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.
Emerging contaminants, such as medicine and other industrial waste, have been found in the waters of Granby, Bromont and Cowansville, even after being treated, according to a local environmental committee. Reports from the Organisme de bassin versant de la Yamaska (OBV) show concerning data for the environment, despite Quebec's director of public health, Luc Boileau, saying last week that water in the province is very drinkable.
At the end of April, the 51st anniversary of Earth Day will take place, the annual event whose purpose is to show support for environmental protection across the globe. Earth Day takes place on April 22 and includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by earthday.org, spread out across 193 countries and celebrated by millions of people. Netflix Canada also has an impressive library of sustainability documentaries that allow viewers to discover the planet’s wonders, hoping to trigger a conversation about climate issues, consumerism, food systems, overconsumption, and what needs to be changed.
The Columbia River Treaty, an international agreement governing the flow of water between British Columbia and six U.S. states, will be 55 years old this year. It has not aged well. The river springs from the Columbia Icefield in the Rocky Mountains of B.C. and winds 1,930 kilometres through the Northwestern United States – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. No other river in North America spills more water into the Pacific Ocean.
