Lyne Morissette leads 2,000-km St Lawrence shoreline cleanup to collect 1,000 tonnes of waste
A 16-day expedition by volunteers and scientists aims to remove trash from Quebec’s riverbanks, nearing a long-term goal set eight years ago.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
A man picks up trash next to the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, Sept. 19, 2020, during an annual cleanup day along the river and surrounding parks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes. GMH
Photograph: Global News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Lyne Morissette co-founded an initiative eight years ago to collect 10 tonnes of trash along the St Lawrence River, later expanding the goal to 1,000 tonnes.
- The 2026 cleanup spans 16 days and 2,000 kilometres, involving volunteers and scientists in stops including Greater Montreal, Quebec City, and the Innu community of Pessamit.
- Volunteers have collected 749 tonnes of waste so far, with items ranging from plastic containers to a starter gun mistaken for a firearm.
- No right-rated outlet covered the story, according to the reports reviewed.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 8 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
54/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
15/100
8 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
A 16-day shoreline cleanup along the St Lawrence River began in August 2026, organised by the initiative Mission 1,000 tonnes. The effort covers 2,000 kilometres and includes stops in Greater Montreal, Quebec City, Baie-Comeau, and the Innu community of Pessamit. Volunteers and scientists are collecting waste as part of a long-term goal set eight years ago by marine biologist Lyne Morissette and her co-founders.
Morissette, an associate professor at the Université du Québec à Rimouski’s Institut des sciences de la mer, said the project started with a target of 10 tonnes of trash. It later expanded to 1,000 tonnes after the initial goal was met. As of 2026, the initiative has collected 749 tonnes of waste, according to its website. Morissette estimated the total slightly higher.
Volunteers regularly find cigarette butts, plastic takeout containers, and coffee cups. In one instance, they retrieved what appeared to be a gun, later identified as a starter gun for a rowing competition. Morissette said protocols are in place to handle such items safely. The waste collected is documented to study pollution’s impact on shorelines.
The expedition, co-organised with Stratégie Saint-Laurent, is scheduled to conclude on 21 August 2026. Morissette said the initiative will continue after reaching the 1,000-tonne target, though she does not plan to rename it again.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports reviewed mentioned whether the initiative received government funding or how it is financed. No right-rated outlet ran the story at all, according to the material provided.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 9 Aug 2026, 13:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Graham Hughes
L’actualité — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- The five left-rated digests and the Global News report led on the scale of the cleanup: the 2,000-kilometre route, the 16-day duration, and the 1,000-tonne target. Global News quoted Morissette’s description of the "doom and gloom" of passively documenting pollution’s impact, and her emphasis on volunteer involvement and small individual actions adding up. It also included her observation that Quebec is not immune to global ecological challenges like climate change and plastic pollution.
- Global News named the specific communities involved, including the Innu community of Pessamit, and described the types of waste found, such as the starter gun. It quoted Morissette’s mixed feelings about collecting large amounts of trash: "The more we have, the worse it is, but at the same time, it’s that amount less in nature."
Centre
2 rated outlets
- The two centre-rated digests and the L’actualité report led on the initiative’s origins and its expansion from a 10-tonne to a 1,000-tonne goal. L’actualité quoted Morissette’s frustration with a "catastrophist" tone in marine biology and her focus on empowering action. It included her statement that Quebec faces the same ecological challenges as the rest of the planet, such as biodiversity loss and plastic pollution.
- L’actualité named the same stops as Global News, including Pessamit, and described the waste found, including the starter gun. It quoted Morissette’s observation that each region has a slightly different "trash signature." The report also noted the initiative’s progress toward its goal, with 749 tonnes collected so far.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Read it at the source
8 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- Quebec group leads 16-day shoreline cleanup - Montreal (opens Global News in a new tab)
Global News — is Global News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 2,000 kilometres, 1,000 tonnes of trash: Quebec group leads 16-day shoreline cleanup (opens Bowen Island Undercurrent in a new tab)
Bowen Island Undercurrent — is Bowen Island Undercurrent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 2,000 kilometres, 1,000 tonnes of trash: Quebec group leads 16-day shoreline cleanup (opens Coast Reporter in a new tab)
Coast Reporter — is Coast Reporter biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 2,000 kilometres, 1,000 tonnes of trash: Quebec group leads 16-day shoreline cleanup (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 2,000 kilometres, 1,000 tonnes of trash: Quebec group leads 16-day shoreline cleanup (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2- Objective 1000 Tonnes of Waste: a Group Cleans the Banks for 16 Days (opens L’actualité in a new tab)
L’actualité
- 2,000 kilometres, 1,000 tonnes of trash: Quebec group leads 16-day shoreline cleanup (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
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