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

Anishinaabe activist Autumn Peltier featured in museum exhibit

Anishinaabe activist Autumn Peltier featured in museum exhibit

A new display at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa will highlight the activism and accomplishments of Anishinaabe water-rights advocate Autumn Peltier. The display will be available for the public to view until January 8, 2023. The museum display features items related to her international advocacy for clean water rights, including the dress she wore when she addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 about the issue of contaminated water in First Nation communities across the country.

Canadian rover set to explore the moon for the first time in history (PHOTO/VIDEO)

Canadian rover set to explore the moon for the first time in history (PHOTO/VIDEO)

Canada is set to make another “giant leap for mankind.” For the first time in history, a Canadian rover will be sent to the moon to help in the international search for water ice, a key component needed for the future of human space exploration. According to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the rover is the outcome of decades of building and refining Canadian expertise in rover technology.

First Nations governance and federal representatives come together at Ontario Joint Gathering in Toronto

First Nations governance and federal representatives come together at Ontario Joint Gathering in Toronto

First Nations Chiefs, community members, and representatives came together with federal bureaucrats at the Ontario Joint Gathering hosted by Indigenous Services Canada in Toronto on Oct. 25 and 26. The two-day gathering at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto was an opportunity to strengthen relationships between the Canadian government and First Nations governments, with a series of Federal and First Nations speakers reporting to delegates. Over 45 participants registered over the two days, with 100 attending virtually.

EPA leader listens to water concerns in Mississippi capital

EPA leader listens to water concerns in Mississippi capital

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Tuesday that the agency is still working on a plan to bring long-term improvements to the water system in Mississippi’s capital city, which came perilously close to collapsing more than two months ago. “I am here for the fourth time in one year because I want to hear directly from you,” Regan told dozens of business people, elected officials, pastors and others during a meeting at Jackson State University.

Yili wins the 2022 Global Water Drinks Award

Yili wins the 2022 Global Water Drinks Award

The 19th Global Water Drinks Congress was held in Évian-les-Bains, France, from November 8 to 10. Yili's Inikin mineral water won the 2022 Global Water Drinks Award. Dr. Gerrit Smit, Managing Director of the Yili Innovation Center Europe, attended the ceremony to receive this honor. Zenith Global's annual Global Water Drinks Congress is regarded as the highest level and most influential forum for the global water drinks industry. This year's Congress was held in the French Alps, one of the world's three most pristine water sources, along with the Changbai Mountains in China, and the Caucasus Mountains in Russia. Despite fierce competition from over 150 other participants, the jury presented the top prize to Inikin, a young brand founded in the Arxan and Changbai Mountains, in recognition of its contribution to health and sustainability.

A new mine could position Quebec as a lithium leader, but its rocky past worries locals

A new mine could position Quebec as a lithium leader, but its rocky past worries locals

In an expansive open-air pit 550 kilometres northwest of Montreal, 100-tonne trucks criss-cross the climbing roads, preparing for the mine to open. The chalk-white veins of those rocks have metals inside, including one of the most sought-after minerals in the world: lithium, a key component of electric car batteries. When production restarts at the La Corne, Que., lithium mine early next year, it is set to be one of the only functional lithium concentrate mines in North America and position Quebec as a Canadian lithium leader.

1 year later, British Columbians who lost everything reflect on devastating floods

1 year later, British Columbians who lost everything reflect on devastating floods

John Jongema's house is habitable again, but he is not getting rid of the fifth-wheel trailer he moved onto his farmland to ride out the rebuild anytime soon. "I'm keeping that trailer as a getaway," he said with a nervous chuckle. Jongema, who lives on a hobby farm on the Sumas Prairie about 90 kilometres east of Vancouver, is one of nearly 20,000 people in the southern part of British Columbia forced from their homes a year ago after record-breaking rains caused catastrophic flooding. The relentless rain came via an atmospheric river — an airborne stream of water vapour across the Pacific that originated in the subtropics. It triggered fatal mudslides, damaged critical highway infrastructure and called into question responsibility for flood mitigation in a province repeatedly pummeled by the impacts of climate change.

COVID levels in Regina wastewater drop, but remain high: U of R

COVID levels in Regina wastewater drop, but remain high: U of R

University of Regina researchers say the amount of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the city's wastewater remains high, but is down from previous levels. The latest analysis for the week of Oct. 30 through Nov. 5 showed a mixture in COVID levels for the cities studied. Analysis of the City of Moose Jaw's wastewater shows an increase in virus, putting that city's COVID levels at a moderate-high level.

B.C. grain farmers struggling as historic drought continues in province's northeast

B.C. grain farmers struggling as historic drought continues in province's northeast

A grain farmer near Fort St. John says he and other growers are struggling as drought conditions continue to impact northeastern B.C., resulting in some of their poorest yields in years. "There was very little crop because everything got dried out," Malcolm Odermatt, a farmer and president of the B.C. Grain Producers Association, told CBC's Betsy Trumpener. "The plants went into survival mode … we're not going to do a big yield. We're just going to get a few seeds. We had absolutely no rain."

B.C. flood recovery tempered by fears of new climate disasters looming on horizon

B.C. flood recovery tempered by fears of new climate disasters looming on horizon

When a dike was breached and floodwaters started to flow across British Columbia’s Sumas Prairie a year ago, poultry farmer Corry Spitters said all he could do was let nature take its course. A feeling of helplessness gripped him as the encroaching water methodically engulfed his farm’s 21 barns, and 200,000 of his chickens drowned, he said. “You stand there and Mother Nature takes control,” said Spitters, 67. “What can you do? The water comes in and there’s nothing you can do.”

