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.
Concerns about potential impacts on rivers and lakes linger in the lead-up to a long-awaited environmental hearing into a proposed palladium and copper mine near Marathon. The 30-day hearing, which is to begin on Monday, will be overseen by an independent panel of three experts appointed by the provincial and federal governments to examine the Generation Mining proposal.
As winter nears an end, the New Brunswick government is advising residents who live near flood-prone areas to have emergency preparations ready. "While we are weeks away from overland flooding being a potential threat, the weather over the next two days is a reminder preparedness is a year-round necessity," said Greg MacCallum, director of the Emergency Measures Organization.
Residents at the Stoneridge apartments in Iqaluit, who have been waiting for more than a week for a solution to their frozen pipes, can now at least shower at a different building and haul water back to their homes. But for Maxine Chubbs, that solution is too little, too late. It also does nothing to stop the smell of raw sewage from filling her apartment, where frozen sewer lines have caused sewage to back up into her sink and flow out of the building.
After a years-long fight for clean drinking water, Indigenous communities and individuals in Canada are a step closer to receiving money from a class-action lawsuit that was settled with the federal government for $8 billion last year. The claims process under the settlement opened up to submissions on Monday. Indigenous communities now have until Dec. 22 to file their claims, while individuals have until March 7, 2023.
Using salt to clear icy roads may be an effective winter safety measure, but excess salty meltwater can wreak havoc on freshwater ecosystems and drinking water resources. In a new study, researchers show current water quality guidelines in North America and Europe are not enough to prevent dangerous levels of salinization. The findings were published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner Autumn Peltier stressed that no child should have to go without access to clean water during her Feb. 16 address at the virtual Assembly of First Nations (AFN) 5th Annual Water Symposium. The Feb. 15-17 symposium also featured opening remarks by Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare and a Panel Presentation on the Class Action Litigation on Drinking Water Advisories in First Nations that included Curve Lake Chief Emily Whetung.
Private home project approved for waterfront The setback changes a private developer wants to build a home on the waterfront next to the Leland Hotel was approved by council at its February 28 meeting. Jeff and Halee Fried want to build a one-storey, mid-century-style wood- and glass-fronted private home facing the lake on the downtown property, located on 4th Avenue across from the historic hotel. They asked to be allowed to reduce the setback along a side alley to 1.5 metres for a garage, and to reduce the setback for the side of the house facing the Leland to five metres from six.
Residents of a northern Manitoba town that have had to boil their water for a decade are now dealing with a whole new set of problems — brown water coming out of their taps. On Monday, people who live in Lynn Lake turned on their taps to see brown water flowing out. The next day, local schools and at least one restaurant closed temporarily because of the water.
Crews have finished the dredging of Randle Reef, a major step in the effort to clean up the most contaminated site on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. Federal, provincial and city government reps announced Wednesday that stage two of the three-part, $139-million project is finished. That means all of the toxic coal-tar sediment has been removed from the water or capped inside a double-steel container.
Mapleton council has postponed on choosing a design for the new water tank in Drayton due to the expensive pricing of the proposed designs. At Tuesday’s meeting, Coun. Paul Douglas moved a motion to postpone on choosing a design and to direct staff to discuss different options with the designer to make the designs more cost-effective. “Council wanted to be more fiscally responsible as the designs were too expensive, so they directed staff to gather more information on the options council gave during the meeting and new pricing,” explained township CAO Manny Baron on the phone.
Recent flooding in Halls Harbour has helped illustrate that issues surrounding storms and sea level rise in the community have to be addressed. Like many other Kings County communities, Halls Harbour experienced flooding on Feb. 18 and 19. A heavy rain storm and melting snow combined with the high tide to flood Highway 359, leading to a temporary road closure.
Work will soon begin on the Wellington elevated water storage tank. Council awarded the contract to Landmark Structures Co. on Tuesday night during their regular council meeting for the construction of an elevated water storage tank and bulk water filling station at a cost of $9,002,000. This is over-budget by almost $1 million and the budget increase of $992,772.15 will be funded by long-term debt.
Despite $8 billion coming to provide clean drinking water to communities like Curve Lake First Nation, that money won't fix the physical or emotional trauma inflicted on Indigenous peoples. “There is absolutely no amount of money that can make up for being denied clean drinking water for so many years,” says lawyer Stephanie Willsey. Willsey, who is Chippewa from Rama First Nation, helped bring a class-action lawsuit against the federal government. She says the settlement will change people’s lives and set up future generations so they won't have to face the same health crisis First Nations have been dealing with for decades.
Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s vast far northern territory of Nunavut, lifted a city-wide boil water advisory March 4 that had been in place since the beginning of the month. In an earlier news release, authorities stated, “The City recommends that all water used for consumption and dental hygiene is brought to a rolling boil for a minimum of one full minute.”
A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China and one each from Canada and Germany, has found data from the Chinese Mars rover Zhurong over its first 60 sols, showing evidence of wind erosion and possibly impacts from water erosion, as well. In their paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, they discuss what they have found thus far.
The Nova Scotia government is taking its first steps toward cleaning up five more sites in the province that were contaminated by historical mining — Gold Brook Lake, Seal Harbour, Lake Enon, Mooseland mine and the former steel plant on Ocean Street in Sydney Mines. Nova Scotia Lands, the provincial Crown corporation responsible for remediation of Crown properties, posted notices last month seeking companies to study the five sites and come up with remediation options for each.
The Town of Oxbow receives $1,822,752 to upgrade its undersized wastewater treatment system with the addition of a submerged attached growth reactor (SAGR) to allow future development and meet legislated discharge criteria. The City of North Battleford receives $175,000 to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of various options for saving energy and generating renewable energy at high energy consumption municipal facilities. These include the wastewater treatment plant, Battleford's Co-op Aquatic Centre, Nations West Field House (a sports complex), Northland Power Curling Rink, and the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts.
Council will examine a $9,002,000 cost for the construction of Wellington’s water storage tank and bulk water filling station – over budget by $992,772. For Tuesday night’s council meeting, a staff report recommends a contract be awarded to the sole bidder, Landmark Structures Co. Garrett Osborne, project manager, notes in his report to council that the number of companies that construct these tanks is limited, so a single bid was not unexpected. In response to concern about low water pressure and the ability to handle future development, capital work reports were brought to council in 2019 for discussion. In the 20-year plan, the cost for water system improvements were estimated at $10-15 million – those costs were expected to be higher now mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain costs. The 1960s water system in Wellington has been modified over the years.
First Nations across the widely-differing regions of Ontario are finding something ominous in common—unpredictable and unexpected changes to food supply tracing back to climate change. A pattern is emerging through research and interviews conducted on food security with members of the Anishinabek Nation, a representative body for 39 First Nations across the province.
Only four per cent of Quebecers have taken steps to protect their homes from climate risks such as flooding, compared to 11 per cent of Canadians, according to a survey commissioned by the federal government. With the spring thaw and the risk of flooding approaching, Public Safety Canada is launching a campaign to raise awareness of weather-related disasters. To do so, the department commissioned Ipsos to conduct an online survey of Canadians aged 25 to 55.
