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

Crown-Indigenous relations

‘Not an honest effort’: First Nations leaders say water infrastructure must account for climate change

‘Not an honest effort’: First Nations leaders say water infrastructure must account for climate change

In 2014, Mitaanjigamiing First Nation, on the edge of Rainy Lake in northwestern Ontario, declared a state of emergency when high water levels led to flooding that threatened some of its infrastructure, including the only access road in and out of the community. Sandbagging helped to limit the damage. “(The water treatment plant) was pretty close to being inundated, but they were able to stop that from happening. Some water did get in there, but it didn’t have a negative impact,” said Ed Morrison, Mitaanjigamiing’s band manager.

COVID-19 may delay Liberal pledge to end long-term boil water advisories on First Nations

COVID-19 may delay Liberal pledge to end long-term boil water advisories on First Nations

The pandemic has put some of the Liberal government's key deadlines of its reconciliation agenda in jeopardy, including a promise to end all long-term boil-water advisories on First Nations by next March. Last week's throne speech indicated a shift in language around the commitment to eliminate the long-term advisories. It made no reference to the 2021 deadline — which was clearly cited in the previous throne speech in 2019.

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