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

‘Disrespected, violated, contaminated’: Researcher says safe drinking water shouldn’t fall solely on the backs of Indigenous peoples

‘Disrespected, violated, contaminated’: Researcher says safe drinking water shouldn’t fall solely on the backs of Indigenous peoples

Water is life. Don’t mess with it. That’s the message from one Indigenous cultural anthropologist and water researcher: nothing can live without water, yet we’re destroying it at a rapid pace. In 2015, the federal government campaigned to end all long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities by 2020. Two years after that promised date, water advisories are still present in 94 First Nations communities, with Neskantaga First Nation, an Ojibwe community more than 430 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont., surpassing 10,000 days under a boil water advisory this week.

This First Nation has a new highway and a water-treatment plant that's 'like our Stanley Cup'

This First Nation has a new highway and a water-treatment plant that's 'like our Stanley Cup'

People in Shoal Lake #40 First Nation are proud of what they've accomplished in recent years. The community in northwestern Ontario, near the Manitoba-Ontario border, built Freedom Road, connecting their once-isolated community to the Trans-Canada Highway, and completed a water-treatment plant that's helped them emerge from a 24-year boil-water advisory. This spring, the community was honoured by the Ontario Public Works Association with the Public Works Project of the Year for Small Municipalities and First Nations award for their new water-treatment plant.

Saskatoon cleaning up after heavy rain hammers city

Saskatoon cleaning up after heavy rain hammers city

The City of Saskatoon is cleaning up after as much as 75 millimetres of rain fell in some areas on Monday, leading to flooded streets and properties. The city said Tuesday that crews had worked overnight to address flooded roadways. Crews popped manhole covers to release water that had hit the city's south, north and east sides especially hard. A news release said that the majority of the city had been cleared by Tuesday morning, except for areas in the southeast that still had barricades for driver and pedestrian safety. The city said those barricades should be removed by the end of the day.

A $1 billion filtration plant is at the centre of a new plan for Victoria's water supply

A $1 billion filtration plant is at the centre of a new plan for Victoria's water supply

A new 30-year plan for the Greater Victoria water supply proposes nearly $2 billion in infrastructure spending, including $1 billion for the region's first-ever water filtration plant. The Capital Regional District's (CRD) water experts say a growing population and the impacts of climate change mean they need to access more water, and do more to clean it, before sending it into households. Ted Robbins, the head of integrated water services for the regional district, said while the expense may seem large, these projects are "absolutely necessary for this region, in terms of providing a safe and reliable water supply."

Bedford, N.S. woman’s water purification system to launch pilot project in Africa

Bedford, N.S. woman’s water purification system to launch pilot project in Africa

A new Halifax-based organization has developed a cost-effective water purification system and will be launching a pilot project in the Gambia and Kenya. Founded by 20-year-old Rachel Brouwer, The Purification Project will bring water purification systems to vulnerable Kenyan and Gambian communities living without access to safe water. When Brouwer was 11 years old, she realized not everyone in the world had access to clean drinking water after reading a sign on a hiking trip that read, “Caution, do not drink. The water source is contaminated.”

After home burned to the ground, Délı̨nę leadership re-evaluating its fire resources

After home burned to the ground, Délı̨nę leadership re-evaluating its fire resources

A family of three lost their home to a fire on Sunday in Délı̨nę, N.W.T. Community leader Leeroy Andre said the former occupants are safe but that all of their belongings were lost to the flames. The disaster is causing leadership to re-evaluate its resources to deal with fires and how the community can be better equipped for the future. Andre said it's not clear why, but there wasn't enough water pressure coming from the community's firetruck.

Dams, taps running dry in northern Mexico amid historic water shortages

Dams, taps running dry in northern Mexico amid historic water shortages

Her elderly neighbor is hard of hearing so Maria Luisa Robles, a convenience store worker in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, shouted the question a second time: Have you run out of water? She had - and it wasn't just her. The taps across this working-class neighborhood of Sierra Ventana dried up over a week ago amid a historic shortage that's gripped the most important industrial city in Mexico.

'Like living in hell': N.S. couple gets $600K from province after 11-year battle

'Like living in hell': N.S. couple gets $600K from province after 11-year battle

An Antigonish County couple's 11-year battle over property damage related to the twinning of Highway 104 has finally come to a close after they received nearly $600,000 in compensation from the province. Jane DeWolfe and Kevin Partridge have lived in their log home along the bank of the South River in Lower South River, N.S., for 40 years. They swam in the river, taught their kids to swim in it, fished and boated in it. They've watched cranes raise their young on the riverbank, and when the turtles climb ashore to dig holes in their gravel driveway to lay eggs in, they don't mind one bit.

Carmacks issues evacuation alert for some homes as floodwaters threaten wastewater treatment plant

Carmacks issues evacuation alert for some homes as floodwaters threaten wastewater treatment plant

Homes in Carmacks, Yukon, that use the village's wastewater treatment plant are now under an evacuation alert as water levels on the Yukon River continue to rise. The plant is at risk of being overwhelmed, and the village doesn't know how much longer it can last, Mayor Lee Bodie said on Sunday. "There may be an evacuation order coming any day," Bodie said.

