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.
WWF-Canada’s Beyond Targets report proposes a new model for protected and conserved area establishment in Canada — one that prioritizes the advancement of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and Indigenous rights and title, as well as areas that support nature-based solutions for both biodiversity and climate. In it, we spotlight four IPCAs, including the Saskatchewan River Delta (Kitaskīnaw), a 9,706 square kilometre inland water delta, the largest in North America.
Forward Water Technologies Corp. ("Forward Water" or the "Company") (TSXV:FWTC) announces their participation, in conjunction with Membracon UK, to support a study of Forward Osmosis with Cranfield University. Forward Osmosis is a water separation process which uses a semipermeable membrane and the natural energy of osmotic pressure to separate water from dissolved solutes. This solution technology process is, in most manners, used for product concentration, wastewater concentration and the extraction of clean water for reuse. With the ongoing world wide water crisis these emerging technologies will provide clean water alternatives to legacy solutions. As a leader in the global clean water initiatives, Forward Water is looking to expand their partnerships with leading educational institutions to assist in clean water recovery.
Canada cultivates a misleadingly good reputation abroad. I would know; I moved here because of it. However, this advantageous position is increasingly under threat as Canada keeps putting industry interest over environmental stewardship. September 4th marked the second anniversary of when the international Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Factual Record documented overwhelming evidence that Canada’s oil sands tailings “ponds” are leaking toxic pollutants into groundwater and tributaries of the Athabasca River.
Montreal, which was the last major city in North America to begin treating its wastewater, will boost its reputation with the launch of $360 million in wastewater treatment upgrades including work to install an ozone wastewater disinfection process at its J.-R.-Marcotte wastewater treatment plant. Pomerleau was awarded a contract of $93.2-million last March to kick off the ozone project. Work will get underway in phases with various shutdowns required. The plant will remain operational at all times, but its treatment capacity will have to be reduced for two periods of six months, the first from the first day of this November to April 30, 2023.
Authorities in Alaska were making contact Monday with some of the most remote villages in the United States to determine their food and water needs, as well as assess the damage after a massive storm flooded communities on the state's vast western coast this weekend. No one was reported injured or killed during the massive storm — the remnants of Typhoon Merbok — as it traveled north through the Bering Strait over the weekend. However, damage to homes, roads and other infrastructure is only starting to be revealed as floodwaters recede.
No matter where I travel in this world, whenever I say I’m from Canada, the reaction is almost always “Ah Canada … Niagara Falls.” Over 25-million tourists come every year to this historic eighth wonder of the world in order to watch water fall over a cliff. Although it’s now Canada’s greatest tourist attraction with two casinos and a convention centre, Niagara Falls once served as the key battleground for the War of 1812. Here then is a brief history of Niagara Falls as told by, OK, me.
A dynamic surveillance system encompassing waste-water testing, representative population-based testing and genomics should be implemented to efficiently monitor pan-respiratory disease trends, rapidly detect resurgences and emergence of novel variants, and respond with tailored and effective public health programs.
COVID-19 viral loads are rising once again in the wastewater of several Saskatchewan cities, the most recent data from the University of Saskatchewan shows. Since the summer of 2020, a group of researchers from the U of S have analyzed wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert in search of traces of the COVID-19 virus. Prince Albert data from the latest reporting period, which goes up to Sept. 12, showed a 66.2 per cent week-over-week increase in SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA load in the city's wastewater.
Samanta Jovanovic is a climate change matchmaker. As executive director of Start Alberta, this 34-year-old Calgarian helps entrepreneurs and investors find each other. This piece is part of a series of profiles highlighting young people across the country who are addressing the climate crisis. These extraordinary humans give me hope. I write these stories to pay it forward.
The head of a new committee tasked with monitoring and health management oversight for Muskrat Falls says he's focused on involving those who know the area best. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced last week it has established a Muskrat Falls Monitoring and Health Management Oversight Committee. It's part of a list of recommendations made by the Independent Expert Advisory Committee in 2018 to address concerns related to methylmercury from the controversial hydro-electric project.
