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.
President Joe Biden's administration has announced a plan to rip out nine million lead water pipes across the US. The 10-year proposal aims to shield communities from a neurotoxin that can cause permanent damage to the brain and nervous system, especially in children. It would cost about $30bn (£24bn), the Environmental Protection Agency says.
On April 29, U.S. President Joe Biden gave his first address to Congress. Early in his speech he identified lead water pipes as a "clear and present danger" to American public health and announced a 100 per cent replacement of lead water pipes found in 10 million U.S. homes and 400,000 schools and child-care centres as a major part of the America’s Job Plan, so that every American has safe drinking water. Here in Canada, all levels of government need to get serious about lead levels in our drinking water.
