More than just a place, Lakeland is a state of mind in this ode to Canada’s abundant freshwater systems

The story begins at Emma Lake, Saskatchewan, site of writer Allan Casey’s family cabin, built by his parents in 1960 for $2,500. From there, we embark on a journey through ten of Canada’s seldom-celebrated but beautiful and increasingly fragile lakes in this extraordinary piece of writing celebrating one of Canada’s iconic natural features.

More than 60 percent of the world’s five million lakes are crammed into this one northern country. Endless pure lakes are the defining and unifying symbol of the Canadian landscape, making us the envy of a thirsty world. In Lakeland Casey, an award-winning journalist, takes us on a journey of these lakes, from log cabins to lakeside mansions, from the semi-desert of Okanagan Lake to the ponds of western Newfoundland, and over the language barrier to Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. Across the sprawling, hard-to-define land called Canada, the language of lakes is spoken.

Lakeland, suggests Casey, is a place, a state of mind, and perhaps even a new synonym for Canada. Despite problems of overdevelopment, these lakes remain the heartland of this country, and the place where our relationship with wilderness itself begins.

Co-published with the David Suzuki Foundation.