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

Fraser Valley farmers won't know for weeks how floodwaters have affected prized soil

Fraser Valley farmers won't know for weeks how floodwaters have affected prized soil

Six days into the flood, Harman Kaur and her husband took a drive past their acreage and found thousands of their ruby-red blueberry bushes were still completely buried in the murky, brown floodwater. Leaking pesticides swirled around the field. Garbage and gas tanks floated past. The smell of fuel filled their noses. "There was a complete layer of oil on top [of the water], and we're talking what I could just see from the road," said Kaur, 29, whose family has owned their farm in the Arnold area of Abbotsford, B.C., for more than a decade.

Greater Victoria residents asked to stay out of water at 2 locations due to wastewater discharge

Greater Victoria residents asked to stay out of water at 2 locations due to wastewater discharge

Residents in Greater Victoria are being advised not to enter the water at two shoreline locations due to wastewater discharge after heavy rain. The two affected shorelines are between Tarn Place and Seaview Road (Cadboro Bay), and between Radcliffe Lane and Trafalgar Park (McNeil Bay). Warning signs have been put up at beaches in both areas, and will only be removed after tests confirm bacteria levels are below acceptable levels.

'There's nothing to stop it': Floodwaters rising in Abbotsford as Nooksack River overflows

'There's nothing to stop it': Floodwaters rising in Abbotsford as Nooksack River overflows

Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun says he's increasingly concerned about rising waters in and around his city as a series of atmospheric rivers continues to pummel B.C.'s South Coast. During a news conference on Sunday, Braun said Whatcom County in Washington state had advised that water has now risen above a dike on the Nooksack River, and it's pooling between the river and a nearby road.

Before-and-after photos from the Sumas Prairie region of Abbotsford show the area's slow recovery

Before-and-after photos from the Sumas Prairie region of Abbotsford show the area's slow recovery

Some areas of the Sumas Prairie are showing signs of recovery, even as the region prepares for another series of storms, with one atmospheric river arriving on Saturday and another larger one on Tuesday. - Ben Nelms, Staff Photographer Ben Nelms is an award-winning photojournalist based in Vancouver, B.C.

Flood-stranded sturgeon pushed, pulled and carried back to the Fraser River

Flood-stranded sturgeon pushed, pulled and carried back to the Fraser River

A flood-stranded sturgeon is now back in the comfortable confines of the main stem of the Fraser River thanks to the volunteer efforts and cardiovascular capacity of two angling guides, who pushed, pulled and carried the giant fish two kilometres to deep water. The sturgeon was discovered by a helicopter crew flying near British Columbia's Herrling Island, between Hope and Agassiz, on Thursday. Video sent to the Fraser Valley Angling Guides Association (FVAGA) shows it struggling in an isolated and shallow pool left behind by receding floodwaters from recent catastrophic rains in B.C.

Residents fear effects of increasing quarry activity on Elmvale groundwater, believed to be cleanest in world

Residents fear effects of increasing quarry activity on Elmvale groundwater, believed to be cleanest in world

Pauzé says she started noticing changes in her well water when a nearby quarry, now operated by the Dufferin Aggregates division of CRH Canada, started drawing millions of litres of groundwater most days to wash gravel in 2009. The quarry is located on the northern edge of French's Hill, a groundwater recharge area where rainfall enters the ground and replenishes the regional water flow system. Owners of at least a dozen wells situated downgradient of the Teedon Pit and its aggregate washing operations have complained of changes in their water, and they suspect wash water is leaking into the underlying groundwater flow system.

Why the average Hamilton resident will pay $39 more for water next year

Why the average Hamilton resident will pay $39 more for water next year

The average Hamilton home will be charged $39.05 more for water next year, but city officials insist the increase is necessary to do infrastructure upgrades, handle climate change, and clean up Hamilton Harbour. City council approved a 4.98 per cent increase to local water bills Wednesday, despite numbers that show people are getting better at conserving water. And Hamilton Water staff predict even steeper increases every year until 2026.

Farmer devastated over loss of crop says dream of making Abbotsford the 'saffron capital' of B.C. persists

Farmer devastated over loss of crop says dream of making Abbotsford the 'saffron capital' of B.C. persists

For Avtar Dhillon, living in the Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford meant cultivating his dream to farm the world's most expensive spice in British Columbia. Now his crop of about 250,000 saffron bulbs lies still under several feet of muddied water. The farmer, who recently said he was B.C.'s first to farm saffron on a large commercial scale, says his farm has suffered catastrophic damage due to flooding in the Fraser Valley. "I'm very upset about [the] saffron ... I take six years to get to this point ... and then Monday just lost everything." For Dhillon, who is also a blueberry farmer, it took several years of experimenting with different methods of growing saffron before finding one that worked.

Michigan reps press Biden to stop Canadian plan to store nuclear waste near Lake Huron

Michigan reps press Biden to stop Canadian plan to store nuclear waste near Lake Huron

Bipartisan Michigan lawmakers are pressing President Joe Biden to talk to the Canadian government about stopping the proposal for a permanent repository for radioactive waste near Lake Huron. U.S. Reps. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township; Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township; and Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids Township, spoke out ahead of Biden's recent meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, expressing their opposition to the plans.

