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

Hillburgh

Concerns raised over process to renew local water taking permits

Concerns raised over process to renew local water taking permits

Believing they were misled by the Ministry of Environment, local advocacy group Wellington Water Watchers wants an extension on public input into the current water permit renewal applications for Aberfoyle and Hillsburgh. Triton Water, who purchased the Nestle Waters division earlier this year, has applied for renewals of their water taking permits at the two locations. Arlene Slocombe, executive director of WWW said she met with ministry representatives on April 7, and it was understood that ministry staff would notify WWW when Triton Water Canada Holdings, Inc.’s request to renew the permit to take water would be posted. Permits include a 30 day public consultation period.

Save Our Water celebrates milestone but urges continued vigilance on water protection

Save Our Water celebrates milestone but urges continued vigilance on water protection

Municipalities now can veto water taking permits for amounts above 379,000 litres a day and that’s a victory, Save Our Water officials say. But still concerning is that a business can take any amount below the threshold without municipal approval. And they can appeal zoning decisions to LPAT “and their decision will be binding,” said McCaw. The recent sale of Nestlé’s North American water bottling operations to One Rock Capital Partners and Metropoulos & Co. is no cause for celebration, McCaw added. “The issues are the same,” she said listing the environmental footprint of the operation, pollution from plastic bottles, as well as the threat to the local water supply, as key concerns.

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