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.
Oct. 14 marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States. The day has historically been celebrated as Columbus Day in the U.S., but a number of states have decided to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. They recognize the Indigenous populations that were displaced and decimated after Christopher Columbus and other European explorers reached the continent. And this year, the American celebration had a very Canadian appeal, if you looked in the right place.
