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

After years of hauling water, a Treaty 3 First Nation celebrates lifting of long-term boil water advisory

After years of hauling water, a Treaty 3 First Nation celebrates lifting of long-term boil water advisory

People in a First Nation in Treaty 3 in Ontario are celebrating a key step toward clean drinking water, as they lifted a long-term boil water advisory at the beginning of December. Advisories have been in effect on-and-off in Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation since the 1990s, said Chief Clayton Wetelainen, but the most recent advisory had been in effect for more than a year. "The people [living in] residential units are glad because they're tired of hauling in water, and the [advisory] has now been lifted," Wetelainen said.

TC Energy recovers nearly 2,600 barrels of oil and water from Keystone leak Social Sharing

TC Energy recovers nearly 2,600 barrels of oil and water from Keystone leak Social Sharing

TC Energy Corp. says it has recovered nearly 2,600 barrels of oil and water from a creek following a leak in its Keystone pipeline last week.The company says vacuum trucks and crews are operating around the clock with multiple booms set up downstream of the release point to contain the oil. TC Energy says oil has not breached the containment area.

Aecon consortium wins civil construction contract for John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade

Aecon consortium wins civil construction contract for John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade

Aecon-EBC General Partnership (AEGP), a consortium led by Aecon (60%) and including EBC (40%), has been awarded the first phase of a $245 million two-phase civil construction contract for the John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade project on the Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada. The scope of work involves upgrading earth stabilizing infrastructure to improve the seismic resiliency of the existing John Hart Dam.

Impact of road salt on Cambridge drinking water raising concern

Impact of road salt on Cambridge drinking water raising concern

The drinking water supply in the city of Cambridge has higher levels of sodium than recommended by Health Canada according to regular water quality reports taken by the region. The Region of Waterloo website states that regular sodium levels in drinking water should be below 20 mg/L. Anything higher must be reported to public health. A major cause of the increase is the way roads are treated and the type of salt that is used over the winter months. It's an issue the region is working on.

Indigneous community members may be eligible for compensation

Indigneous community members may be eligible for compensation

Those who are a part of an Indigenous community may have an opportunity to make a claim for compensation. Last year, the courts approved a settlement between Canada and First Nations who were subject to a drinking water advisory that lasted at least one year between Nov. 20, 1995, and June 20, 2021. The settlement includes compensation for impacted First Nations and eligible individuals, as well as commitments to fund the construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure needed to provide regular access to clean, safe drinking water in their homes in a quantity sufficient for everyday use, reads a news release from organizers of The First Nations Drinking Water Settlement.

Province Announces New Protected Areas, Funding to Protect More Land

Province Announces New Protected Areas, Funding to Protect More Land

The Province is investing an additional $20 million to help protect more of Nova Scotia’s land and water and designating another 9,300 hectares of Crown land for the benefit of Nova Scotians and the environment. Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman made the announcements today, December 12, in Middle Sackville near the newly designated Sackville River Wilderness Area. It covers about 800 hectares of mature forests, wetlands, lakes and waterways. This protected area will help conserve the Sackville River, the Pockwock watershed, which provides communities with drinking water, and recreation areas.

London plumber recalls 'scary' clog, made almost entirely of used needles

London plumber recalls 'scary' clog, made almost entirely of used needles

A London, Ont., plumber is warning people not to flush used syringes down toilets or kick them into catch basins, saying that while it seems safer than leaving them in the street, they can present a danger to those who work with the city's plumbing. The opioid crisis has been a simmering problem for at least a decade in the city, with recent figures putting the number of deaths from apparent overdoses at an average of eight a month since the pandemic.

The world's permafrost is rapidly thawing and that's a big climate change problem

The world's permafrost is rapidly thawing and that's a big climate change problem

As we work to curb emissions, another source of greenhouse gases is coming to the surface. An international study released this fall shows that permafrost thaw could contribute as much greenhouse gases to our atmosphere as a large industrial nation by the end of the century. In the Arctic, warming is amplified, with annual temperatures having warmed 2.3 C since 1948, more than twice the global rate, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Conservationists optimistic over David Eby's commitments to protect B.C.'s biodiversity

Conservationists optimistic over David Eby's commitments to protect B.C.'s biodiversity

This week, Eby named his first cabinet as premier, with former energy and mines minister Bruce Ralston taking on forestry and Nathan Cullen replacing Josie Osborne as the minister for water, land and resource stewardship. The new ministry was put in place in February. The tone of the letters appears to usher in the type of science-based, holistic approach to conservation and biodiversity in the province that people like Wu have been asking for from the B.C. government. "We have seen the impacts of short-term thinking on the British Columbia land base — exhausted forests, poisoned water, and contaminated sites," wrote Eby is his mandate letter to Cullen.

Indigenous communities call on U.S. to confront Canada’s toxic mining runoff at border

Indigenous communities call on U.S. to confront Canada’s toxic mining runoff at border

In a city of pinstripes and partisan power brokers, Mike Allison sticks out like a sore thumb. He’s in the wrong place — and he knows it. “I shouldn’t be here,” the denim-clad Indigenous elder suddenly says, fighting tears beneath the brim of his trademark cowboy hat. “I should be out on the land, working with my kids, teaching them values. I should be teaching them kids how to work with the environment, not fight for it.”

