Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Widespread drought across the Lake Winnipeg watershed has forced Manitoba Hydro to operate its Brandon generating station months before the depths of winter, when the natural gas-fired plant is usually put into service as a last resort. The Brandon station, which usually only operates during peak periods of cold-weather demand, has been running since late October, Manitoba Hydro said Friday in a statement.
Liberal members of Parliament up for re-election in their Winnipeg ridings say a Liberal government will commit substantial funding increases to protect Manitoba’s freshwater resources, including the Lake Winnipeg basin. Terry Duguid, the Liberal candidate for Winnipeg South, was at The Forks Thursday morning for the announcement. He said a re-elected Liberal government would focus on four key projects: Creating a Canada Water Agency next year to tackle the droughts and floods exacerbated by climate change, Modernizing the Canada Water Act, Providing $1 billion over the next ten years to protect and restore large lakes and river systems, and Supporting the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s research at the Experimental Lakes Area with $37.5 million over six years.