Nova Scotia Health says it will pause testing water for chemicals in the province's central zone beginning Monday due to a worldwide shortage of an unnamed chemical component used in the testing. The health authority said it will reassess the situation in three to four weeks. According to the province, more than 40 per cent of Nova Scotia households get their drinking water from wells. It encourages regular testing.
A resident of St. Lewis, Labrador is expressing concerns for his community's local water supply and environment as Search Minerals, a rare-earth mining company, moves its operation closer to town. Warwick Chubbs says the company has been working in the area of St. Lewis for two years but things are getting a little too close for comfort for the town of just under 200 people.
Canada has a lot of lakes—some of them are among the world’s largest. But what makes a Canadian lake truly Canadian? The depth? The water quality? The jaw-dropping scenery that surrounds it? Hey, maybe it’s the name. No shock: Canada has tons of Canoe Lakes, Loon Lakes, and Moose Lakes. We also have lots of Beaver Lakes. And Beavertail Lakes—though only one is in Nova Scotia. Similarly, we have plenty of Cold Lakes, but only one Cold River (in Saskatchewan). There is no Lacrosse Lake, but there is a Lac du Hockey (Quebec). Except Lac du Hockey is just a pond. (Obviously! Where else would you play pond hockey?) Disappointingly, we have no Poutine Lake, but we do have a Lac de la Tourtière. This is probably just an oversight, but there are no Canadian Lakes in Canada. However, there are several Canadian Creeks, including one in P.E.I. Huh. Bottom line: a lot of water bodies in Canada are…Canadian. At least, stereotypically.
Jun Liu, P.Eng., has rejoined Tatham Engineering at its office in Collingwood, Ont., as group leader for the firm’s water and wastewater engineering department. Liu has more than 20 years’ experience and has contributed to water and wastewater projects across Ontario. He previously worked at Tatham from 2005 to 2007 as a project engineer. He continued in that role for the city of Barrie, then worked as a water and wastewater process engineer for the regional municipalities of Niagara and York. Most recently, he was a senior engineer with Indigenous Services Canada.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced its new environmental strategy, a comprehensive effort to join global efforts to tackle climate change. It includes commitments to achieve enterprise-wide net zero carbon emissions and plans to use more renewable energy, as well as to invest in and research new technologies to develop energy-efficient products, increase water reuse and develop carbon capture technology.
Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities can't stop the impact of climate change, but two climate action consultants say more can be done prepare for extreme weather events. St. John's city crews scrambled this week to repair flood and erosion damage after three days of record-breaking rainfall from post-tropical storm Earl. As of Wednesday, four roads were still closed for repairs. Jess Puddister, a scientist and climate action consultant, said watching the damage play out was "frustrating."
Over the last five months, Isabelle Couture has become accustomed to boiling pots of water on her stove, buying 18-litre jugs, and brushing her teeth with a water bottle. "I haven't felt very safe to drink it, because I don't know exactly what's going on," she said. She doesn't know what harmful substances have been detected — or when it will be safe to consume water again directly from the tap.
In a blistering third year of drought, Californians have been asked to limit their indoor water usage to 55 gallons (208 litres) per person per day. It takes about 30 gallons to fill a bathtub, so forget about a deep Jacuzzi experience. Yet in the gated communities of Calabasas and Hidden Hills - exclusive enclaves in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu - lush lawns and filled swimming pools and koi ponds make it clear that some are ignoring the rules.
A plan to create a vast network of marine protected areas stretching from Vancouver Island to the Alaskan border inched closer to reality this Monday after the governments of Canada, British Columbia and over a dozen First Nations released a draft plan to the public. If enacted, the marine protected areas (MPAs) would protect nearly a third of the Northern Shelf Bioregion — a 100,000-square-kilometre tract of ocean also known as the Great Bear Sea.
Durham Region’s Committee of the Whole is in favour of repealing a controversial series of amendments that change how the region maintains and repairs the sewer pipes outside your home. In recent weeks, homeowners received letters in the mail, advertising a private insurance program for sewer pipes. The program was endorsed by the region, and the letters featured the region’s logo. The committee voted Wednesday to recommend undoing some of the changes, citing complaints and concerns by community members.
