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 Yukon’s allocation of federal ‘gas tax’ funding has grown to $18 million this year, with nearly $1 million already slotted for projects, according to the Yukon government. Unincorporated communities will receive about $1 million of the fund. “These funds are allocated to projects based on need,” said Bonnie Venton Ross, spokesperson for Community Services, in an email.
Ontario is protecting people’s health by bringing infrastructure investments to small communities to help them improve the quality of their drinking water. Starting today, Tuesday, July 13, eligible municipalities, First Nation communities and Local Services Boards can begin applying for funding through the second intake of the Green Infrastructure stream. The Green Stream is part of the joint federal and provincial Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). Up to $240 million in joint federal and provincial funding is available for this intake, including $110 million from the Ontario government.
“Through the Canada Water Agency, our government is looking to strengthen collaboration between the federal government, the provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples and other partners to find the best ways to safeguard our freshwater consultations are an important part of this process and I look forward to input from Canadians,” Terry Duguid said in a statement. Mr. Duguid is Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Wilkinson and has been key in the development process. The discussion paper, ‘Toward the Creation of a Canada Water Agency,’ presents key issues and provides an overview of the federal government’s existing activities to enhance freshwater management, and a virtual national freshwater policy forum is planned for January 27 and 28. A series of regional forums will be held in February that will provide additional opportunities to participate in consultations. The discussion paper and additional information can be found at placespeak.ca. Comments can be submitted until March 1.
The water system expansion project will convert a test well into a production well in the new East Memramcook region. This will expand the capacity and the sustainability of the system and benefit the community by increasing access to potable water. The project will also provide water to residences that are currently not serviced. A booster station and a water storage tank will also be constructed in order to provide sufficient water pressure to residents. This expansion will also provide a secure water source for an additional 175 users.
