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

Canadian prairies

Do depressions in Canadian prairies hold the key to groundwater recharge?

Do depressions in Canadian prairies hold the key to groundwater recharge?

The water cycle is a delicate balance. In natural settings, water from rainfall or snowmelt can soak into soil or runoff to streams. Some of the water is stored in natural underground reservoirs—called groundwater. Plants use up the water to grow, and then new precipitation refills the groundwater—a process called groundwater recharge. In dry climates, plants use up most of the water that enters the soil. So how does the groundwater get refilled? For Canadian prairies the answer is found in depressions located in the landscape. In these depressions, runoff from the surrounding land accumulates and moves into the groundwater.

'Extreme drought' is threatening parts of the Prairies, says Agriculture Canada

'Extreme drought' is threatening parts of the Prairies, says Agriculture Canada

Manitoba farmer Chuck Fossay has never seen his fields this dry. As he scoops up a handful of black top soil, it runs through his fingers like sand. "It's just bone dry. And there's nothing there to support the seed and the crop to grow," he said. Farming near Starbuck, Man., about 20 minutes west of Winnipeg, Fossay is trying to get his canola into the ground. He's planting a little deeper this year, hoping to find moisture so the seeds can germinate and start growing. He hopes that with some well-timed rain, he can still salvage a near-average crop but with conditions this dry, he said it's likely compromised before it's even planted.

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