Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

firefighting foam

3M to pay at least $10.3B to settle 'forever chemical' drinking water lawsuits in U.S.

3M to pay at least $10.3B to settle 'forever chemical' drinking water lawsuits in U.S.

Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products, the company said Thursday. The deal would compensate water providers for pollution with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS — a broad class of chemicals used in nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products such as clothing and cookware.

U.S. issues new warnings on 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

U.S. issues new warnings on 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday released new warnings for synthetic pollutants in drinking water known as "forever chemicals" saying the toxins can still be harmful even at levels so low they are not detectable. The family of toxic chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been used for decades in household products such as non-stick cookware, stain- and water-resistant textiles and in firefighting foam and industrial products.

Council awards $5M engineering contract in first phase of leaked chemical clean-up agreement with DND

Council awards $5M engineering contract in first phase of leaked chemical clean-up agreement with DND

North Bay City Council has approved a nearly $5 million contract for engineering consulting services associated with the remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) at Jack Garland Airport. In July, the City of North Bay and the Department of National Defence (DND) reached a $20-million contribution agreement related to the leakage of chemicals at the local airport. PFAS are manufactured substances found in many consumer and industrial products, including firefighting foam. Past use of the airport lands for firefighter training between the early 1970s and mid-1990s has been identified as the main source of PFAS on the airport property. Although firefighting foam containing PFAS was an accepted practice and was in accordance with regulations at that time, its use is very limited today.

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