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.
"This topic of security and safeguarding Canada's sovereignty, it ties into so many different other issues," Koch said. "One element or aspect to start with is actually to make sure that Northern residents have access to basic services. It means education, health care and clean drinking water." "This will ultimately support Canada's goal of establishing security and projecting outward Canadian sovereignty in terms of the Arctic."
Nunavut's capital was able to avert a water-shortage crisis last week, but the member of Parliament for the territory says infrastructure in the North is an issue of Arctic security. Lori Idlout says federal investments in the North have often been inadequate to meet all of the infrastructure needs of communities and Ottawa tends to respond to emergencies rather than invest in long-term prevention.
