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.
A new water reservoir system for Iqaluit and upgrades to the city's water distribution system will be built over the coming years, thanks to roughly $214 million in federal funding. "I feel like some of my grey hair might be turning back to brown," quipped Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell Friday morning, following an announcement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the funding.
Construction and upgrades of the water treatment plant at Neyaashiinigmiing are getting underway. A release from The Chippewas of Nawash Unceeded First Nation says a groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 21st. Last July, $59.8 million in federal funding was announced for the planned water treatment plant. Indigenous Services Canada’s website says the Cape Croker Public Water system has had a boil water advisory since January 2019, which became a long-term advisory the following year.
With no running water and only a wood stove to heat his remote Quebec cabin, Mark Hogben starts each morning by making a fire and boiling lake water. Then the 54-year-old signs in to TikTok to check the analytics of his latest videos and touch base with a global community of online friends, many of whom, like him, have Parkinson's disease. While TikTok is best known for viral videos of Gen Z dance trends and comedy sketches, the former Montrealer says he's surprised to attract millions of views for self-shot clips of mundane chores that include chopping wood, fetching water and cleaning his chimney.
The Mohawks of Bay of Quinte First Nation will be able to enjoy clean drinking water after five long-term drinking-water advisories were lifted in that community thanks to a state-of-the-art water-filtration plant that has come online, federal authorities announced last week. Federal and Nation investments in the community’s new water-treatment plant totalling about $58 million since 2014 paid off in a big way recently, Mohawks of Bay of Quinte Chief R. Donald Maracle said.
Wednesday was a historic day in Carcross, Yukon, as a new Land and Water Proclamation was delivered under the guidance of elders — one that offers a collaborative approach to managing the traditional territory of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. The proclamation is the foundation for protecting resources on traditional Carcross/Tagish land in what is now the Yukon and northern British Columbia.
For every tonne of potash that’s mined, another two tonnes of excess salt are brought to the surface. Expensive to transport, piles of salt grow and leach into soil over centuries. But this summer, Saskatoon-based Gensource Potash Corporation expects to start construction on a potash-producing facility in Tugaske, Sask., that’s peppered with features that are easy on the land, water and air. “We saw an opportunity to do it (potash mining) differently,” said Gensource CEO Mike Ferguson. “We’ll do it in a saleable, efficient and environmentally sustainable way.”
The Government of Canada is making investments to enhance Canada's competitive advantage, diversify market opportunities, create good middle-class jobs and achieve our emissions reduction targets. Today at GLOBE Forum 2022, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced a combined investment of over $12 million to seven organizations that are advancing emerging clean technologies to grow our economy and help Canada meet its environmental targets.
WSP in Canada is a member of the consortium that has secured the contract for the Barrie Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade. This represents the largest wastewater contract in Ontario, to date, to adopt the Integrated Project Delivery procurement model. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a form of contracting that promotes collaboration through shared responsibility for all elements of a project’s execution. Team members work together to solve issues and manage risks, leading to a project delivery process that promotes information sharing and creating efficiency to deliver maximum value for the clients and the communities they serve.
Melfort council has passed a motion to allow the city to borrow $4 million for water line replacements this summer. This isn’t the first public conversation about the borrowing with it being a topic of discussion when council deliberated the 2022 budget in January. The city loses about 12 to 15 per cent of its water supply due to breaks annually. Adam Homes, Melfort’s city manager, called the $4 million loan a start to alleviating the issue.
The province has unveiled a five-year, 89-point action plan to advance the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which became legislation in B.C. over two years ago. Hailed as historic by government and Indigenous leaders speaking at its unveiling, the plan outlines a list of "significant actions" the province is promising to undertake in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples.
Five long-term drinking-water advisories on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory have ended after more properties were connected to the reserve’s water-distribution system. Officials with Indigenous Services Canada and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte band announced the changes Monday night in a news release. “I’m very, very happy to see our community members getting safe drinking water,” Mohawk Chief R. Donald Maracle said Tuesday in a telephone interview from the band office. The advisories had been in effect since 2008. They applied to the public water systems in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Airport area, the AC Miracle Apartments, the MBQ Trailer Park, and the semi-public systems of the MBQ Bayview Variety Apartments, about 20 public and semi-public buildings.
