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.
All climate disasters are not created equal and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction recommends retreat in the face of only one type of threat. "In our opinion, retreat is not an option that is important for most climate hazards in Canada. The hazard where retreat is really important and quite viable and a critical option involves flooding," executive director Paul Kovacs said.
In the first minutes of the Nohomin Creek wildfire, poor access to water hampered efforts to fight the blaze that would go on to consume several homes on Lytton First Nations’ land, according to Indigenous leaders. With the wildfire still burning and a heat wave on the horizon, First Nations in the Fraser Canyon are calling for greater water rights and better access to water for their communities. “I can only run my garden hose for 20 minutes before I run out of water,” said Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council chairman Matt Pasco, chief of the Oregon Jack Creek Band. “That’s not going to fight any fire.”
Summerland will be looking at options for water fill and cooling stations for the community in the event of another extreme summer heat event. At the Summerland council meeting on Jan. 24, Coun. Erin Trainer presented a motion asking for $25,000 to be allocated from the Asset Management Reserve for the purchase of two portable water fill stations and two portable shade tents, and also for staff to research options for a permanent water fill station in Memorial Park.
