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

Severe drought torments British Columbia, a year after devastating floods

Severe drought torments British Columbia, a year after devastating floods

Nearly a year ago, flood waters inundated swaths of south-western British Columbia. Mudslides destroyed sections of highways and swollen, turbid rivers washed away houses and bridges. Now, the region has the opposite problem: months of drought have begun to take a toll on what was once dubbed Canada’s “wet coast”. And as unpredictable weather events become a hallmark of a changing climate, experts warn that the two events are linked – and that a culture of overconsumption and poor resource management threaten to further amplify the effects of the current crisis.

Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women: Teassa MacMartin

Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women: Teassa MacMartin

Teassa MacMartin first came to study at the University of Manitoba as a mature student, with a one-year-old at home. Her son is now 10, and in just under a decade, she has obtained a bachelor of science in biological sciences, participated in UM’s Science Co-Op Program and is now pursuing doctoral studies in microbiology. MacMartin is also a Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner in the Community Impact category.

Doubts downstream

Doubts downstream

Walking the streets of Libby, Mont., on a hazy September day, it’s not uncommon to hear the cough of a local resident. The picturesque, blue-collar town about an hour southwest of the Canada-U.S. Border in Montana’s north was once bustling with jobs thanks to nearby vermiculite mines. The work helped line locals’ wallets with steady pay. And lined their lungs with toxic asbestos dust. Years of remediation have helped make the town of about 2,700 safe again following what government officials called the worst case of industrial poisoning of a community in American history. But residents are still struggling to rebuild after hundreds died, and approximately 2,400 have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases.

N.W.T. looking for dredging money, but not on one Hay River MLA's timeline

N.W.T. looking for dredging money, but not on one Hay River MLA's timeline

An N.W.T. MLA is pleading with the territory's infrastructure minister to dredge the Hay River harbour. Rocky Simpson, who represents Hay River South, said the process of removing silt and mud from the bottom of bodies of water is essential for the safety and navigation of vessels — which resupply communities, ship construction materials, and carry out search and rescue missions, among other things.

We've had the driest 90-day period ever recorded in Greater Victoria — and for major cities in Canada

We've had the driest 90-day period ever recorded in Greater Victoria — and for major cities in Canada

In fact, Greater Victoria is so parched it has just set a record for the driest period in its recorded weather history, said Steven Murray, a local weather analyst who chronicles weather patterns at Gonzales Observatory in Victoria. The federal Gonzales station opened in 1914, but data for the area goes back to 1898, when weather patterns were collected at a former station on Cook Street. It is considered one of the longest-running set of measurements on the Pacific coast of North America.

UPDATE: Boil water advisory affecting handful of Mînî Thnî homes lifted

UPDATE: Boil water advisory affecting handful of Mînî Thnî homes lifted

A boil water advisory that was affecting between eight and 12 households in Mînî Thnî has been lifted as of Oct. 15. Indigenous Services Canada posted the boil water advisory Oct. 11 as a precautionary measure in lieu of planned maintenance at the East Morley Water Treatment Plant, separate from the main plant supplying water to the townsite. Simon Sihota, regional manager of environmental public health for Indigenous Services Canada in Alberta, said the work involved replacing older pipes and distribution headers within the treatment plant, which involved taking the water plant offline and depressurizing the system.

Why volunteers scoop thousands of fish out of Alberta irrigation canals each year

Why volunteers scoop thousands of fish out of Alberta irrigation canals each year

Throughout the warmer months, Alberta's irrigation networks play a crucial role in the province. They transfer water from rivers and reservoirs, delivering it to rural communities, to farmers and to recreational areas, supporting some wildlife along the way. But along with the water comes the fish. And in the fall, when the irrigation networks shut down, thousands of them become stranded. "It's absolutely a recurring problem," said Lesley Peterson, a Calgary biologist with Trout Unlimited Canada.

Concerns in B.C. community linger over water source disturbed by Site C dam construction

Concerns in B.C. community linger over water source disturbed by Site C dam construction

A B.C. mom says she's afraid to bathe her and her partner's four kids at home. Instead, they opted to wash in lakes and rivers near their residence in Hudson's Hope, west of Fort St John, this summer. Not satisfied to wait for solutions, Caitlin Vince, 37, helped found the Hudson's Hope Water Recovery Committee to address the ongoing issues with the town's tap water brought on by the construction of B.C. Hydro's Site C dam.

B.C. drought recovery will take time, even with rain in the forecast, forecasters say

B.C. drought recovery will take time, even with rain in the forecast, forecasters say

Unusually warm temperatures and a surprisingly dry September and October have been guilty pleasures for some British Columbians in recent months. While being able to enjoy sunshine and not having to carry a raincoat or umbrella for the first few weeks of fall is a nice change of pace, a lack of precipitation that's drying up creeks, streams and lakes is a real cause for concern. "It's extremely rare," David Campbell, the head of the B.C. River Forecast Centre, said in an interview.

