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.
A school and a community centre in Regina were flooded because of a water pipe break Wednesday. École Monseigneur de Laval and the Association Canadienne-Française de Regina (ACFR) were left waterlogged, and the school closed Wednesday. On Thursday, students had to learn online. "At 10 p.m., the school floors were dried and cleaned in the hallways, gyms and classrooms," a Facebook post from the school reads. It has been translated from French.
The fundraiser, which was created on Friday, has a $5 million goal, with all proceeds going towards Water First, an organization that partners with Indigenous communities “to support access to clean drinking water through education, training, and meaningful collaboration.” If the money is raised, Howarth says GoFundMe will send the funds directly to the organization. Referring to the truckers convoy, Howarth says, “If anyone can raise $5 million in one week, it should be all Canadians who believe that clean drinking water for Indigenous communities should be our nation’s top priority.”
This past November marked 25 years since Neskantaga First Nation, located in Northwestern Ontario, was placed on a boil water advisory. In October 2020, over 250 Neskantaga residents were evacuated and transferred to a hotel in Thunder Bay after “an oily sheen was found in the Neskantaga water reservoir;” “high levels of hydrocarbons” were discovered in the water after testing. Residents were able to return after two months, but the boil water advisory remains. Chief Chris Moonias has called upon Ontario Premier Doug Ford to support Neskantaga First Nation in securing clean drinking water and properly trained water operators – Ford has yet to respond. Ending all boil-water advisories in Canada can no longer be delayed; Ford must act in accordance with the concerns of the Neskantaga First Nation immediately.