'The water isn't supposed to look like this': Unbelievably, it's been nine years since our great flood

'The water isn't supposed to look like this': Unbelievably, it's been nine years since our great flood

In 2013, rain-swollen rivers burst their banks across southern Alberta, prompting more than a dozen towns to declare states of emergency. The province estimated more than 100,000 people in 30 communities were affected by what Premier Allison Redford later called the worst natural disaster in Alberta’s history, with damage pegged at more than $6 billion.

Fighting Floods, or Living with Water?

Fighting Floods, or Living with Water?

Every year, Lower Mainland residents prepare for the Big One. The region is located near the Cascadia subduction zone, and it’s only a matter of time before a megathrust earthquake hits. During the annual Oct. 20 ShakeOut event in southwest B.C., school kids practice diving under desks. People ready their workplaces with emergency kits and evacuation plans. But there’s another type of disaster that we’re reminded about less often: a major flood.

Neskantaga First Nation surpasses 10,000 days under a drinking water advisory

Neskantaga First Nation surpasses 10,000 days under a drinking water advisory

Neskantaga First Nation on Sunday marked its 10,000th day under a drinking water advisory, the longest period of time any First Nation in Canada has lived under such an advisory. The community of around 300 people approximately 450 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont., has survived without safe, clean tap water for more than 27 years.

Scientists work to protect B.C. island's crucial freshwater source from fire, drought Social Sharing

Scientists work to protect B.C. island's crucial freshwater source from fire, drought Social Sharing

Researchers on B.C.'s Salt Spring Island are working on a plan to protect an important freshwater reserve as risks mount amid a growing climate emergency. Maxwell Lake provides water for about half of Salt Spring Island, just off the east coast of Vancouver Island. Ecologists say agriculture and forestry in the area over the past century have left the forest overgrown, blocking out light and limiting the growth of understory, the low layer of vegetation in the forest that helps absorb water.

Sriracha hot sauce shortage shows how California drought affects Canadian food

Sriracha hot sauce shortage shows how California drought affects Canadian food

For over four decades, Huy Fong Foods has made its world-famous sriracha hot sauce in Irwindale, Calif. — until the worsening climate crisis finally caught up with the company. Severe heat and drought have hit the hot pepper crops sriracha is made from, forcing the company to suspend production until at least the fall this year. It's not just peppers in trouble. California, a major supplier of fruits and vegetables to Canada and the rest of the U.S., is now in the third year of a severe drought. This year has been the driest on record for the state, impacting its main growing region and most of its crops.

Lake levels in northwestern Ontario could peak in coming days, control board says

Lake levels in northwestern Ontario could peak in coming days, control board says

Many municipalities in northwestern Ontario have been struggling with flooding for weeks, but some good news may be on the horizon. That is, if the weather cooperates. "Fortunately, June hasn't been the same as the record precipitation we saw in April and May across the region," said Matt DeWolfe, executive engineer with the Lake of the Woods Control Board, which regulates water levels on Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul.

Whiteshell state of emergency extended to July 18

Whiteshell state of emergency extended to July 18

The Manitoba government has extended its state of emergency declaration in Whiteshell Provincial Park as water levels remain higher than normal. Although conditions have improved on the Winnipeg River and many lakes and streams, some areas of the southeastern Manitoba park remain hazardous, the province's Environment, Climate and Parks department said in a news release Friday. The original state of emergency declaration was set to expire June 19. The new one will expire on July 18, although it could be rescinded before then if it is no longer needed.

Bathurst, Beresford and Pointe-Verte residents to benefit from improved water and wastewater infrastructure

Bathurst, Beresford and Pointe-Verte residents to benefit from improved water and wastewater infrastructure

The federal, provincial and municipal governments announced more than $12 million in funding today to support improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure in Bathurst, Beresford and Pointe-Verte. “We are committed to investing in projects that help build vibrant and sustainable communities,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Gary Crossman who is also minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation. “These communities should be commended for working to ensure their infrastructure is upgraded to help protect their natural environment for future generations.”

Ktunaxa and U.S. governments pressure Canada to address Kootenay water pollution

Ktunaxa and U.S. governments pressure Canada to address Kootenay water pollution

Water pollution in the Kootenay watershed has six Ktunaxa Nation governments and several U.S. federal agencies calling on Canada to take part in a submission to the International Joint Commission (IJC). Ktunaxa Nation officials said Nasuʔkins (Chiefs) and council members from every local Ktunaxa government met to discuss the issue on June 7 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

As Montreal cleans up from heavy rains, mayor vows to fight off future floods

As Montreal cleans up from heavy rains, mayor vows to fight off future floods

With the help of volunteers, staff at Resilience Montreal were able to clean while still welcoming about 300 of their clients and serving them breakfast. "It makes a challenging operation more challenging still," Chapman said of Thursday's flooding. According to him, it was Resilience Montreal's fourth flood in the last three years. Eric Hammel, a resident of Montreal's Verdun borough, said his street has been flooded once a year for the last three years. "These are things you don't expect from a city like Montreal," he said. "It's stressful because you anticipate damages if things get worse."

From drought relief to filling streams, heavy rain proves beneficial in Sask.

From drought relief to filling streams, heavy rain proves beneficial in Sask.

This week's heavy rainfall in Saskatchewan might have felt a bit excessive, especially for those in areas that were already drenched, but it has helped significantly in regions that needed the moisture. Some communities in the province are already above their average June rainfall amounts. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada data, North Battleford sits at about 110 millimetres so far this month. The city usually receives 65 mm in the entire month. About 101 mm fell in the span of a few hours on Tuesday.

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