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

International Children's Peace Prize

Northern Ont. activist Autumn Peltier a finalist for $135K International Children’s Peace Prize

Northern Ont. activist Autumn Peltier a finalist for $135K International Children’s Peace Prize

Autumn Peltier of Wiikwemkoong First Nation is a finalist for this year’s International Children’s Peace Prize. Peltier, 18, is one of three people who made a shortlist selected by a panel of experts from more than 175 nominees from 46 countries. The winner will receive 100,000 euros, or about $135,000, half of which will go to a project they support. “Global youth environmental activist Autumn Peltier, also known as ‘The Water Protector,’ has been advocating for clean water in Canada and beyond for many years,” said a news release Tuesday from kidsrights.org.

a talk with a Water Warrior: Autumn Peltier

a talk with a Water Warrior: Autumn Peltier

The Shingwauk Anishinaabe Students Association hosted a talk with Autumn Peltier and her mother Stephanie Peltier, “Our Water, Our Future: A Conversation with Water Defenders.” This talk was in alignment with the Sugar Moon, which is celebrated as the Anishinaabe New Year. This marks the time of year when the sweet water begins to run, and the medicine it produces balances the blood and provides healing.

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

Activists in northeastern Ontario fighting for safe, clean water in First Nations communities across Canada are getting tired of broken promises. After five years and millions in spending, the Liberal government announced in early December that it would not fulfill its commitment to end all long-term water advisories on reserves by March 2021. Although some progress has been made – 97 advisories have been lifted since November 2015 – there’s still a long way to go. There are 59 active long-term water advisories in 41 communities across the country, and activists maintain that clean water should be a priority for the federal government, especially during a global pandemic. “Water is a basic human right, and nobody should have to beg for it. This is wrong, and it’s come to the point where I think it comes down to racism,” said Autumn Peltier, a teenage water-rights activist from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island.

Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier addresses UN on clean water

Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier addresses UN on clean water

Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier, 15, addressed hundreds of international guests at UN headquarters in Manhattan on Saturday, where she urged the global community to respect the sacredness and importance of clean water. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again: we can't eat money or drink oil," said the activist from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario. Peltier spoke at the Global Landscapes Forum, a platform on sustainable land use founded by UN Environment and the World Bank that's dedicated to achieving development and climate goals.

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