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.
A Sault Ste. Marie task force is releasing the findings of its community consultations that will help shape its bid to become the future home of the Canada Water Agency. Creation of the new federal agency was announced in 2020, with officials saying its goal is to help improve freshwater management in Canada. In Sault Ste. Marie, an official bid to host the agency was launched last year, with the Sault's central location to the Great Lakes as a big selling point.
The city-led task force responsible for pitching Sault Ste. Marie as the future headquarters for the forthcoming Canada Water Agency has released its findings following a months-long process of community engagement. The report, which is now live on the task force’s website, is the result of 10 in-person and virtual community discussions held between August and December of last year that were facilitated by Lake Huron North Program Coordinator Dr. Elaine Ho-Tassone. More than 200 participants - drawn from local organizations, the Indigenous community, youth and the general public - provided their perspectives for the report.
