Cyber Security Today, Dec. 4, 2023

Cyber Security Today, Dec. 4, 2023

American water treatment utilities are increasingly being targeted by threat actors. You may recall that on Friday afternoon’s Week in Review podcast, I reported that a hacking group believed to be from Iran called CyberAv3ngers claimed credit for taking control of the internet-connected system of a municipal water authority in Pennsylvania. It is believed this group targeted the utility because of a vulnerability in a programmable logic controller it uses from an Israeli company called Unitronics.

Vancouver experiencing minor flooding due to high ocean water levels

Vancouver experiencing minor flooding due to high ocean water levels

Minor coastal flooding is possible this weekend due to elevated ocean water levels on B.C.’s South Coast. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the region early Saturday morning. “(A) low barometric pressure will combine with a period of high astronomical tide to produce elevated water levels (Saturday) and Sunday,” Environment Canada staff said in the statement.

Water quality advisory for Sooke’s Wilderness Mountain area

Water quality advisory for Sooke’s Wilderness Mountain area

A water quality advisory is being issued for the Wilderness Mountain area due to elevated concentrations of manganese. This water quality advisory is in addition to the existing boil water advisory for the Wilderness Mountain water service area. According to the Capital Regional District (CRD), manganese is a naturally occurring element that is present throughout the environment and can normally be found in many surface and groundwater sources.

Can US pull off a $30bn plan to dump lead water pipes?

Can US pull off a $30bn plan to dump lead water pipes?

President Joe Biden's administration has announced a plan to rip out nine million lead water pipes across the US. The 10-year proposal aims to shield communities from a neurotoxin that can cause permanent damage to the brain and nervous system, especially in children. It would cost about $30bn (£24bn), the Environmental Protection Agency says.

'Killer Water': The Toxic Truth About Alberta's Oil Sands Canada is Hiding

'Killer Water': The Toxic Truth About Alberta's Oil Sands Canada is Hiding

Canada’s multibillion dollar tar sands industry in Alberta is a climate wrecking force with immense sway over Canadian politics. ‘Killer Water,’ a new documentary produced in partnership with The Real News, Ricochet Media, and IndigiNews, exposes the long-hidden truths of Big Oil’s operations on the health and environment of local First Nations communities.

TikTok video sparks discussion on dry skin solutions for Alberta newcomers

TikTok video sparks discussion on dry skin solutions for Alberta newcomers

Southern Alberta has seen some of the most exceptional drought in the country over the last few months — so it's no surprise that these conditions can possibly lead to dry and sensitive skin. This is especially so for newcomers to the province, like University of Calgary graduate Elisha Banerjee. "I was used to the cold, that was the part that was easy, it was the dry that I was not prepared for," she said.

Running water access begins to return in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

Running water access begins to return in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

Thousands of residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., who have been without running water since Monday after a major water-main break, were beginning to get it back on Friday morning. The city warned residents to boil the water for one minute before consuming it and to delay running appliances that use lots of water to avoid overloading the newly repaired pipe. 

Cobre Panamá: Panama orders controversial copper mine's closure

Cobre Panamá: Panama orders controversial copper mine's closure

Panama has announced the closure of a controversial copper mine after the Supreme Court ruled that a 20-year concession granted to a Canadian firm to operate it was unconstitutional. The decision has been welcomed by environmentalists who said the open-pit mine threatened water supplies. Cobre Panamá is located in a biodiverse jungle area on Panama's Atlantic coast. The government's renewal of its contract with First Quantum Minerals had triggered mass protests.

Manitoba water filtration company helping communities on water advisories

Manitoba water filtration company helping communities on water advisories

A reserve in central Manitoba has access to clean drinking water after what the community says was almost two decades of trucking it in. On Oct. 29 this year, Nibi Envirotech finished installing a water filtration system, giving residents of Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve — also known as Valley River First Nation — access to potable water.

St-Jean-sur-Richelieu declares state of emergency as water remains cut off for 26,000 units

St-Jean-sur-Richelieu declares state of emergency as water remains cut off for 26,000 units

Half the population of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, 30 kilometres southeast of Montreal, have been without drinking water since a major water main break at the beginning of the week. The city declared a local state of emergency on Wednesday. The water cutoff affected more than 26,000 residential, commercial and industrial addresses in the St-Luc and L’Acadie sectors as of Wednesday afternoon, as well as part of the St-Jean sector, all on the western side of the Richelieu River.

