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

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Hamilton exploring relief programs as unpaid water bills soar

Hamilton exploring relief programs as unpaid water bills soar

The City of Hamilton is examining the possibility of new relief or rebate programs to help low-income residents amidst a surge in the number of unpaid water bills. Senior policy advisor John Savoie says such arrears have soared in Hamilton in recent years, reaching 20,000 accounts last year with total unpaid amounts hitting $4.4 million. “Unpaid after 60 days, it gets transferred to the property’s tax roll,” said Savoie. “We have seen over the last five years or so, the number and the value of those tax roll transfers have more than doubled.” Savoie added that 90 per cent of last year’s unpaid water bills were residential.

SaskPower projecting rare $100M loss this year

SaskPower projecting rare $100M loss this year

SaskPower is projecting a net shortfall of $105 million this fiscal year, something the minister responsible for the Crown corporation, Don Morgan, says is rare. SaskPower reported a net income loss of $97 million in the first half of 2022-23, a period that ending Sept. 30. Over the same period in 2021-22, the corporation reported $13 million in net income. The $110-million swing was due to a $172-million increase in expenses.

Manitoba Hydro says it needs 3.5% rate hikes in next 2 years to manage risks from debt, water levels

Manitoba Hydro says it needs 3.5% rate hikes in next 2 years to manage risks from debt, water levels

Manitoba Hydro is asking the provincial regulator, the Public Utilities Board, to approve electricity rate increases of 3.5 per cent in each of the next two years. It also warns that it will likely need rate hikes above the rate of inflation in the future if it is to meet government debt-reduction targets. "These proposed increases will help ensure Manitoba Hydro has the financial resources available to handle the risks created by our $24-billion debt load and factors that are out of our control like fluctuating interest rates, export market prices and water levels," Jay Grewal, president and CEO of the Crown-owned utility, said in a press release Wednesday.

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