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

testing water

A coastal First Nation’s Guardians are ‘testing the water’ to prepare for climate change

A coastal First Nation’s Guardians are ‘testing the water’ to prepare for climate change

A coastal First Nation’s Guardian team is gearing up to test the waters to try to limit the impacts of drought in their traditional territories on northeast Vancouver Island. The We Wai Kai First Nation's environmental stewards are partnering with other local groups to map and monitor wetlands, watersheds and streams on Quadra Island as summers get hotter and drier, said Guardian program manager Shane Pollard. Drought in the northeastern Vancouver Island water basin, which includes We Wai Kai territory and Quadra Island, is increasingly common.

Nova Scotia Health to pause testing water for chemicals in province's central zone

Nova Scotia Health to pause testing water for chemicals in province's central zone

Nova Scotia Health says it will pause testing water for chemicals in the province's central zone beginning Monday due to a worldwide shortage of an unnamed chemical component used in the testing. The health authority said it will reassess the situation in three to four weeks. According to the province, more than 40 per cent of Nova Scotia households get their drinking water from wells. It encourages regular testing.

Federal minister denies water testing allegations made by Sask. government

Federal minister denies water testing allegations made by Sask. government

Canada's environment minister is denying the Saskatchewan government's allegations that federal scientists purposely trespassed on private farmland and were testing water samples for nitrates or nutrients related to farm runoff. On Sunday, Saskatchewan Minister Responsible for the Water Security Agency Jeremy Cockrill posted a public letter to federal Minister for Environment and Climate Change Canada Steven Guilbeault.

Is your well doing well? Water well, that is.

Is your well doing well? Water well, that is.

With many residents of Woodlands County utilizing well water, the municipality hosted a virtual workshop on October 21 on managing wells. The event streamed live and enabled attendees to ask questions in real-time. Multiple specialists were on hand, including Jeff Hammer, a Public Health Inspector for Alberta Health Services. Hammer discussed the importance of testing water and why it’s essential to do so. “We have two types of tests available at the health units. One is a bacteriological bottle which we test for total Coliform and E. coli. Total Coliform is an indicator of bacteria, and E. coli is basically fecal matter which you never want to see. The other type of test we have is a chemical water sample. It does a bunch of minerals and metals and has some more health parameters associated with it.” Hammer said that some of the minerals and metals tested for include manganese, lead, arsenic, and the pH value of the water.

Poor water quality linked to sulfate levels

Poor water quality linked to sulfate levels

This summer, testing water might become a necessity for livestock producers. Hundreds of dugouts across the eastern Prairies are half-full of water, or nearly empty, because of minimal snowfall this winter. When dugouts and other water sources are low, water quality usually drops. “If they (producers) are looking at lower levels… that can sneak up on someone,” said Jenay Werle, livestock and feed specialist with Saskatchewan’s ministry of agriculture in Yorkton. “There are health implications to poor water. It can show it as reproductive failure or other nutritional issues.”

Tenants sue former landlords for allegedly putting irrigation water into their drinking source

Tenants sue former landlords for allegedly putting irrigation water into their drinking source

When Steven and Diane Hayes look back at the eight years they spent questioning the quality of their drinking water, battling bouts of diarrhea and other stomach troubles, they tell CBC News they still have a hard time believing the people they called friends and whom they trusted — their landlords — were responsible. It's an accusation the Hayes are now trying to prove in a civil lawsuit.

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