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

Competition Bureau probe of 'flushable' wipes goes down the drain

Competition Bureau probe of 'flushable' wipes goes down the drain

To flush or not to flush? It is a question Canada's Competition Bureau says it cannot answer. Three years ago, Friends of the Earth Canada and lawyers from Ecojustice filed a grievance with the bureau saying the makers of 20 disposable wipes were falsely advertising the products as safe to flush down the toilet. In February, the Competition Bureau informed Friends in a letter that it was closing its inquiry because it's not clear what it really means to be "flushable." "There are a number of competing guidelines about when a product can be considered to be disposable in municipal sewer systems," the letter reads. Friends CEO Beatrice Olivastri called that "totally unacceptable."

Catastrophe experts say retreat from flood risk is 'critical option'

Catastrophe experts say retreat from flood risk is 'critical option'

All climate disasters are not created equal and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction recommends retreat in the face of only one type of threat. "In our opinion, retreat is not an option that is important for most climate hazards in Canada. The hazard where retreat is really important and quite viable and a critical option involves flooding," executive director Paul Kovacs said.

Historic drought behind B.C. wildfires, salmon die-off set to continue, experts say

Historic drought behind B.C. wildfires, salmon die-off set to continue, experts say

Thousands of dead fish, a prolonged wildfire season and intense water shortages leading to ice rink closures are all symptoms of record-setting drought in parts of British Columbia. The Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and West Vancouver Island areas are experiencing Level 5 drought conditions — the most severe in the province's classification scale, which the B.C. government's drought information web page says means adverse impacts are "almost certain.''

Montérégie town decries lack of drinking water

Montérégie town decries lack of drinking water

At the Verhaegen-Bonneau dairy farm in the Montérégie, about three kilometres away from Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville, the well has dried up. "When the animals don't drink enough, you hear them cry," says farm co-owner Lucie Bonneau. "It's very particular. It's stress. A headache. You don't sleep well. All that gets to you." The town of Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville, a one-hour drive from Montreal, does not have drinking water, and its mayor says the situation is getting worse every year.

Drought Kills Tens of Thousands of Salmon in a Single Canadian Creek

Drought Kills Tens of Thousands of Salmon in a Single Canadian Creek

More than 65,000 salmon have died before they could spawn in just one Canadian stream. The die-off of two species, mostly pink and some chum salmon, hints at a potentially devastating season for the fish, local people, and the wider ecosystem throughout the region. Researchers from Simon Fraser University came upon the mass fish calamity in the Neekas river in British Columbia’s remote Central Coast on September 29. The waterway is near the community of Bella Bella, within Indigenous Heiltsuk Nation Territory. The full video shows a 360 degree view of the carnage.

Trading homework for hip waders: Regina students become stewards of conservation park

Trading homework for hip waders: Regina students become stewards of conservation park

Science has always been a big part of Mireya Zigler's life. Zigler's dad was an environmental science teacher at Martin Collegiate in Regina, and she admits to having a bit of a dinosaur obsession as a kid. Now, Zigler and her Grade 10 classmates at Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School will get to explore their passion for science further, as they become environmental stewards at McKell Wascana Conservation Park. The project is a partnership between the school and Ducks Unlimited to make the roughly 70-hectare (171-acre) park in east Regina a wetland centre of excellence — part of a national network of schools and community partners for the conservation organization.

How drought is taking its toll on Canada’s normally “wet” coast

How drought is taking its toll on Canada’s normally “wet” coast

By this time of year, the so-called ‘wet coast’ of Canada should be blustery, wet and cold — some would even say miserable. Vancouver should be living up to its reputation as “Raincouver.” Fall colours, along with the downpours, should be in full swing. But coastal British Columbia has not had significant rain since July. The leaves on the trees are yellow and orange — and hanging by a thread because they’re completely dried out.

B.C. agrees to pay $300K to couple who say logging flooded their property

B.C. agrees to pay $300K to couple who say logging flooded their property

Lawyers for the British Columbia government have agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit by a couple whose property flooded after a third of the forest in the surrounding watershed was cut down. The agreement came in a handwritten note that was signed by the Crown's lawyers and handed over in court on the day the trial was set to begin last month. Ray Chipeniuk and Sonia Sawchuk had launched the lawsuit in 2014, claiming that B.C. Timber Sales, the provincial Crown agency responsible for auctioning about 20 per cent of B.C.'s annual allowable cut, was negligent in its failure to take reasonable care to ensure their property in northwestern B.C. would not be damaged by the logging.

Invasive zebra mussels discovered in St. John River watershed in Quebec

Invasive zebra mussels discovered in St. John River watershed in Quebec

Zebra mussels have already wreaked havoc in the Great Lakes, altering ecosystems and the food chain, and damaging water pipes in municipal water systems, power plants and other industrial sites. Now the invasive species has spread — or been carried — to the east and is at the edge of New Brunswick. Zebra mussels have been discovered in the St. John River watershed, according to the New Brunswick Invasive Species Council. "We are saddened to share that an established zebra mussel population has been discovered in Lac Témiscouata, just across the border into Quebec," the council announced on its website Thursday.

Gardi wants Canada Water Agency commitment from mayoral candidates

Gardi wants Canada Water Agency commitment from mayoral candidates

Ward 5 incumbent Corey Gardi is calling on mayoral candidates to support his efforts to get the federal government to establish the Canada Water Agency in Sault Ste. Marie. Gardi, who spearheaded the initiative, is leading a task force that has obtained letters of support from many local and regional organizations, agencies and communities who want to see the proposed agency in Sault Ste. Marie. “The mayor (Christian Provenzano) has taken the time to contribute to the task force, and has joined me in meeting with representatives of the federal government, to keep them apprised of our efforts, and to clearly articulate why the Sault would be an ideal place for the agency.”

