Stella Bowles

Early life

At age 11, Stella wanted to swim in the LaHave River, but her mother said the water was contaminated by illegal straight pipes that flush unprocessed sewage directly into the river. Her mentor, Dr. David Maxwell, helped her start testing bacteria levels in water samples from the river. Stella drew national attention when she reported the bacterial pollution levels that she measured. Stella's project influenced the allocation of $15.7 million from federal, provincial, and municipal governments to remove the straight pipes by 2023.

Career

Stella now presents at conferences and in schools around the world, teaching the youth how to test water in their communities.

She also introduced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a gathering at St. Francis Xavier University.

Stella has also taken her advocacy abroad beyond Canada.

Awards

In 2020, Stella was the youngest-ever recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia. In 2017, Stella received Canada's Meritorious Service Medal