A massive landslide on B.C.'s remote central coast in 2020 triggered a lake tsunami over 100 metres tall, according to a new paper published by researchers from the University of Northern British Columbia. Described as a rare "hazard cascade," the tsunami then sent a vast torrent of water or "outburst flood" into Elliot Creek, uprooting trees, soil and rock as it surged down the valley. The slurry was in turn propelled into the Southgate River and then Bute Inlet, leaving a devastated landscape in its wake.
The Town of Tecumseh unveiled the region's first high-water rescue vehicle that can safely provide access to severely flooded areas. Tecumseh Fire Chief Wade Bondy showed off the new vehicle, known formally as Support 2, during a news conference Tuesday. "We have had two historic floods in the region — it was a few years ago — where we did actually take some of our current fire trucks through, did a little bit of damage because we exceeded the water capabilities of those trucks," said Bondy.
The governments of Canada and Manitoba are making changes to the AgriRecovery Drought Assistance Program to make it easier for producers to receive funding and to enhance financial compensation, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson announced today. “Manitoba producers are working hard, and our government is committed to ensuring they are fully supported during this difficult time,” said Bibeau. “By making these changes to the AgriRecovery program in the province, we are making it easier for them to access funding that will help them when they need it most.”
The province has committed to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of a critical piece of infrastructure in western Manitoba. KGS Group Ltd. has been awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the Rivers Dam on Lake Wahtopanah, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk announced Tuesday in Rivers, Man. The dam controls water levels on the lake, which also serves as a provincial park that is home to a number of cottages.
Saskatchewan's push to build small nuclear reactors in the province is drawing mixed reactions from academics and environmental groups, with some touting the clean energy potential while others say it's a threat to human safety. On Monday the province, along with representatives from Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick, released the strategic plan for expanding nuclear power by building small modular reactors (SMR). The report said the nuclear reactors are safe, reliable and a source of "zero-emission energy."
Manitoba officials want Grand Beach Lagoon and Lake Winnipeg to go with the flow. Crews have begun work to help improve water flow between the two. “Grand Beach is one of Manitoba’s top destinations and we want to preserve this beautiful provincial park and its unique features for future generations to enjoy,” said Jeff Wharton, climate, environment and parks minister in a statement. “For more than a decade, low channel levels between the Grand Beach Lagoon and Lake Winnipeg have been a concern for many cottagers, park visitors and boaters. This important and strategic investment in Grand Beach Provincial Park further demonstrates our government’s commitment to protecting and enhancing Manitoba’s provincial parks system.”
Residential water bills in Edmonton are going up about four per cent and commercial bills are going up by about eight per cent, but the increases would have been higher if not for $66-million discount from EPCOR. In a report to Edmonton councillors on March 25, EPCOR expects the average residential water bill to increase by 3.7 per cent in 2022, 2.1 per cent in 2023 and 4.2 per cent in 2024. That means paying $102 a month in 2021, $106 in 2022, $108 in 2023 and $113 in 2024.
A Canada water agency could solve clumsy and ad hoc solutions to climate change, invasive species, polluted beaches and recreational waters, increasing nutrient levels, harmful algal blooms and exposure to toxins on the Great Lakes, says Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey. “This disjointed approach has stymied positive outcomes, delayed meaningful actions, and permitted infrastructure deficits to grow, new invasive species to become established, and water quality to diminish. A divided governance approach has diluted results in ways that threaten the long-term health and sustainability of the multi-billion-dollar resource that is the Great Lakes,” said Badawey in a report to his federal Liberal colleagues.
Montreal's master plan for making the city greener and more resistant to the negative impacts of climate change got a boost Monday, with a $117-million grant from the Quebec government to help Mayor Valérie Plante realize her administration's 10-year climate action plan. Environment Minister Benoit Charette and the minister responsible for the Montreal metropolis, Chantal Rouleau, made the announcement alongside Plante at the Centre for Sustainable Development, the province's first LEED Platinum building, on Sainte-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal.