Clean Water Act at 50: environmental gains, challenges unmet

Clean Water Act at 50: environmental gains, challenges unmet

Lifelong Cleveland resident Steve Gove recalls when the Cuyahoga River symbolized shame — fetid, lifeless, notorious for catching fire when sparks from overhead rail cars ignited the oil-slicked surface. “It was pretty grungy,” said the 73-year-old, an avid canoeist in his youth who sometimes braved the filthy stretch through the steelmaking city. “When you went under those bridges where the trains were hauling coke from the blast furnaces, you had to watch for cinders and debris falling off.” It wasn’t the only polluted U.S. river. But outrage over a 1969 Cuyahoga fire — the latest in a series of environmental disasters including a 3-million-gallon oil spill off California’s Santa Barbara months earlier — is widely credited with inspiring the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Hundreds of Valley homes will have their water cut off at years end. So far, their only solution has restrictive caveats

Hundreds of Valley homes will have their water cut off at years end. So far, their only solution has restrictive caveats

Residents of an East Valley rural community have been dealing with an impending water crisis for nearly a year. Last November, the city of Scottsdale sent a letter to residents of Rio Verde Foothills letting them know water hauling services, the main way hundreds of the rural area's homes get water, would be cut off at year's end as a part of Scottsdale's drought contingency plan.

State of emergency declared on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast because of drought

State of emergency declared on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast because of drought

A state of local emergency declared on the Sunshine Coast because of drought includes an order for breweries, water bottlers and non-medical cannabis growers to shut down water use starting at 11:59 p.m. PT on Tuesday. According to the order, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has secured the water supply through early November but is using the emergency order "to further secure and expand water supply should there be no significant rainfall on the Sunshine Coast in the coming weeks." A state of local emergency has also been declared by the District of Sechelt and the shíshálh Nation.

Rural Islanders urged to test well water following Fiona

Rural Islanders urged to test well water following Fiona

Islanders in rural areas using wells are being asked to test their water following power outages due to Fiona. Bacteria like coliform, which can make people sick, can form in pipes if there is no water filling them. Amy Carver lives in Long Creek and says she found out her water should be tested through a family friend. "We went and got tested as soon as we could and came back positive for coliform bacteria in a number that's not a safe number to have in your drinking water. And now we have a whole new set of adjustments to make," she said. "The lab that does the testing gave us an outline of precautions we needed to take and different ways to manage some household activities such as dishes. You can use the water to wash them, but you have to sanitize them in a bleach solution and air dry them."

How one insurance company went where others didn't, and provided storm surge coverage

How one insurance company went where others didn't, and provided storm surge coverage

As many Atlantic Canadians found to their dismay following devastation from post-tropical storm Fiona, most insurance companies don't provide coverage for storm surge, but Cooperators Insurance does. The company wanted to find a solution after its experience of floods in Calgary and Toronto in 2013, executive vice-president Lisa Guglietti told Island Morning host Laura Chapin, because it found existing water damage coverage was both difficult for clients to understand and for adjusters to assess.

P.E.I. government to raise fines for shoreline violations to $50K

P.E.I. government to raise fines for shoreline violations to $50K

The provincial government is planning to increase the fines for damaging the sensitive buffer zone around P.E.I.'s shorelines and waterways to $50,000, up from $3,000. The province has had rules for these ecologically sensitive areas since the late 1990s, including needing a permit to cut down trees or disturb the ground and soil in areas close to the water. But Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action Steven Myers said those rules and the current fines aren't working. "We are finding that the low fine level is creating a lot of issues right across the board," Myers told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier.

Southern Lakes sets high-water record

Southern Lakes sets high-water record

Water levels in the Southern Lakes region are the highest on record for Oct. 12. Heavy rainfall caused rising waters in Bennett Lake, Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake in late September and early October. The rising waters have prompted a high-water advisory, which means water levels could quickly rise but no major flooding is expected, for the region.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario apologize to Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation as flooding claim settlement agreement is reached

The Governments of Canada and Ontario apologize to Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation as flooding claim settlement agreement is reached

On October 12, 2022, Chief Lorraine Cobiness of Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation; the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations; and the Honourable Greg Rickford, Ontario Minister of Indigenous Affairs, announced the successful tripartite settlement agreement between Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario regarding Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation's flooding claim. The settlement provided Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation with $83,082,612 in total compensation, with Canada paying $63,243,003 and Ontario paying $19,839,609.

Vancouver has seen 90% less rain than usual since July, and some B.C. cities have it even worse

Vancouver has seen 90% less rain than usual since July, and some B.C. cities have it even worse

In a typical year, British Columbia would be well into its rainy season by mid-October. Instead, cities across the province have seen a fraction of the rain they normally would by this time of year, and unseasonably warm temperatures have set records in the province on 10 of 13 days so far this month. According to The Canadian Press, the City of Vancouver sees an average of 165 millimetres of rain between July and Oct. 14. This year, the city has received just 16 millimetres – less than 10 per cent of the average.

Metro Vancouverites urged to conserve depleting drinking water supply

Metro Vancouverites urged to conserve depleting drinking water supply

There’s more fallout from the unseasonably warm and dry weather that’s been gripping B.C.’s Lower Mainland. Metro Vancouver is asking residents and businesses to cut back on how much water they use amid ongoing drought conditions. Officials are keeping a close eye on the region's three water supplies, the Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam reservoirs.

Low creek levels on Vancouver Island threaten spawning salmon

Low creek levels on Vancouver Island threaten spawning salmon

It’s the time of year when salmon are returning to freshwater to spawn, but across the Island, fish are holding out in the ocean, waiting for the seasonal rise in creek levels to take hold and allow them to complete their life cycle. On average, Victoria sees about 88 millimetres of rain in October; so far there has been none with no precipitation in the forecast for the next week. In fact, it’s been weeks since the Island had any sizable amount of rain at all. Greater Victoria alone has only had 2mm since July 8, and water levels are falling across the region.

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