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 Nunavut government has declared a two-week state of emergency over a water shortage in Iqaluit. Joanna Quassa, the acting minister of community and government services, said Friday that it's meant to ensure the city can get necessary regulatory approvals to immediately begin replenishing its reservoir. "We are committed to working with the City of Iqaluit to ensure water levels will meet the needs of the residents of Iqaluit through the upcoming winter," Quassa said in a statement.
On Friday. the city Iqaluit declared state of emergency following a precarious water situation, writes Reuters. The city is located in the territory of Nunavut, in the far north in Canada. The water level in the local river Apex is historically low after a year of little rain, according to data from the last 40 years. Local authorities fear that there will not be enough water in the reservoir to supply the approximately 7800 inhabitants until winter when the river freezes over. The city is now seeking license to pump more water than normally allowed from the Apex river, as well as tapping an additional water source.
The City of Iqaluit says it needs to keep pumping water from the Apex River to maintain the city's water supply. "Right now we sort of live in a bit of uncertainty about our water source," said Romeyn Stevenson, deputy mayor of Iqaluit. Lake Geraldine supplies the city with fresh drinking water; snow and rain refills the lake. Last summer was the first time the city refilled Lake Geraldine with water pumped from the Apex River.