Severe spike in COVID-19 detected in Saskatoon wastewater

Severe spike in COVID-19 detected in Saskatoon wastewater

The COVID-19 viral load in Saskatoon's wastewater spiked by more than 400 per cent in one week, according to research from the University of Saskatchewan. Researchers from the university's Global Water Futures program have been analyzing wastewater samples from Saskatoon, North Battleford and Prince Albert for COVID-19 since summer 2020. The results can predict a rise or fall of COVID-19 diagnoses about a week in advance. Researchers say most people start shedding SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within 24 hours of being infected.

Why Justin Trudeau’s ‘blue hydrogen’ dream is not really green

Why Justin Trudeau’s ‘blue hydrogen’ dream is not really green

While world leaders convene in Sharm el-Sheikh for the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, Canadian politicians are hard at work selling dreams of clean green energy to locals and foreigners alike. Though the recent green energy export agreement signed between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was welcome news in Ottawa as much as Berlin, Canadian taxpayers should be mindful of politicians’ proclivity to overpromise and underdeliver. When it comes to promises of an energy transition powered by Canadian hydrogen, no amount of skepticism is too little.

CANADA: Canadian golf courses working to reduce ecological impact

CANADA: Canadian golf courses working to reduce ecological impact

Golf's origins date back hundreds of years to rural Scotland where the natural features of the land near Edinburgh created the hazards that golfers had to play around and sheep kept the grass well manicured. But the game has spread around the world in the ensuing centuries with different environments forcing the technology used to maintain golf courses to evolve well past sheep. Golf courses have become divisive with some environmentalists criticizing their use of pesticides and fresh water, but their defenders argue that they can be oases that give cities and suburbs important green space.

Canada and FCM support strengthened asset management in Nova Scotia communities

Canada and FCM support strengthened asset management in Nova Scotia communities

Today, the Government of Canada, along with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), announced an investment of $348,460 in seven Nova Scotia communities. This funding will help them make data-driven decisions about key infrastructure and ensure long-term infrastructure performance. The Municipality of the District of East Hants is receiving $50,000 to assess current capacity of a water treatment plant and a wastewater treatment plant and compare that capacity to future treatment requirements. It will also collect asset management data for computer modeling of existing water, wastewater, and stormwater systems to determine asset needs.

Packaged Water Market to Grow at CAGR of 6.5% through 2030: The Brainy Insights

Packaged Water Market to Grow at CAGR of 6.5% through 2030: The Brainy Insights

Product innovation in packaged water industry has provided many options to consumers. The canned packaged water is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period. A surge in demand for premium products and eco-friendly packaging is also expected to boost market growth.

FloWater Takes Innovation in Drinking Water into Canada In Distribution Deal for its Popular Water Refill Stations with Servomax

FloWater Takes Innovation in Drinking Water into Canada In Distribution Deal for its Popular Water Refill Stations with Servomax

With more than 8,000 of its market-leading water Refill Stations in place across the US and with premiere brands such as Red Bull, Apple, Marriott, Peloton, United Airlines, Warby Parker and Google as customers, FloWater is now expanding into Canada for the first time. FloWater and Servomax, today announced a partnership for the distribution across Canada of FloWater's Refill Stations. This agreement adds a great-tasting, plastic-free drinking water solution to the Servomax product lineup, reflecting growing consumer demand for healthier, more sustainable choices.

How the Kenney Dam Broke the Nechako River

How the Kenney Dam Broke the Nechako River

The downstream effects of the Kenney Dam weren’t felt right away. Growing up on the Saik’uz First Nation in the 1970s, Chief Priscilla Mueller remembers a time when the Nechako River was overflowing with spawning salmon in July and August. Elders would set nets and families would help clean the fish. Smoke shacks ran continuously, preparing the food for winter, and freezers would be filled with the abundant stocks.

Sumas River dike in Abbotsford, B.C., to be permanently repaired by month's end, says province

Sumas River dike in Abbotsford, B.C., to be permanently repaired by month's end, says province

British Columbia's public safety minister was in Abbotsford Thursday nearly a year after the area was hit by catastrophic flooding. Mike Farnworth said progress has been made rebuilding critical infrastructure on the Sumas Prairie and in parts of the Fraser Valley following last year's atmospheric river. Farnworth said permanent repairs to the Sumas River dike are expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Downed electricity tower affects refinery, possibly water treatment plant

Downed electricity tower affects refinery, possibly water treatment plant

A brief power outage there resulted in pressure changes at Wallaceburg’s water treatment plant that caused a break in a key watermain. That disruption prompted Chatham-Kent public health to issue a boil water advisory for Wallaceburg while students at the town’s high schools and elementary schools were sent home. Crews were working to repair the collapsed tower, Collie said. The electricity stayed on for Bluewater Power’s customers in Sarnia, but they still may have noticed “a couple dims of their lights” during the morning, McMichael-Dennis said.

The International Red River Watershed Board to monitor key nutrients to help reduce the impact of harmful blooms in the Red River basin

The International Red River Watershed Board to monitor key nutrients to help reduce the impact of harmful blooms in the Red River basin

To continue improving water quality in the Red River basin, including downstream in Lake Winnipeg, the governments of Canada and the United States approved four additional water quality objectives to be monitored by the International Red River Watershed Board (IRRWB) following a recommendation by the International Joint Commission (IJC). These additional, non-regulatory water quality objectives are for the key nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen.

Follow us