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.
A United Nations body has affirmed earlier findings that Canada's largest national park remains under environmental threats from dams, oilsands development and climate change. The UNESCO report, issued Friday, concludes that the vast Wood Buffalo National Park on the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary shouldn't lose its place on the list of World Heritage Sites at this time. Some things in the park, such as whooping crane numbers, are improving.
An audit of Halifax Water by the Halifax Regional Municipality's auditor general has found deficiencies in the utility's cybersecurity, including employees clicking links in emails. As part of the audit, an email purporting to be from a legitimate source with a link, known as a phishing email, was sent to 55 employees of the utility to test their awareness of security protocols. According to the report, 45 employees clicked a link in the email and provided their credentials. Three others clicked the link but did not submit their credentials. Auditor General Evangeline Colman-Sadd's audit looked at supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and made 21 recommendations for improving security.
A potential new gravel pit in Wilmot — dubbed the "Hallman Pit" — goes before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) Wednesday. This appeal was initiated last May after the township council denied Jackson Harvest Farms Inc. a rezoning application, halting the project, township documents show. However, in late February the township, the Region of Waterloo and Jackson Harvest Farms Inc. submitted a settlement to the OLT, seeking to resolve the issue. That would allow the gravel pit to proceed, with conditions.
Environmental and human rights impacts of Canadian mining firms operating abroad were the subject of recommendations by a University of Guelph professor to the House of Commons standing committee on international trade this month. A professor in the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, and director of the Guelph Institute for Sustainable Commerce, Dr. Rumina Dhalla provided recommendations on Indigenous rights, women in mining, children and supply chains.
Alberta's ombudsman has found that the province's environment ministry did not follow legislation and policy after issuing an enforcement order against a northwest Edmonton composting facility. Cleanit Greenit Composting Systems stopped producing compost last year after losing its provincial registration. Residents had complained for years about an intermittent stench near the business and Alberta's environment ministry — then called Alberta Environment and Parks and now named Environment and Protected Areas — had found "ongoing and persistent issues related to air, land and water."
Flood mitigation infrastructure that did not meet provincial standards caused British Columbia’s agriculture sector to lose $285 million, according to a new Senate report. The study, “Treading Water: The Impact and Response to the 2021 British Columbia Floods,” released on Thursday included testimony and previous analysis on local infrastructure, which concluded 87 per cent of dikes in the province’s Lower Mainland were in “less than fair condition,” and 71 per cent of dikes were expected to “fail simply by overtopping.”
Durham Region’s Committee of the Whole is in favour of repealing a controversial series of amendments that change how the region maintains and repairs the sewer pipes outside your home. In recent weeks, homeowners received letters in the mail, advertising a private insurance program for sewer pipes. The program was endorsed by the region, and the letters featured the region’s logo. The committee voted Wednesday to recommend undoing some of the changes, citing complaints and concerns by community members.
In light of last summer's extreme weather, city staff have developed new recommendations to help Kamloops reduce water use in times of drought and heat, and to protect its water supply for emergency firefighting efforts. In a civic operations committee meeting Tuesday, Greg Wightman, the city’s utility services manager, said staff have developed some measures to be implemented this summer, and have also started a review of the city’s water master plan.
On today’s date in 1972, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and U.S. President Richard Nixon began a two-day visit in Ottawa, where they would sign the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The agreement was inspired by recommendations from the International Joint Commission (IJC), which reported excessive levels of phosphorus in the Great Lakes before concluding pollution was happening on both sides of the border.
Ottawa city staff have submitted their recommendations for the proposed nuclear waste facility at Chalk River to ensure the Ottawa River is protected from contamination. In a memo dated March 10, staff outline 10 recommendations to ensure the safety of river, the primary source of drinking water for residents of Ottawa. "We are supportive of the proposed [near-surface disposal facility] as a means of providing improved environmental protection and engineered storage for low-level radioactive waste," the memo said.
Millions of Britons are set to have fluoride added to their drinking water following recommendations by the country's chief medical officers [CMOs] aimed at cutting tooth decay. According to The Times, Health Secretary Sajid Javid is “keen to press ahead” with plans to add the mineral to the water supply. And he will gain powers to do so across England under laws going through Parliament. Javid tweeted that it is “good to see UK CMOs examining how water fluoridation can improve oral health & prevent tooth decay which disproportionately affects more deprived groups”.
After a 3 1/2 year study, the International Souris River Study Board has released its draft report and recommendations for public comment. The report, “Managing Water Supply and Flood Control in the Souris River Basin,” recommends potential reservoir operation options to improve flood control and water supply. The International Joint Commission (IJC) established the Study Board in 2017 in response to a request by both the Canadian and United States governments. This request was precipitated by the flood in the Souris River basin in 2011.
