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

City of Vancouver

Vancouver’s Healthy Waters Plan to tackle runoff risks

Vancouver’s Healthy Waters Plan to tackle runoff risks

The City of Vancouver has embarked on a generational project called the Healthy Waters Plan that will lay out a blueprint for eliminating chronic aquatic ecosystem pollution from sanitary sewers and storm water runoff. The plan is being completed in three phases and will guide long-range investments, programs and policies to address pollution from sewer overflows and urban runoff and key issues related to climate change and aging infrastructure. A team of planners, engineers and consultants has completed the initial phase of the plan and come up with a framework of guiding principles and objectives that define the vision of the strategy and what is necessary to achieve it.

Do people aboard derelict boats in False Creek have squatters' rights?

Do people aboard derelict boats in False Creek have squatters' rights?

There have been longstanding community concerns about derelict boats in False Creek, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Pressure from locals regarding pollution, safety, and aesthetic issues has spurred VPD's Marine Unit along with Transport Canada and the City of Vancouver to embark on a project to clean up the harbour.

Vancouver is one big giant puddle as sidewalks, streets flood (PHOTOS/VIDEOS)

Vancouver is one big giant puddle as sidewalks, streets flood (PHOTOS/VIDEOS)

On Sunday, October 30, Vancouver woke up to the sounds and sights of rain. Some of it was pleasant, like the pattering on our windows. Others are less pleasant, like ankle-swallowing giant puddles popping around downtown Vancouver. Environment Canada has a rainfall warning in effect for Metro Vancouver, and we’re going to get up to 50 mm of rain today. Already, in the early morning, it’s starting to collect in puddles, making it hard to navigate the city as a pedestrian.

Vancouver has seen 90% less rain than usual since July, and some B.C. cities have it even worse

Vancouver has seen 90% less rain than usual since July, and some B.C. cities have it even worse

In a typical year, British Columbia would be well into its rainy season by mid-October. Instead, cities across the province have seen a fraction of the rain they normally would by this time of year, and unseasonably warm temperatures have set records in the province on 10 of 13 days so far this month. According to The Canadian Press, the City of Vancouver sees an average of 165 millimetres of rain between July and Oct. 14. This year, the city has received just 16 millimetres – less than 10 per cent of the average.

City planners turn to nature to combat Vancouver's rising sea levels

City planners turn to nature to combat Vancouver's rising sea levels

Vancouver's waterfront has taken a beating in recent months. Storms have left part of the seawall badly damaged and there's a barge stuck on a beach in English Bay. As climate change and rising sea levels continue to cause problems for coastal communities and their infrastructure, a new initiative from the City of Vancouver is aiming to get ahead of the issue.

Rising sea level prompts city to build St. Paul's Hospital to withstand future floods

Rising sea level prompts city to build St. Paul's Hospital to withstand future floods

The construction of the new St. Paul's Hospital and Health Campus in East Vancouver's False Creek is in progress, but the project won't be completed anytime soon as the facility needs to withstand future floods that could come with rising sea levels. According to the senior sustainability specialist with the City of Vancouver, infrastructures around the municipality were built at a time when water levels were predictable and there were no concerns for rising sea levels — so the city is not prepared for what might come in the next 30 years.

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