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.
Manitoba Hydro doesn't expect to generate enough electricity this winter to meet its export budget, thanks to months of dry conditions across the Lake Winnipeg watershed. The Crown corporation is trying to hold back as much water as possible to ensure Manitobans have enough electricity this winter. But there won't be enough water flowing through the Nelson River to allow the province to meet its targets for exporting power outside its borders.
The provincial government has issued licences with new operational terms to Manitoba Hydro for two programs that critics say have devastated the environment and economy in parts of the north. Manitoba Hydro's Churchill River Diversion and Lake Winnipeg regulation projects both control water levels of the Nelson River. Created in the 1970s and renewed annually since 1986, both have been controversial when it comes to impacts on Indigenous communities.
