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.
Two years after erosion at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area was considered "gravely concerning," the coastal wetland in Ontario is now undergoing restoration work to better protect it. In 2019, the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) told CBC News that erosion along the coastline — specifically along Wheatley Provincial Park, Hillman Marsh and Point Pelee National Park — was "active and significant."