Thousands without water after major pipe bursts in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

Thousands without water after major pipe bursts in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

A major water main break has caused Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., to declare a state of emergency as half the population — about 26,000 households, or 56,000 people — has been without running water for more than 48 hours. The city, about 40 kilometres southeast of Montreal, says water won't be back until at least end-of-day Thursday. 

Water woes plaguing Middle Sackville trailer park headed to court

Water woes plaguing Middle Sackville trailer park headed to court

Before Jennifer Steele and her husband moved into their home on Springfield Estates park in Middle Sackville, N.S., in 2013, they knew there was an issue with the water. She says she was told by someone else in the mobile home park that there was some "history" there. But it was affordable, she said. So they bought it.

Boil water advisory lifted for Délı̨nę, N.W.T.

Boil water advisory lifted for Délı̨nę, N.W.T.

A boil water advisory issued last week for Délı̨nę, N.W.T., has been lifted. In a news release on Tuesday, the territory's chief public health officer said that normal use of drinking water in the community can resume. The advisory was issued on Friday because health officials said water in the community had higher turbidity, or more mud in it than usual.

Proposal to expand Alberta coal mine faces pushback after string of wastewater releases

Proposal to expand Alberta coal mine faces pushback after string of wastewater releases

An environmental group says a coal company's application to deepen its open-pit mine shouldn't be considered while it's under investigation over wastewater releases into local rivers. The Alberta Wilderness Association says CST Canada Coal in Grande Cache, Alta., must prove it can operate safely before the provincial regulator looks at its request.

Reducing road salt use 'not something that can wait' as Ontario lakes see oxygen depletion, researcher says

Reducing road salt use 'not something that can wait' as Ontario lakes see oxygen depletion, researcher says

The move to reduce the amount of road salt during the winter months can't wait because Ontario's groundwater and lakes are showing "very rapid salinization," researchers at the University of Waterloo say. "We actually use a lot of salt, and salt is a very effective way to keep roads, sidewalks and parking lots free of ice, and that, of course, is important in terms of ensuring the safety of road users and pedestrians," said Philippe Van Cappellen, a professor and researcher at the school, as well as the Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in Ecohydrology

Runoff spill reported at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site

Runoff spill reported at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site

A spill of surface runoff from a containment pond at Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills oilsands site may have spanned more than a year, the Alberta Energy Regulator has announced. The regulator said that on Oct. 9, the energy company reported an “unplanned release” of around 662 cubic metres from the pond adjacent to Fort Hills into the Athabasca River.

First Nation shares frustration over water incident at Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta

First Nation shares frustration over water incident at Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta

The chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is voicing his concern over yet another incident at the Kearl oilsands facility, located about a 90-minute drive north of Fort McMurray. In a statement issued Thursday, Chief Allan Adam said the Nov. 13 incident, involving water, has “once again impacted the environment on our traditional territories.”

New federal water legislation aims to do better on Indigenous rights

New federal water legislation aims to do better on Indigenous rights

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising a new version of the Canada Water Act – and one of the improvements, he says, will be in the area of Indigenous rights. What that might mean for Indigenous people and communities is the focus of APTN Investigates: Liquid Law. Earlier this year at the fork of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in Winnipeg, the prime minister announced not just the updated Water Act – but a new agency to administer the regulation of water across the country.

Promised Manitoba Hydro rate freeze might be delayed as deficit at utility looms: minister

Promised Manitoba Hydro rate freeze might be delayed as deficit at utility looms: minister

Manitoba's new NDP government might push back a promise to freeze hydroelectric rates for one year. New numbers from Crown-owned Manitoba Hydro show the utility is now expecting a net loss this year instead of the profit it predicted in the spring. The utility blames, in part, dry summer conditions and lower levels of power-generating water. Finance Minister Adrien Sala says the government still intends to temporarily freeze hydroelectric rates, but it might happen later than had been promised during the election campaign.

Killer Water: The Toxic Legacy of Canada's Oil Sands Industry for Indigenous Communities

Killer Water: The Toxic Legacy of Canada's Oil Sands Industry for Indigenous Communities

n Northern Alberta, Canada, sit the Athabasca tar sands—the world’s largest known reservoir of crude bitumen, and a major driver of Canada’s economy. The vast majority of Canadian oil production comes from the extraction and processing of the crude bitumen found in the tar sands. But while Canada prospers off the tar sands industry, Indigenous communities downstream are in the grips of its toxic impact. It is well documented that the people of Fort Chipewyan, in northern Alberta, have been struck by disproportionately high rates of cancer, and their proximity to the tar sands has long been the suspected dominant factor contributing to their sickness.