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.
The health unit is warning swimmers: if in doubt, stay out. With the onset of the hot weather, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit encourages local residents to exercise caution around slow-moving waterways. The first blue-green algae bloom of 2023 was recently confirmed in Little Lake in Midland.
