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.
As part of a commitment to sustainability and environmental action, the governments of Canada and Manitoba are committing $55,000 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) to study the viability of providing an alternative non-potable water source for non-food processing purposes to industrial park tenants in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Portage la Prairie, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson announced today.
The Government of Manitoba has launched public engagement on its first ever water strategy action plan. “We’re inviting all Manitobans to provide feedback and help identify the priorities for our province’s first water management strategy action plan,” said Minister of Environment, Climate and Parks Jeff Wharton in a news release. To access the survey, go to https://engagemb.ca/water-strategy. The survey will close on February 15, 2023. The water strategy action plan is expected for release in spring, 2023, according to the release.
Joint federal and provincial funding will help build a new water treatment plant and reservoir in Beausejour, Man. “The new water treatment plant will provide a safe drinking water source well into the future which will make the Town of Beausejour a sustainable and attractive place to live and invest, ensuring our kids and our families have clean air, water and soil,” said Ray Schirle, mayor of Beausejour.
