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

Indigenous community

The depths of Canada's chronic Indigenous community water problems start at the top, say experts

The depths of Canada's chronic Indigenous community water problems start at the top, say experts

Jocelyn Burzuik, president of Sundance Construction, an Indigenous-led contracting firm in Sandy Hook, Man., opened with a dire prediction that despite millions of dollars in government investments, the problems with water and sewer projects on First Nation and Métis communities haven't gotten any better and will only get worse. She described a "devolving situation" with the life cycle running out on existing systems that eventually will "cascade into one great big huge failure of systems across the entire country, and I don't think people are aware of what's coming."

Oneida has tentative deal to pipe in Lake Huron water, seeks federal money to cover cost

Oneida has tentative deal to pipe in Lake Huron water, seeks federal money to cover cost

Buried beneath the gravel shoulder of the intersection is a 16-inch diameter wide water main. The pipe is part of the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System, the same vast network that carries treated Lake Huron water to 15 municipalities across an area the size of Prince Edward Island. Parts of London, along with Middlesex Centre, Strathroy-Caradoc, Lucan-Biddulph, Grand Bend and others, are supplied by this system.

Indigenous community, water advocates, moving ahead on drinking water solutions

Indigenous community, water advocates, moving ahead on drinking water solutions

An innovative way to bring clean water to indigenous communities is being installed in homes at a reserve not far from Toronto. The project is an early step in a plan that advocates hope will eventually spread across Canada. “Water is a basic human right no matter how rich or poor we are, where we come from, what the colour of our skin is we all deserve clean drinking water,” said water rights advocate Autumn Peltier.

Canada Water Agency task force releases report based on community feedback

Canada Water Agency task force releases report based on community feedback

The city-led task force responsible for pitching Sault Ste. Marie as the future headquarters for the forthcoming Canada Water Agency has released its findings following a months-long process of community engagement. The report, which is now live on the task force’s website, is the result of 10 in-person and virtual community discussions held between August and December of last year that were facilitated by Lake Huron North Program Coordinator Dr. Elaine Ho-Tassone. More than 200 participants - drawn from local organizations, the Indigenous community, youth and the general public - provided their perspectives for the report.

Shoal Lake First Nation lifts 24-year boil water advisory, but there’s more to do: experts

Shoal Lake First Nation lifts 24-year boil water advisory, but there’s more to do: experts

Experts say Canada still has a long way to go. “It could be measured in years because not only is it the current boil water advisories as they exist, but we also need to make sure that the facilities that are operating remain safe and remain regulated and (are) operated properly,” said Dr. Graham Gagnon, director for the Centre for Water Resources Studies at Dalhousie University.

'You are not forgotten': Outpouring of support for Neskantaga First Nation

'You are not forgotten': Outpouring of support for Neskantaga First Nation

Students plan to launch a second letter-writing campaign in the new year addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller calling for clean running water for First Nations communities. The letter campaign is called "We haven't forgotten you," said Frank Pio, the school board's Indigenous education teacher. "It's really unfair that they don't get safe water to drink," Comazzi said.

Building trust in its tap water will be Neskantaga’s next big challenge

Building trust in its tap water will be Neskantaga’s next big challenge

The chief of the First Nation in Northern Ontario that has suffered through the country’s longest continuous boil water advisory is hopeful that water coming out of the taps in the homes of Neskantaga will be safe to drink sometime in early 2021. The question now is: Even if public health and First Nation officials pronounce the water safe to drink, will anyone trust in the purity of what comes out of their taps?

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