterfronts as public spaces that support health, climate resilience and urban life.

Cities around the world are under growing pressure from climate change, public health, and urban growth challenges. Restoring access to clean water is emerging as a powerful way to cool cities, improve wellbeing and reconnect people with nature.

The Summit will convene mayors, Indigenous leaders, water authorities, urban planners, tourism agencies, developers, designers, researchers, and environmental innovators around the shared ambition of creating more liveable, prosperous, and resilient communities through investment in public blue spaces.

The 2027 Summit builds on a wave of international momentum, from the successful return of swimming in the River Seine following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, to the inaugural Swimmable Cities Summit in Rotterdam in 2025, which brought together over 200 representatives from over 20 countries. 

Taking place on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation along the Kichi Sibi / Ottawa River, the Summit will align with World Lake Day on August 27, 2027 and explore the upstream conditions needed to achieve urban ‘swimmability’, including policy innovation, sustainable finance, green infrastructure, cross-sector and cross-boundary collaboration, water quality, and inclusive waterfront development.

Mark Sutcliffe, Mayor of Ottawa, said: 

“We are proud to co-host the 2027 Swimmable Cities Summit and welcome international leaders to the National Capital Region. This is an opportunity to showcase Ottawa’s leadership in building climate-resilient communities and protecting the waterways and natural spaces that make our region such a great place to live and visit.”

Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, Mayor, Ville de Gatineau, said:

"Gatineau is proud to co-host the 2027 Swimable Cities Summit. The Outaouais River lies at the heart of our identity, our communities and our quality of life. This Summit is an opportunity to deepen our collaboration, advance the protection of our waterways, and shape more resilient, vibrant and accessible waterfront spaces for future generations."

Tobi Nussbaum, Chief Executive Officer, NCC, said:

“As a Swimmable Cities Summit co-host, the National Capital Commission looks forward to showcasing its multiple new urban swimming sites while learning from others from around the world to enhance our beautiful waterways and provide residents and visitors to the capital an even better shoreline experience.”

Matt Sykes, Co-Founder of Swimmable Cities, said: 

“Cities around the world are reimagining their relationship with waterways and increasingly seeing them for their role as vital public spaces. Bringing the Swimmable Cities Summit to Canada and North America is an important next step in this growing global movement. Following the momentum of Paris and our inaugural Summit in Rotterdam, we’re seeing real progress with more cities committing to make their rivers and waterfronts safe, accessible and swimmable. Next year’s Summit is the opportunity to scale that ambition into long-term investment, policy change and infrastructure.”

The City of Ottawa recently became a signatory to the Swimmable Cities Charter, joining a growing global alliance. Ville de Gatineau and the NCC are expected to follow in the coming months. Momentum is also growing around Canada and the USA, where the 425 member municipalities and First Nations of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative recently endorsed ‘swimmability’ as a guiding indicator for implementing their Economic Transformation Action Plan.

The announcement was made publicly by UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach during the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan. UN-Habitat is currently exploring partnership opportunities with Swimmable Cities for the Summit, in alignment with its global strategic priorities for sustainable urban development.

Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said:

“Swimmable Cities is not a niche idea. It is one of the most honest tests a city can take. When a river is swimmable, it tells you the sewage works, the pollution is controlled, the ecology is being restored… and that the city has chosen its people over its pipes. Swimmable waterways are neighbourhood infrastructure. They cool our cities, restore nature, carry culture, and give every person, regardless of income, a place to belong. That is why this movement aligns so perfectly with our Strategic Plan: housing as a human right, cities as living systems, and water at the heart of both.” 

The Summit will be delivered in partnership with the City of Ottawa, Ville de Gatineau, the National Capital Commission, Ottawa Tourism, Outaouais Tourism, Swim Drink Fish (Swimmable Cities’ Canadian incubation partner) and a growing coalition of leading local and global organisations. 

            Mark Mattson, Founder & President of Swim Drink Fish Canada, said:

“For over 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of standing with communities as an investigator, lawyer and advocate, fighting to ensure our waters are swimmable, drinkable, and fishable. Throughout that journey, serving as a Waterkeeper has taught me that while our fights are local, our movement is global. Today, we are on the precipice of a massive shift in how the world’s great cities see their shorelines. I am thrilled that next year, Canada will host the world’s leading experts for the Swimmable Cities Summit, and Swim Drink Fish will be embracing the opportunity to catalyse the bold partnerships and investments in urban swimming infrastructure that our cities desperately need.” 

Catherine McKenna, Swimmable Cities Ambassador & former Canadian Minister of Environment & Climate Change and Infrastructure & Communities, said:

"Everyone knows I love swimming, but 'swimmable' cities are about more than recreation; they are about equitable access to blue public spaces, improving people's quality of life, and creating thriving waterfronts. The Summit will bring together political leaders, investors and experts from around the world. This is an opportunity to take 'swimmability' to the highest levels of local, national and global leadership."

• Planet Aqua City Awards — Venice Climate Week | June 4–8, 2026
• Swimmable Cities European Forum — Basel | Aug 11–12, 2026
• Diplomats Dip — World Lake Day at Ottawa River House | August 27, 2026
• Sunrise Swim — Stockholm World Water Week | August 27, 2026
• UN Water Conference — Abu Dhabi | December 2–4, 2026 

Registration for the Swimmable Cities Summit 2027 is expected to open on World Rivers Day, September 27, 2026.

Swimmable Cities is a global initiative shaping the liveability and resilience of communities around the world. Since launching its Charter before the Paris Olympics, our alliance has grown to include 236 diverse organisations across 115 cities and towns in 37 countries. Building on the success of our inaugural Summit in Rotterdam in June 2025, we established a Community of Practice for implementation which now supports 54 municipalities across 5 continents.

Images and media pack

More info: www.swimmablecities.org

List of Cities

Matthew Sykes, SC Co-Founder & Programme Director, hello@swimmablecities.org, WhatsApp +61448 920 123

City of Ottawa Contact: medias@ottawa.ca 

Ville de Gatineau Contact: medias@gatineau.ca

NCC Contact: Valérie Dufour, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications, National Capital Commission valerie.dufour@ncc-ccn.ca, +1 (613) 797-0279