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.
Owners of resorts and cottages along the Winnipeg River in Whiteshell Provincial Park can breathe a sigh of relief, as the Manitoba portion of the waterway is receding following a record flood. The Winnipeg River has crested from the Ontario border to Seven Sisters Falls, according to the Lake of the Woods Control Board. The river's peak flow at Seven Sisters Falls was approximately 125,000 cubic feet per second. That's roughly three and a half times the usual volume for this time of year.
