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.
Edmonton and other municipalities across the country may soon be part of a pilot program to determine whether wastewater is a helpful tool when it comes to COVID-19 surveillance. The Canadian Water Network recently set up the Canadian Coalition on Wastewater-Related COVID-19 Research to help provide data that can then inform public health decisions.