Guelph MPP introduces water protection bill

Guelph MPP introduces water protection bill

This morning, Ontario Green Leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner reintroduced pivotal legislation to protect the Paris Galt Moraine. “It is critical that we protect water,” Schreiner said. “Both now and for future generations. This bill provides model legislation to protect moraines across the province. “As the climate crisis worsens, Ontario needs to preserve its water supplies before the situation becomes more costly and dire. More delays will cost us with our wallets and with our health. “I’ve heard from the people of Guelph loud and clear: protecting water and the Paris Gault Moraine is a top priority for the region."

'It's pretty shocking,' resident says of return to Antigonish trailer park hit by flooding

'It's pretty shocking,' resident says of return to Antigonish trailer park hit by flooding

Some residents of an Antigonish, N.S., trailer park returned to their homes Wednesday to check out the damage caused by severe flooding the day before. "It's pretty shocking to come back here," said Joni Mansfield, a resident of the MacDonald Trailer Park, also known as Indian Gardens Trailer Park, off Maclellan Street. Thirty-three people escaped by boat when the park flooded on Tuesday.

Manitoba agrees to send Winnipeg's funding ask for North End sewage plant upgrades, transit plan to feds

Manitoba agrees to send Winnipeg's funding ask for North End sewage plant upgrades, transit plan to feds

The province of Manitoba has agreed to forward the City of Winnipeg's application for federal funding on two key projects, the premier and mayor said at a news conference on Wednesday. That includes the second phase of upgrades to Winnipeg's North End sewage treatment plant, which involves the construction of a $552-million facility to process biosolids — a sludgy byproduct of the initial treatment of solid human waste.

Saint John roads still covered in water, buses rerouted after rainstorm

Saint John roads still covered in water, buses rerouted after rainstorm

The City of Saint John says three roads are still closed or partly covered in water after a rainstorm earlier this week. On Monday and Tuesday, a storm brought up to 75 millilitres of rain in southern areas of New Brunswick. Roads were flooded and buses were rerouted in the Saint John area. But two days after the rain stopped, some roads still have standing water, affecting traffic.

B.C. Flooding: New water line being built as Canadian Forces arrive in Princeton

B.C. Flooding: New water line being built as Canadian Forces arrive in Princeton

The town’s water system is down to one line across the Tulameen River, and pressure for the system is depending on two fire hoses. A new water line is currently being constructed, drilling underneath the Tulameen River. “The challenge is, mostly, there’s a cobble situation, so it’s more challenging than most drilling,” said Greg Truman, an Ironman Directional Drilling project manager. Ironman Directional Drilling has been contracted to construct the new water line. Truman said it’s rewarding work for a community that needs help.

Could take 'days or weeks' to fix flood-damaged parts of Cape Breton

Could take 'days or weeks' to fix flood-damaged parts of Cape Breton

It could be "days or weeks" before things get back to normal in flood-ravaged parts of Cape Breton following the rain and wind storm that swept across Nova Scotia, according to a provincial transportation official. Jamie Chisholm, the Department of Transportation's eastern district director, said Wednesday the hardest hit areas were Inverness and Victoria counties. "We've had multiple bridges compromised, some washed out completely, several roads that are impassable right now," he said.

Province warns next 10 days could be 'quite challenging' as more storms set to hit B.C.

Province warns next 10 days could be 'quite challenging' as more storms set to hit B.C.

British Columbia is bracing for more rainfall in the coming days and weeks as the province works to rebuild after unprecedented precipitation earlier this month. Up to 80 millimetres of rain is forecast for Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound, Whistler and the Fraser Valley, starting this morning and continuing until Friday. Strong southeast winds near the water are also predicted as part of this weather system, and freezing levels will rise above mountain tops, which could trigger snowmelt and worsen the flooding situation.

‘I stand with the Wet’suwet’en and all the Indigenous land and water protectors’

‘I stand with the Wet’suwet’en and all the Indigenous land and water protectors’

A longtime Indigenous rights activist wants Wet’suwet’en land and water defenders to know they’re “not alone,” that their power is “in the Spirit,” and that it’s time for Canadians to start “upholding their share of democracy.” Ellen Gabriel is a Onkwehón:we rights activist from the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) community of Kanesatake. She lived on the front lines of her people’s resistance to the construction of a golf course and townhouses on Kanienkehaka lands in 1990. The 78-day standoff became known as “the resistance at Kanesatake,” also known as ‘The Oka Crisis’ as images of Indigenous warriors facing off with heavily armed RCMP officers became memorialized in the country.

How climate change played a role in the B.C. floods

How climate change played a role in the B.C. floods

Climate change, wildfires, and towns being built on former lakes played major roles in the flooding across British Columbia, says a climate researcher at Queen’s University. “We've really grossly underestimated what needs to be done to mitigate the flooding that is going to occur in the future,” Edward Struzik, a fellow at Queen’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy in Kingston, Ont., told CTVNews.ca during a video interview on Tuesday. He urged engineers to team up with climate scientists and meteorologists to rethink infrastructure, such as bridges, railways, and roads, with climate change in mind.

Could take 'days or weeks' to fix flood-damaged parts of Cape Breton

Could take 'days or weeks' to fix flood-damaged parts of Cape Breton

"A lot of it, we're going to find, I guess, more damage as the water recedes, because it's really hard to tell until the water recedes," he said. "It's probably easier to describe the number of roads that don't have problems than the ones that do." The Emergency Management Office is asking people in Inverness and Victoria counties to stay off the roads. Lyle Donovan, EMO co-ordinator in Victoria County, said more than a dozen roads are washed out and a man was injured when his car got stuck on one of the damaged roads.

Follow us