Unusual dry spell threatens B.C. reservoir levels

Unusual dry spell threatens B.C. reservoir levels

Parts of British Columbia known for towering rainforests and endless days of winter precipitation are experiencing some of the driest conditions on record. Both the Sunshine Coast and east side of Vancouver Island face persistent water shortages as below-average precipitation fails to replenish reservoirs drained by the fall drought. “This is the driest fall season on record for all Vancouver Island hydroelectric watersheds,” said B.C. Hydro spokesman Stephen Watson.

Through a lens of Inuit knowledge, Nunavut enviro-tech program arms students to tackle climate change

Through a lens of Inuit knowledge, Nunavut enviro-tech program arms students to tackle climate change

One of the drivers of this trend is the Arctic warming effect, a phenomenon that occurs when sea ice and snow, which naturally reflect the sun's heat, melt into sea water. The water then absorbs more solar radiation and warms up. The consequences — longer ice-free seasons, unpredictable weather conditions and warmer waters — are felt at all levels of the Arctic ecosystem's food chain.

Here's how a Calgary lab monitors wastewater for respiratory diseases

Here's how a Calgary lab monitors wastewater for respiratory diseases

Inside the Pine Creek wastewater treatment plant in the south of Calgary, a lab run by the University of Calgary is busy processing wastewater samples from municipalities across the province. This lab, along with one operated by the University of Alberta, started tracing levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater in early 2020 — providing Alberta Health Services with infection trends in different communities. Now the project has expanded to check for influenza A and B, as well as RSV — respiratory viruses that are all currently putting a strain on Alberta's health care system.

Credit Valley Conservation conducting public survey for development of new Credit River Watershed plan

Credit Valley Conservation conducting public survey for development of new Credit River Watershed plan

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is conducting a public survey to get input for the development of its new plan for the Credit River Watershed. A watershed is an area of land that drains surface water and groundwater into a body of water such as a river or stream. Watersheds are essential for both people and wildlife. A healthy watershed will slow, clean, filter and store water which would reduce flood risk, improve water quality, provide habitat for a diversity of species and increase resilience in a changing climate.

Opinion: Conserving grassland ecosystems in Alberta has significant impact

Opinion: Conserving grassland ecosystems in Alberta has significant impact

And yet these same grasslands support so much life. They help feed us, by nurturing pollinators and grazing mammals. They quench our thirst, filtering our communities’ drinking water with their roots. And they protect us, storing vast amounts of carbon and retaining water during spring melts and summer droughts. Our well-being is intimately tied to the health of the natural world around us. And we’re at a point now where nature’s health is ailing.

Investigators, cleanup crews begin scouring oil pipeline spill in Kansas

Investigators, cleanup crews begin scouring oil pipeline spill in Kansas

Emergency crews on Friday were preparing to labor through the weekend to clean up the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade, with workers descending on this farming community from as far away as Mississippi. A heavy odor of oil hung in the air, according to a Reuters witness, as tractor trailers ferried generators, lighting and ground mats to a muddy site. Federal investigators were at the scene trying to help determine what caused a leak of some 14,000 barrels of oil from Western Canada, an official said.

Government of Canada invests in Indigenous-led Natural Climate Solutions across the country

Government of Canada invests in Indigenous-led Natural Climate Solutions across the country

Indigenous peoples have been stewards of our natural environment since time immemorial. Conserving and restoring nature through Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Science is fundamental to addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Climate change is altering the water cycle, resulting in flooding, droughts, and wildfires. It is also one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. Conserving and restoring nature are important ways for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Canada is committed to implementing nature-based solutions to build resilience and help meet the country's 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.

Michigan judge tosses charges against former governor in Flint water crisis

Michigan judge tosses charges against former governor in Flint water crisis

A Michigan judge has dismissed charges against former Governor Rick Snyder in connection with the Flint water crisis, his attorney said on Friday, several months after the state Supreme Court ruled that grand jury indictments returned in the case were invalid. Genesee Circuit Judge F. Kay Behm dismissed the case against Snyder, his attorney Brian Lennon said in an email to Reuters. Snyder was governor in 2014, when under state-appointed managers the government of Flint, a majority-Black city, switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River to cut costs.

Area resident challenges Town of Antigonish over runoff from solar garden project

Area resident challenges Town of Antigonish over runoff from solar garden project

Ed Gillis lives next door to the new community solar garden being built in Antigonish, N.S. He's been fighting with the town over many issues, including one he thinks could have major environmental ramifications. The town clear cut a large section of land for the three megawatt solar garden right up to his property line. He said that shouldn't have happened due to a number of large sinkholes in the wooded area and proximity to a small river. "This goes back to March, and it's now December, that I have brought forward concerns," he said. Those concerns are sediment and other matter going into the river.

Swirltex Inc. Recognized as One of Canada’s Most Investable Cleantech Ventures by Foresight Canada

Swirltex Inc. Recognized as One of Canada’s Most Investable Cleantech Ventures by Foresight Canada

Swirltex Inc. ("Swirltex") has been recognized as one of the Foresight 50, a list of Canada’s most investable cleantech ventures selected by Foresight Canada. Swirltex was chosen because of their ability to support the world’s increasing water needs by treating the toughest wastewater streams to reuse quality. Swirltex’s patented technology is revolutionary in the water treatment industry, with their process of separating contaminants from the water based on buoyancy. Swirltex celebrated the award at the second annual Foresight 50 showcase.

Follow us