Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

Chief Kelly LaRocca

'We are ecstatic': Scugog Island First Nation lifts 13-year drinking water advisory

'We are ecstatic': Scugog Island First Nation lifts 13-year drinking water advisory

A 13-year drinking water advisory has come to an end for those who reside on the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN). With a new communal water system now operational, the Scugog Island First Nation announced Dec. 16 that it was lifting four boil-water advisories and that community members will finally be able to fill their glasses from a tap. The MSIFN experienced periodic boil-water advisories since the early 1990s, which eventually led to a permanent drinking water advisory in 2008. Since 2014, the Scugog Island First Nation has been steadily investing in the improvement of the community’s infrastructure needs to ensure all homes and businesses on Scugog Island have a reliable source of clean drinking water.

Former Neskantaga contractor accused of cutting corners in other First Nations

Former Neskantaga contractor accused of cutting corners in other First Nations

“They cut corners every day, every day,” said Justin Gee, vice-president of First Nations Engineering Services Ltd. Gee said he encountered these recurring problems while overseeing the work of a construction firm, Kingdom Construction Limited (KCL), building a water treatment plant 10 years ago in Wasauksing First Nation, along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, about 250 kilometres north of Toronto. “You have to be on them every step of the way,” said Gee, who was the contract administrator on the project. “You can’t leave them on their own.”

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