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.
The beach on Île Notre-Dame in Jean-Drapeau Park has reopened after being closed since Wednesday because of an E. coli contamination. Testing had been under way over the past few days, with results from Thursday showing the water is now safe to swim in, Quebec's Environment Ministry shared late Friday afternoon. It's sure to be welcome news for anyone looking to head to the beach ahead of what's expected to be a hot weekend in the city.
