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.
Minor coastal flooding is possible this weekend due to elevated ocean water levels on B.C.’s South Coast. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the region early Saturday morning. “(A) low barometric pressure will combine with a period of high astronomical tide to produce elevated water levels (Saturday) and Sunday,” Environment Canada staff said in the statement.
The mayor of Glencoe, Ont., says the cost of cleaning up and repairing the damage from Wednesday's deadly rainstorm has pushed his rural community to ask the province for financial relief. Environment Canada said Wednesday the town received 135 millimetres of rain during a downpour that turned driveways into ponds, roads into streams and filled basements with sewage.
A teenager was found dead Friday after he reportedly got caught in a storm drain tunnel in a Toronto park during heavy rain overnight, fire crews say. Toronto fire officials say they received a call around 1:20 a.m. reporting a person being swept into the water at Earl Bales Park, the site of a large stormwater management pond in North York. They say an 18-year-old who was with the boy at the time of the incident was able to get out of the water safely and was treated at the scene.
The main contractor in charge of constructing the Site C hydroelectric dam project near Fort St. John in northeastern B.C. has been hit with a $1.1 million fine for dumping contaminated drainage water into the Peace River. The penalty was imposed after Peace River Hydro Partners pleaded guilty in provincial court in Fort St. John on Monday to depositing a deleterious substance into fish-bearing waters, a violation of the federal Fisheries Act, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada,
Metro Vancouver residents won't be able to water their lawns starting Friday as the region brings in new water restrictions to conserve drinking water. The region is activating Stage 2 watering restrictions starting Aug 4, as much of the province continues to experience hot, dry temperatures and significant drought conditions. The regional district says this is the first time restrictions have been raised beyond Stage 1 since 2015 when there was a low snowpack and dry conditions.
You weren't imagining it — last month was an unusually hot and dry July in the Yukon. "Well, it was warmer in June, but boy did [temperatures] ever take off in July," said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada. "We saw temperatures in the Yukon that were two to three-and-a-half degrees warmer than normal."
In portions of Halifax and central Nova Scotia, as an estimated 250 millimetres of rain fell last weekend, similar confusion and improvisation was unfolding, in what some experts say is the latest example of the province's inadequate state of preparation for climate disasters. The mayor of the Municipality of West Hants has said many residents reported they didn't receive any emergency alert at all because of the area's spotty cellular service.
Area residents said they worry that the lakes in the area and municipal water will be affected by the plant. "There is no discharge from the factory whatsoever. As a matter of fact, they’re not even hooked up to sewage," said Chirico. "So there’s no effluent that will be discharged. They have their separate bed, which is inspected, which must be tested, all of these types of things." No one from IPC was made available for an interview with CTV News, but the company president issued a statement. "The North Bay IPC facility boasts state-of-the-art processes that are entirely enclosed and fully recyclable, resulting in zero environmental impact," the statement reads in part. "No water from our manufacturing process is discharged into any lakes, streams or other bodies of water. Additionally, no material waste is produced during the process."
“We dispatched staff from the Town of Innisfil to the impacted flood areas this morning to assist with diverting water away from homes and communicating with residents in the affected areas,” Nicole Bowman, director of operations said in an email. “Our crews are still on site diverting the water and we will continue to update residents through our website and social media channels.”
Heavy rainfall and isolated thunderstorms are expected to hit pockets throughout the GTA Saturday, which can bring about flash floods, water pools on roads and localized flooding in low-lying areas, Environment Canada warns. The federal weather agency says 50 to 75 millimetres of rain is possible in areas as far west as Guelph to east beyond Kingston. Heavy showers have already begun and are expected to continue on and off throughout the day, with a forecasted end this evening.
Welcome news as some areas in the province deal with flooding and high water levels. The City of Edmonton sent a public service announcement on Tuesday warning people to “exercise extreme caution around the North Saskatchewan River and its tributaries.” “Due to the continuous rain, the river, as well as shorelines and trails directly near the river, may be unsafe,” said the announcement. “Edmontonians may expect high water levels and increased current flow in the coming days. This may cause some flooding in areas running along the North Saskatchewan River and other natural waterways.”
It’s been 10 years since the historic floods of southern Alberta that were deadly, expensive and resulted in the first ever declaration of a State of Provincial Emergency in Canadian history. Over 100,000 people were evacuated from their homes in communities throughout southern Alberta and five people lost their lives. There was more than $5 billion dollars in damages and 55,000 square kilometres of land was directly impacted by the floods; an area nearly 70 times the size of Calgary.
New data shows most of the world’s lakes are shrinking. The study was published by the journal Science, done by University of Virginia hydrologist, Fangfang Yao. It suggests climate change and human consumption are causing big water bodies to dry up, even in humid climates with more precipitation. According to Environment Canada, lakes in Southwestern Ontario are slowly rising — contradicting that trend.
Toxic "forever chemicals" are being found in the blood of Canadians — and even higher levels are being found in northern Indigenous communities — says a new report from the government of Canada. Health Canada and Environment Canada have released a draft assessment of the science on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Both departments propose listing the human-made chemicals as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Canadians have until mid-July to weigh in on the proposed change.
Residents living in Cumberland and Clarence-Rockland are taking precautionary measures, filling sandbags and preparing for the potential of flooding along the Ottawa River. Manon Lavergne is doing her best to ensure her home does not fall victim to rising flood waters. “We’re bypassing one of our underground sump pump pipes,” she said. “It actually helps when you’re not at home, at work and one of your neighbours, a nice neighbour, can look to see if your sump pump is functioning.”
Well, the numbers are in, and they should terrify all of us. March was an extremely dry month throughout the Okanagan Valley, with Kelowna experiencing its sixth driest month on record. To the north, Vernon had its fourth driest month on record and Penticton had its second driest March on record, with only 1.8 mm of precipitation compared with an average of 23.6 mm. Those are some troubling numbers, especially when contrasted with a city skyline increasingly dotted with cranes, as Kelowna continues to be one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada.
Heavy rain over Saturday and Sunday brought a helpful boost to the Comox Valley’s water system as levels remain below normal. According to BC Hydro stakeholder engagement advisor Stephen Watson, the February to September water supply forecast has come down since their initial forecast of 96 per cent normal. This is because of the very dry February and March that saw about half normal rainfall, according to Environment Canada. However, last weekend’s rain did provide a nice boost to help bring levels back up a bit.
A severe thunderstorm watch has ended for London, Ont. and Middlesex County area, however rain showers and a risk of thunderstorm remains in the forecast for Wednesday evening. A severe thunderstorm watch remained in place as of 4 p.m. for Elgin County, while watches in Huron-Perth, Oxford County, and Sarnia-Lambton had ended. Rainfall warnings remained in place for southern Huron and southern Perth counties, calling for rainfall amounts of between 30 and 50 millimetres.
Tofino residents were asked to limit their water use to drinking and flushing on the weekend after the district’s water supply was affected by a major power outage. All food operators were asked to only serve takeout orders to save on water. Heavy snow downed trees onto power lines Saturday evening, cutting electricity to about 2,300 B.C. Hydro customers, including the system that runs Tofino’s water supply. Environment Canada said about 32 centimetres of snow fell in the Ucluelet-Tofino area Saturday, more than anywhere else on the Island.
