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.
Water cremation is set to be made available for the first time in the UK. The process, known as resomation, uses a mix of potassium hydroxide and water to break down human remains in what is billed as a more sustainable option. It takes four hours - the bones remain, and are powdered then returned to loved ones in a similar way to ashes, in an urn. Resomation is used in Canada, South Africa and many US states.