No rain in sight, B.C. moves into highest drought rating

No rain in sight, B.C. moves into highest drought rating

We’ve now pushed into the most severe drought rating for Metro Vancouver and some other parts of B.C.’s parched south coast, with no real relief in sight. Much of the region is now at level five, right at the top of the province’s scale — the Lower Mainland basin, including Squamish, along with the Sunshine Coast and western Vancouver Island. The rest of the Island, the region stretching from the Fraser Valley to areas north of Pemberton, the Kettle Basin east of Kelowna, and the entire northeastern corner of B.C. is just one level below, at level four.

Clarington repaving project halted after residents find 'all kinds of crap' in material for new road bed

Clarington repaving project halted after residents find 'all kinds of crap' in material for new road bed

Durham Region has halted work on a road rebuilding project after neighbours complained they stumbled upon contaminated waste in the new road bed. Work was shut down on the rehab project in Clarington, 100 kilometres east of Toronto, about two weeks ago. A consultant was called in to check what crews had been using in a lower layer of the rebuilt road. "I was picking up syringes, batteries, pieces of metal, razor blades," local farmer Andrew McVey said this week. "There's all kinds of crap ... various garbage that I felt should not be part of what's being buried in the road "

Yukon judge grants stay to mining company over higher security payment

Yukon judge grants stay to mining company over higher security payment

A Yukon Supreme Court judge has paused part of a security payment contested by the territory's largest mine, ruling the company's bottom line would be adversely impacted. In June, the Yukon Water Board ordered Victoria Gold — the company behind the Eagle Gold Mine near Mayo — to furnish a total of $105 million by mid-September, arguing security needed to be increased because the company breached its water licence. That amount is roughly $74 million more than what Victoria Gold had already put forward, an estimated $31 million. It's also higher than a Yukon government security calculation of roughly $69 million.

Baffinland exceeded dust impact projections for 3 straight years: QIA

Baffinland exceeded dust impact projections for 3 straight years: QIA

The spread of dust caused by Baffinland Iron Mines Corp.’s Mary River mine is larger than predicted and is impacting drinking water, wildlife and sea ice in the surrounding area, says a Qikiqtani Inuit Association manager. Regulatory affairs manager Chris Spencer presented three years’ worth of reports to the association’s board members for the first time Thursday. The reports summarize an investigation, launched in 2020, into how dust spread from the mine is affecting the environment and Inuit culture. QIA found foxes near the mine that were “deeply discoloured red” and acting strangely; that dust spread was worse than what Baffinland had predicted it would be each year; and that water in several locations had surpassed national drinking water safety guidelines for aluminium content.

Global Water Futures Observatories a critical step towards water security for Canadians

Global Water Futures Observatories a critical step towards water security for Canadians

Now six years on, GWF is the largest and most published university-led freshwater research program in the world and includes 213 faculty investigators, 531 end-users, 1,826 new researchers, and a network of 23 Canadian universities working on 65 projects and core teams. The program has also established or operates 76 water observation sites, 27 deployable measurement systems, and 31 state-of-the-art university-based environmental and aquatic analysis facilities.

‘Bone dry or soaking wet,’ water study faces extremes

‘Bone dry or soaking wet,’ water study faces extremes

Farmers learned a lot from the real-world whiplashing experiment you could call “Farming in 2021-22.” “Make sure your dugouts are deep enough,” said Ridgeville, Man., farmer Neil Claringbould, when asked what he learned from the brutal drought of 2021, as he showed other farmers and researchers one of his new water retention dams on a stream on his land. How about 2022? “We weren’t short of grass.”

Ecohesion joins Integrated Sustainability to export Caribbean innovation in circular water, waste, and energy solutions

Ecohesion joins Integrated Sustainability to export Caribbean innovation in circular water, waste, and energy solutions

Integrated Sustainability, Canada, acquires Ecohesion Ltd, Barbados, effective September 1st, 2022. Climate sensitivity in the Caribbean necessitates inventive solutions now. The merger between our two purpose-driven companies facilitates faster technology exchange between regions and consolidates our endeavours to deliver conscientious water, waste, and energy solutions.

Nechako First Nations call on Rio Tinto to release more water into the Nechako River

Nechako First Nations call on Rio Tinto to release more water into the Nechako River

A group of B.C. First Nations are calling on Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Alcan to release more water into the Nechako River after a sudden die-off of endangered white sturgeon. Last month, B.C.’s Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship reported 11 dead adult white sturgeon had been found in the Nechako River — an unusual occurrence. White sturgeon can grow to six metres long and live more than 100 years. They are an endangered species with between 300 and 600 remaining in the wild. Scientists said the fish had not died from disease, chemical exposure or due to fishing, and had no signs of injury. The government then reached out to local First Nations.

Kelowna candidate quiz: Should the city take over more water systems?

Kelowna candidate quiz: Should the city take over more water systems?

Do you think the City of Kelowna should attempt to take over the independent water systems that serve Rutland and Glenmore, as it did with the Southeast Kelowna system, with a view to providing the same quality water throughout the city? Kelowna currently has enough challenges updating its current infrastructure and taking over something that is currently running may not be the answer in today’s world of traffic concerns, municipal transportation challenges and other facility upgrades on the checklist of things we need to focus on.

Shoring up the shoreline: work underway to address erosion along Detroit River in Windsor

Shoring up the shoreline: work underway to address erosion along Detroit River in Windsor

In the wake of erosion, efforts are underway to protect a section of shoreline on the Detroit River in Windsor. The work is happening at the foot of Mill Street near HMCS Hunter and Queens Dock Park. Windsor's harbourmaster, Peter Berry, explained that exceptionally high water levels in some recent years caused flooding near the shore and there was an "incredible amount" of erosion.

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