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.
Residents are concerned about the large number of dead fish found floating in the Ausable River in Port Franks, Ont., and are questioning the safety of the waterway used by boaters and swimmers. The municipality of Lambton Shores said it was alerted to issue on Saturday, with reports that hundreds of fish of various species were turning up in the marina and along the banks of the river, which flows into Lake Huron.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) released its report cards for the watersheds in the region, and while some results are positive, ERCA concluded some areas need improvement. The report cards, which are given based on five years of data collection, are given out by conservation authorities across Ontario using standardized methodologies to grade surface water and groundwater quality and forest cover, according to Katie Stammler, a water quality scientist with ERCA.
Toronto residents are being warned to be careful around rivers, streams and shorelines due in part to rain this week that could cause water levels to rise. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is urging the public to be cautious around all bodies of water because of changing water levels in rivers in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto is expected to see rainfall amounts of 10 to 15 millimetres on Wednesday. That amount is on top of the drizzle that fell on Tuesday.
The head of the conversation authority that serves London is concerned legislative changes being pushed through by the Ontario government could limit the organization's role in reviewing projects for flood risk and other natural hazards. The More Homes Built Faster Act — already in its second reading at Queen's Park — is intended to simplify and streamline the approval process for development applications. The Doug Ford government says it's making the changes to fast-track home building to address a province-wide housing shortage.
