FIN IN THE NEWS: I feel it is my job to hold the government accountable

New Westminster News Leader

Marathon swims of Fraser River led to The Ripple Effect

Fin Donnelly has swum from the Fraser River to the House of Commons in Ottawa as the new NDP Member of Parliament for New Westminster-Coquitlam.

By Andrew Fleming - New Westminster News Leader
Published: March 24, 2010 11:00 AM
Updated: March 24, 2010 11:38 AM

It is probably safe to say most Canadians don’t associate Members of Parliament with feats of athleticism.

Fin Donnelly, the newly minted MP for New Westminster-Coquitlam, is one of the exceptions. Donnelly, 44, has likely never seen a body of water he didn’t want to swim across and his many marathon aquatic adventures include swimming down the 1,375 kilometre length of Fraser River, British Columbia’s longest river.

When he first dipped his toes into the Fraser back in 1995 with the intention of a one-day swim from Coquitlam to the mouth of the river, Donnelly had no idea he was opening the floodgates to a massive physical challenge, the eventual establishment of the Rivershed Society of B.C. conservation group, and even a career in federal politics with the NDP. His planned day-long excursion soon snowballed into becoming a long-distance swim from the river’s headwaters near Mount Robson all the way to the Pacific in order to draw attention to the plight of the Fraser’s dwindling salmon and to emphasize the need for people to live sustainably.

And doing it once wasn’t enough—he swam it again five years later.

Ripple effect continues

Donnelly’s marathon swims have inspired a new exhibit at the Fraser River Discovery Centre opening Saturday (March 27). Entitled The Ripple Effect, the interactive display takes an in-depth look the current health of the Fraser River basin while also encouraging visitors to examine how their own actions can positively or negatively affect the health of the rivershed.

“I’m pretty thrilled they’ve taken a theme that was at the heart of my swim,” said Donnelly. “Essentially one person doing something positive and having an effect on the larger population and inspiring people to get involved.”

The Ripple Effect will focus on the positive, while not shying away from the problems facing a river that has consistently ranked at or near the top of the annual Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C.’s most-endangered rivers list. “Often we can feel overwhelmed with all the negative news and the enormity of the problems,” said exhibit coordinator Kathleen Bertrand.

“The Ripple Effect is really about celebrating what individuals can do, and most importantly, what people are doing to improve their communities.”
But not many people would choose to don an uncomfortable wetsuit and spend up to 18 hours a day swimming down a dangerous, chilly river in order to improve their communities.

“In the first swim I lost 25 pounds in three weeks,” said Donnelly.

“The hardest part was the first day and then the first week. I wasn’t really prepared for how cold it was and how exhausted I would be at the end of each day.”

Donnelly wisely climbed aboard the support raft provided by Fraser River Raft Expeditions for some of the deadlier rapids but still swam nearly all of it.

“The toughest thing I went through was around the Hell’s Gate area through some almost 10 footers. I got slammed by the standing waves and got pulled down underwater and it felt like forever, although it was probably more like five seconds. Luckily I popped back up but, man, it was scary.”

Salmon all but vanish

Equally scary to many B.C. residents is the collapse of the Fraser’s multimillion-dollar sockeye salmon fishing industry.

After two of the leanest years ever recorded, scientists predicted a healthy return of sockeye for the summer run in 2009. But only about seven per cent of the forecasted 8.7 million sockeye showed up, making it perhaps the worst return ever. The massive shortfall forced the closure of the commercial, recreational and First Nation fisheries on the river while also raising serious questions about the long-term survival of the province’s salmon stocks.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen has since been appointed to head a federal inquiry into the collapse of the once thriving sockeye run and findings will be announced May of 2011.

“I think it is a good idea but this is the fifth inquiry over 18 years,” said Donnelly. “What is going to be important is the recommendations and if they’re implemented. This is a government that so far hasn’t really acted as if the Fraser salmon or the Pacific fishing industry is a priority.”
Making waves and impacting others continues to be a mission for the environmentalist-turned-politician.

“I feel it is my job to hold the government accountable.”