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.
A very small percentage of water mains carrying drinking water to residents of Sault Ste. Marie have asbestos in them, PUC has confirmed. Although there is some debate on the subject, Health Canada has concluded that there is no evidence ingesting the substance is harmful to your health. Recently, an episode of the CTV television program W5 reported that asbestos-cement pipes are used in many municipalities across the country to deliver drinking water to residents.
It’s been nearly one week since local officials learned the federal government chose Winnipeg over Sault Ste. Marie as the host city for the Canada Water Agency (CWA) headquarters. Disappointed by the decision, members of the CWA task force in town remained hopeful the Sault could still have some involvement with the federal agency by hosting a regional hub.
Water and wastewater rates are also increasing by 4.8 per cent. "The 2023 municipal budget represents responsible investments for modern, inclusive and sustainable city services that continue to meet resident needs," Mayor Paul Lefebvre said. "Council has approved a plan that emphasizes resident health, safety and well-being along with continued investments in our assets and infrastructure as well as our economic future."
This past week, representatives from the Sault officially applied to become the site of the Canada Water Agency. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said he is confident the city's bid will be successful. “We’re located right here in the middle of the Great Lakes on the gathering place between Lake Huron and Lake Superior and a short drive or short boat ride away in some cases from Lake Michigan,” Shoemaker said. “When you think water in Canada, freshwater specifically, Sault Ste. Marie is at the heart of it all.”
One of the first actions of our 2022-2026 city council was to toast Sault Ste. Marie's bid to become the home of the new Canada Water Agency. Councillors gave unanimous support Monday night to a resolution from Ward 5 Coun. Corey Gardi and Ward 2's Luke Dufour, confirming that the Sault is still the "superior" choice for the new agency, intended to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, local authorities, scientists, and others to keep Canada's fresh water safe, clean, and well-managed. "We're in the process of arranging for a couple of meetings with members of the federal government," Gardi said. "The task force has really stepped up its work over the course of the last couple of weeks." "It seems that the decision is imminent," Gardi said.
A task force created to lobby the federal government to establish its Canada Water Agency in Sault Ste. Marie is waiting for word of the establishment of a standing committee. It’s submission is nearly polished and ready to go, pending any new information that comes to light between now and hearing dates, said Ward 5 Coun. Corey Gardi who spearheaded the initiative. “We are awaiting word on the formation of a standing committee and we’ll take our information to that committee, but until then, there’s not a lot to do,” Gardi said. Gardi will be meeting with mayor-elect Matthew Shoemaker in the coming days to discuss the council term ahead. He plans on seeking Shoemaker’s support for the initiative and getting him on board.
Ward 5 incumbent Corey Gardi is calling on mayoral candidates to support his efforts to get the federal government to establish the Canada Water Agency in Sault Ste. Marie. Gardi, who spearheaded the initiative, is leading a task force that has obtained letters of support from many local and regional organizations, agencies and communities who want to see the proposed agency in Sault Ste. Marie. “The mayor (Christian Provenzano) has taken the time to contribute to the task force, and has joined me in meeting with representatives of the federal government, to keep them apprised of our efforts, and to clearly articulate why the Sault would be an ideal place for the agency.”
Batchewana First Nation celebrated the official grand opening of its long-awaited Chi We Kwe Don water treatment plant in Goulais Bay 15A Thursday. The facility went online this past March, pumping clean, drinkable water into 49 homes in the small reserve situated 45 minutes north of Sault Ste. Marie for the first time in several years. The federal government allotted $14.6 million for feasibility, design and construction of the new water treatment plant in addition to 10 point-of-entry water systems for Obadjiwan 15E — another community belonging to Batchewana First Nation situated in the Batchawana Bay area.
Algoma Public Health is warning people who draw water directly from the St. Mary's River or who have a well near the shore not to drink the water due to an oil spill. The spill does not affect the Sault Ste. Marie municipal drinking water system. The health unit says if your drinking water intake is located east (or downstream) of the Algoma steel mill and the Great Lakes Power plant, there is a risk of contamination.
A Sault Ste. Marie task force is releasing the findings of its community consultations that will help shape its bid to become the future home of the Canada Water Agency. Creation of the new federal agency was announced in 2020, with officials saying its goal is to help improve freshwater management in Canada. In Sault Ste. Marie, an official bid to host the agency was launched last year, with the Sault's central location to the Great Lakes as a big selling point.
