Montague Public School becomes first in Ontario to earn a Blue Community School certificate for water advocacy

Montague Public School in Smith Falls has become the first school in Ontario to be certified as a Blue Community School. The national environmental advocacy organization, The Council of Canadians, grants this certification to schools that have committed to protecting water and advocating for water justice.

During the 2024-2025 school year, Montague P.S. earned this certification by phasing out single-use plastic water bottles, recognizing the human right to water, and teaching about the need to protect water as an irreplaceable resource.

“It feels really good to be the first in Ontario to be a blue school,” said grade one/two student Nola Brown. “Because we’re helping protect water.”

Part of the students’ water education included learning about the long-standing issues surrounding access to clean drinking water in Indigenous communities. On Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) each year, The Council of Canadians marches on Parliament Hill to highlight these on-going issues. In support, every student at Montague P.S. wrote personal messages of advocacy on coloured print-outs of water droplets which were sent to the Council for use in their next march.

“Do you know how many indigenous communities still don’t have clean water?” asked grade one/two student Brody Prosser. “29! It should be zero.”

In June of 2025, the school welcomed Dr. Maude Barlow to celebrate the school’s certification. Dr. Barlow, a founding member of The Council of Canadians, also played a role in the United Nations’ recognition of clean water as a human right. She presented at an assemble for the school and participated in a round-table lunch with environmental student leaders.

For the 2025-2026 school year, grade one and two students have taken the lead on the initiative. They’re encouraging other schools in the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) to become Blue Community School certified. In addition, they’re encouraging them to send in their own water droplets with messages of support for the Council’s 2026 march on Parliament Hill. The Montage P.S. students are making a video to share their learnings. The video will be released around the end of February, with the goal of collecting water droplets from across the UCDSB.

“I am so inspired by the children’s passion regarding helping Indigenous Communities access clean water,” said grade one/two teacher and initiative driver Cindy Gilmore.

“They truly light up as we engage in the investigation and when they speak about their emotions around this issue it becomes evident that they truly care. This caring and feeling of having an impact drives their learning.”