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.
Residents near Boisé and Leo lanes in Ottawa's east end are busy filling sandbags and operating sump pumps for the third time in seven years as the Ottawa River once again floods the area. One of the snowiest winters on record in Ottawa contributed to flooding along that river that started last month. Water levels are surging again during a very rainy week. In Cumberland, located about 30 kilometres east of downtown Ottawa, longtime resident Glen Roberts is no stranger to flooding.