Sault Ste. Marie wants to be the home for a new federal government agency that could create at least 100 full-time jobs in the community. The city is making the case that it would be the ideal location for the new Canada Water Agency, which would improve freshwater management across the country. Kathleen Heymans, the city's business development manager, said the agency would expand on existing expertise built around freshwater management in Sault Ste. Marie.
Some believe Sault Ste. Marie is the perfect location for the headquarters of the soon-to-be-created Canada Water Agency and a city task force is preparing to make its final pitch for the project. The federal government announced during its previous mandate that it wanted to create the agency intended to improve freshwater management across Canada. That promise was solidified in the government’s most recent Speech from the Throne. The city of Sault Ste. Marie put together a task force to explore the possibility of bringing that new agency to the city.
It’s the last chance to have your say and provide input on why Sault Ste. Marie should be the host of Canada’s Water Agency Initiative. The federal government announced earlier this year that it wants to establish a Canada Water Agency to improve freshwater management across the country. Ward 5 Coun. Corey Gardi has spearheaded the initiative for Sault Ste. Marie to host the future agency. Stakeholders called to the table include various organizations, Indigenous persons, youth and the community at large. The comments, ideas and concerns for clean-water issues will be incorporated in the city’s pitch to bring the Canada Water Agency to the Sault.
Sault Ste. Marie City Council held a vote approving the establishment of the Canada Water Agency Task Force on June 28. This organization is building a pitch to the federal government to have the anticipated country-wide agency located in the Sault. The task force is led by Natural Environment Coordinator Sault College Ryan Namespetra. One year ago, the federal government announced its plans to establish an agency to serve as a central hub for the management of water in Canada. This includes research, dealing with the effects of climate change, water scarcity, Indigenous/government relations and following international law.
Sault College's Natural Environment Coordinator and professor Ryan Namespetra has been appointed to the taskforce designed to help bring the Canada Water Agency (CWA) to the City of Sault Ste. Marie. This taskforce is part of the city's proposal to bring freshwater conservation to the Upper Great Lakes, which the college has endorsed and will work collaboratively on. "Strongly aligning with many of Sault College’s core values, our college enthusiastically endorses the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s proposal to bring the Canada Water Agency to our City along with the creation of a taskforce to lead this initiative," the college stated in a news release issued today. "Having it (the CWA) located within our city will not only benefit our community as a whole, but also future students and generations."
Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp. will earmark $19,000 to help the city’s bid to draw the federal government’s new Canada Water Agency to the community. The agency’s mandate is to work with provinces and territories, Indigenous communities and scientists “to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean and well-managed,” said manager of business development Kathleen Heymans in a report to council. The agency “is meant to emphasize applied research to enable effective conservation and management of Canada’s freshwater resources,” she adds.
City Council this week approved creation of a task force aimed at spearheading the Sault's bid to become the home of the Canada Water Agency. The new federal agency is expected to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, local authorities, scientists and others in finding ways to keep Canada's water safe and competently managed. A number of communities are known to be interested in landing the clean-water prize, but around the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre, most of the talk is about the City of Regina.
In Sept. 2020, Ward 5 Coun. Corey Gardi was watching Governor-General Julie Payette read the Speech from the Throne. The former astronaut announced the Government’s plans to establish a Canada-wide agency to manage the country’s water bodies and keep them clean and safe. Upon hearing this, Gardi immediately thought Sault Ste. Marie would be a good fit for this agency. The Canada Water Agency will be a hub for water research and management. It will create a central place to deal with climate change effects on oceans, water scarcity, and shared waters with the United States.
“Canada has one of the largest resources of fresh water in the world. Water is going to be — already is — a very, very valuable commodity and I’ve always found it odd that Canada is so willing to sell oil and natural gas and uranium and coal, which are by their nature finite. But talking about water is off the table, yet water is renewable.” — Paul Cellucci (U.S. ambassador to Canada, 2001 to 2005)
The City of Sault Ste. Marie will continue to urge Transport Canada to provide an acceptable solution that will see potable water available at the Pointe Des Chenes campground and day park. But that doesn’t change the status of the campground – at least until potable water is available. Council confirmed that they want staff to continue to press the issue with the federal government, specifically Transport Canada, who is said to be the root cause of the benzene concentrations in the water supply.
