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.
The recent federal budget pledged $650 million over 10 years to support monitoring, assessment and restoration work related to fresh water across the country, including the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe. Also on the table was $22.6 million over three years to better support co-ordination of efforts to protect freshwater across Canada. There was also $85.1 million over five years for the creation of the Canada Water Agency.
The B.C. government has announced what it says is significant funding to help protect the province's freshwater supply in partnership with Indigenous people. On Monday, Nathan Cullen, B.C.'s minister of water, land and resource stewardship, said $100 million is being invested in a watershed security fund co-managed by the B.C.-First Nations Water Table (BCFNWT), which includes members from the government and B.C. First Nations.
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, announced over $11.7 million to support the Ontario Land Trust Alliance to conserve wetlands, grasslands and forests that are currently under threat. Spanning much of the province, the projects will protect from conversion up to 6000 hectares. The projects will also restore another 300 hectares of habitat that supports 60 species at risk, including the Kirtland's Warbler. In addition to protecting species at risk and important ecosystems in people's neighbourhoods, these projects will help keep our air clean and fight climate change, by capturing and storing carbon.
