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.
When Cyrielle Noël learned how to swim at the age of two, it was the start of a lifelong love of water and fascination with the waterways that surround the island of Montreal. That curiosity helped spawn a career in urban planning with a specific focus on the use of marine spaces. Noël works for Ocean Bridge, an organization that connects youths and young professionals across Canada and encourages them to create projects aimed at ocean conservation.
Canada is globally admired for its breathtaking landscape, naturally architected by its rich water supply. In fact, according to Canada's Changing Climate Report, 20% of the world's freshwater flows in Canada, coming from over 8,500 rivers and more than 2 million lakes. But with these resources comes responsibility, and regrettably, Canada's climate is said to be warming twice as fast as the global average which negatively impacts the country's water systems and supply.
“Forest practices can affect water quality, quantity and timing of water flows, which may have negative impacts to drinking water, fish habitat, infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, and private property” said Kevin Kriese, chair of the Forest Practices Board, in a statement. “Looking ahead, climate change will have significant effects on our watersheds and can compound the effects of human activities, including forestry. However, there are steps that can be taken to avoid or reduce these impacts.”
“It is irresponsible to leave nuclear waste in water basins year after year without a decision,” said Strandhall, who was quoted in a nuclear-industry publication based in London, England. “We must not hand over the responsibility to our children and grandchildren,” she added. “We, and Finland, are the first in the world to take responsibility for nuclear waste.”
Indigenous Services Canada is recognized for its ongoing failure to provide details surrounding test results of drinking water in many Indigenous communities, as well as contracts negotiated with private water companies requested under Canada's federal Access to Information Act. Numerous requests have been filed with Indigenous Services Canada over the past several years. The department has not responded to questions about why it has taken so long for records to be released and, even when any are, they are heavily redacted.
Today is marking twenty-seven years since on February 1, 1995 a Boil Water Advisory was put in place in Neskantaga. This is the longest continuous boil water advisory in Canada. Think of this for a moment, this community in Canada has hundreds of people who have never done, in their community, what millions of Canadians take for granted: Filled a glass of water from the tap and drank it.
Joint Canada-U.S. regulators of Lake Ontario water levels say they are monitoring ice-cover conditions to ensure proper outflows from the Moses Saunders Dam into the St. Lawrence River. Outflows from Lake Ontario are higher than usual for this time of the year, said regulators. International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board said, “although flows have been reduced, the outflows remain relatively high compared to the historical record. The average Lake Ontario outflow for January 2022 is currently the fourth highest on record since 1900 (following 2020, 2021, and 1987), and the January mean Lake Ontario level is the 15th highest on record since 1918.”
The fundraiser, which was created on Friday, has a $5 million goal, with all proceeds going towards Water First, an organization that partners with Indigenous communities “to support access to clean drinking water through education, training, and meaningful collaboration.” If the money is raised, Howarth says GoFundMe will send the funds directly to the organization. Referring to the truckers convoy, Howarth says, “If anyone can raise $5 million in one week, it should be all Canadians who believe that clean drinking water for Indigenous communities should be our nation’s top priority.”
Calls are mounting in Nunavut for the territorial government to call a public inquiry into the Iqaluit water crisis. The city of nearly 8,000 went for two months without clean tap water last fall after hydrocarbons were detected in the water and ultimately traced to the city's water treatment plant. The do not consume order was lifted in December, after a bypass had been set up at the plant, only to result in a boil water advisory that lasted nine days earlier this month, as residents again reported the smell of fuel in the water.
Though models indicate an overall increase in precipitation, future droughts and soil moisture deficits are projected to be more frequent and intense across the southern Canadian Prairies during summer by the end of the century under a high-emission scenario. So how does that work? When you look at the water supply chapter of our changing climate, timing is very important. David Sauchyn, director of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative at the University of Regina, is a lead author of a report detailing the changes we can expect in the Prairies as our climate warms.
