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.
Some Conception Bay South residents were hopping mad in the fall after a popular neighbourhood pond on Frog Pond Road in Topsail — home to ice skating and hockey in the winter, and exploring in the summer — was left dry after water and sewer work was completed. But water has found its way back to Frog Pond, although the mild fall and winter has not yet frozen the water enough to make the ice safe for skating. The issue was discussed at the Dec. 6 Conception Bay South council meeting.
A suspected anthrax outbreak at Wood Buffalo National Park has been confirmed. Samples sent to a lab early last week came back positive on Thursday said Parks Canada in a news release the same day, confirming the presence of anthrax in at least one dead bison at the park. Bison will usually contract the disease from contaminated soil while wallowing in dust baths. Spores develop in hotter temperatures and fluctuating water levels. Cooler temperatures will kill the spores and slow the outbreak.
