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

City of Winnipeg

City of Winnipeg's CentrePort South sewer project costs rise $13M

City of Winnipeg's CentrePort South sewer project costs rise $13M

The cost of extending water and sewer services to the future site of CentrePort South has risen by nearly $13 million in three years. A City of Winnipeg estimate in 2020 guessed the project would cost $61 million, with the Manitoba government announcing last year it would cover up to $40 million. Reasons for the increase include inflation in the construction industry, and the need to reroute a main feeder line due to an Indigenous burial mound, according to a report to the finance committee on Friday.

The new hydration stations available in Winnipeg

The new hydration stations available in Winnipeg

“It’s really important to stay hydrated and the water helps you stay cool, so that’s what we’re hoping to provide,” said Lisa Gilmour, emergency management coordinator with the City of Winnipeg. The locations were selected based on need and past experiences. They’re connected to fire hydrants to provide a continuous supply of clean drinking water, similar to what Winnipeggers would get from their home taps.

Manitoba eyes situation south of border as it prepares for forecast flooding

Manitoba eyes situation south of border as it prepares for forecast flooding

People in Winnipeg started stocking up on sandbags on Monday, on the first day the city made them available for those expecting or experiencing overland flooding. For Gino Mallari, it was the first time seeing the spring snow melt as the recent owner of a new house. "There is a big pool at our back lane and I'm worried that it's gonna get into the garage. So [I'm] hoping to, you know, prevent the water from coming into my backyard," Mallari said as he picked up some sandbags, adding that he's expecting that pool to get even bigger as the snow continues to melt.

Shoal Lake First Nation lifts 24-year boil water advisory, but there’s more to do: experts

Shoal Lake First Nation lifts 24-year boil water advisory, but there’s more to do: experts

Experts say Canada still has a long way to go. “It could be measured in years because not only is it the current boil water advisories as they exist, but we also need to make sure that the facilities that are operating remain safe and remain regulated and (are) operated properly,” said Dr. Graham Gagnon, director for the Centre for Water Resources Studies at Dalhousie University.

After 24 years of water advisories, Shoal Lake 40 First Nation can drink from the tap

After 24 years of water advisories, Shoal Lake 40 First Nation can drink from the tap

After more than two decades without clean drinking water, Shoal Lake 40 First Nation on the Ontario-Manitoba border is celebrating the opening of a water treatment facility and the end of water advisories for the community. Despite drawing water from the same source as the City of Winnipeg, Shoal Lake 40 has never had a centralized water treatment facility. Construction of the new $33-million water treatment facility and system started in 2019.

Province tells City of Winnipeg it must explore public-private partnership for sewage plant

Province tells City of Winnipeg it must explore public-private partnership for sewage plant

The provincial government wants the City of Winnipeg to explore expanding and operating the North End Sewage Treatment Plant through a public-private partnership that would privatize the city's entire treatment system, the director of the water and waste department says. Moira Geer's report to members of the city's executive policy committee says the Progressive Conservative government has directed the city to engage a consultant for an "analysis of the feasibility of a public-private partnership (P3) procurement methodology" for the sewage plant's biosolids and nutrient removal facilities.

Water, sewer rate hike recommended to help pay for $1.8B Winnipeg treatment plant upgrades

Water, sewer rate hike recommended to help pay for $1.8B Winnipeg treatment plant upgrades

The City of Winnipeg's public service is recommending a combined 11.6 per cent increase to water and sewer rates over the next four years. A report to the city's water and waste committee says the main driver behind the recommended increase is providing funding for improvements to the city's North End sewage treatment facility and other sewage infrastructure projects. The city faces approximately $1.8 billion in costs to upgrade the treatment plant.

Testing suggests 1 in 5 Winnipeg homes with lead pipes have unsafe levels of lead in drinking water

Testing suggests 1 in 5 Winnipeg homes with lead pipes have unsafe levels of lead in drinking water

One in five Winnipeg homeowners with lead pipes will get unacceptable levels of lead in their drinking water the moment they turn on the tap, according to the City of Winnipeg. Under the city's lead water quality testing program, samples were taken from 268 homes with lead pipes between Aug. 15 and Nov. 19. The testing was done to ensure water quality met new national guidelines for lead in drinking water, which cut the acceptable amount of contamination in half last March. "Overall, the results are as expected," Renee Grosselle, manager of environmental standards with the City of Winnipeg, told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Shoal Lake JV to build new water, wastewater system

Shoal Lake JV to build new water, wastewater system

SHOAL LAKE, ONT. — A joint venture (JV) involving Shoal Lake 40 Contractors LP and Sigfusson Northern Ltd. has been named the winning bidder in a competition to earn the right to construct a new water and wastewater system for Shoal Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario. Indigenous Services Canada is contributing $33 million for the project, which includes construction of a water treatment plant, reservoir, raw water intake structure and lift station as well as the installation of watermain connections and fire hydrants, stated a Sept. 6 release.

A century of water: As Winnipeg aqueduct turns 100, Shoal Lake finds freedom

A century of water: As Winnipeg aqueduct turns 100, Shoal Lake finds freedom

The taps to Winnipeg's drinking water were first turned on in April 1919, but as the city celebrated its engineering feat and raised glasses of that clear liquid, another community's fortunes suddenly turned dark. Construction of a new aqueduct plunged Shoal Lake 40 into a forced isolation that it is only now emerging from, 100 years after Winnipeg's politicians locked their sights on the water that cradles the First Nation at the Manitoba–Ontario border. "The price that our community has paid for one community to benefit from that resource, it's just mind-boggling," said Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky.

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