Much of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula was left dealing with flooding and strong winds Sunday, while Labrador braced for blizzard conditions. Blair Sparkes of Environment Canada's Gander weather office says several areas on the Avalon Peninsula reported more than 70 mm of rain overnight Saturday. Sparkes said melting snow also contributed to the flooding. "Temperatures did get up fairly warm overnight, generally running around eight to 10 degrees now over the Avalon Peninsula — actually, most of eastern and southern Newfoundland are seeing those kind of numbers," he said Sunday on CBC Radio's Weekend AM.
Iqaluit resident Jenny Ell says she couldn't believe it when she turned on her tap a couple of weeks ago and smelled fuel for the second time in a matter of months. Ell, who is pregnant, said she was worried for her baby's safety and immediately contacted the city. "I'm hanging in there," Ell said. "Hopefully they're not slow about it like the last time it happened." About 8,000 people in the territory's capital city couldn't drink the tap water for two months last fall when it was found to be contaminated with fuel.
The data from wastewater is considered a better indicator of how a city is doing at this point in the pandemic, particularly at a time when the province is rationing tests to high-risk groups and many people who have contracted COVID-19 are not showing up on provincial case totals. Wastewater testing measures COVID-19 levels across an entire city and officials can get a big picture perspective sooner than relying on just nasal testing.
An investigation into water quality in the Village of Pemberton’s (VOP) wells has revealed manganese and iron levels that exceed the new standards set by the Canadian government in 2019. The elevated levels were first discussed at the Pemberton council table in June 2021. While they aren’t something to be alarmed about, according to the VOP’s manager of operations and projects Tom Csima, plans are in the works for a new water treatment plant that would bring the levels back to normal range through filtration and oxidation of chlorine injection into the water.
Nunavut's Health Department has lifted a precautionary boil-water advisory for the city of Iqaluit. The capital's 8,000 people had been under the advisory since Jan. 19 when the city started using a bypass system to pump water to residents. The city shut down its treatment plant the same day after drinking water coming from taps was found to contain traces of fuel. The water was also contaminated with fuel late last year and residents were under a do-not-consume order for two months.
Mayor Bill Mauro is making a case for Thunder Bay to host a new federal agency designed to put greater focus on protecting and managing Canada’s water resources. Local leaders say Thunder Bay could be a natural fit for the Canada Water Agency, and tout potential economic benefits for the city. There are no clear answers yet, however, on when or how the government will select a home for the organization – and the city will face competition. This week, Mauro advised city council he intended to throw the city’s hat in the ring, saying he had reached out to local MPs for their support. Both said they’ll be happy to comply.
Forward Water Technologies Corp. (FWTC) has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Membracon (UK) regarding a joint venture. The proposed joint venture will be resourced by both Membracon and Forward Water and will be responsible for delivering Forward Water's forward osmosis processes and solutions within the United Kingdom and Ireland. Forward Water CEO, Dr. Howie Honeyman sat down with Dave Jackson to discuss the partnership with Membracon.
A director at a Hamilton non-profit started a fundraiser on Friday for a charity that supports Indigenous women and families, as a response to the Freedom Convoy that has heavy coverage over several news cycles. Robyn Knickle, the director of development at the Neighbour 2 Neighbour Centre in Hammilton, wrote in a social media post that seeing the tally for the trucker convoy climb past $6 million (much of which has originated from outside of Canada), caused her to wonder why there was no similar groundswell of support for Indigenous communities. Within six hours, the GoFundMe campaign she created to support the charitable foundation linked to the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) had raised $700, toward a modest goal of $5,000.
The daughter of a famous Anishnaabe water advocate from Wiikwemkoong said she is moved that a school in Pickering will be named in honour of her mother. Sir John A Macdonald Public School will soon be renamed the Biidassige Mandaamin Public School. From 2003 to 2017, Josephine Mandamin walked around the Great Lakes, bringing awareness to water and environmental issues – especially those in First Nations.
A water main break flooded multiple downtown Regina streets on Friday afternoon. The area affected by the “large” main break spans from Broad Street and 11th Avenue, to Halifax Street and Saskatchewan Drive, according to a tweet from the Regina Police Service. The Regina Police Service said police and city crews were on the scene dealing with flooded streets around 2 p.m. Friday.
