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

Jasper

A tsunami in Jasper? How falling ice nearly caused a 'mass casualty' event

A tsunami in Jasper? How falling ice nearly caused a 'mass casualty' event

A federally funded research project is underway to find out if B.C. and Alberta are at risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) due to climate change. The Weather Network's Connor O'Donavon has more on why GLOF represents a major hazard and how it can result in significant loss of life. Picture a wall of water suddenly rushing down a mountain valley towards you, giving you just seconds to react. That’s just what happened in 2012 at Mount Edith Cavell in Jasper National Park when the hanging Ghost Glacier fell into the glacial lake below. 

"Anticipate challenging conditions": Jasper warns visitors after 70 cm of snow

"Anticipate challenging conditions": Jasper warns visitors after 70 cm of snow

On Monday, the park received up to 100 mm of precipitation in some areas, falling as both snow and rain. The high-elevation areas, such as the Skyline trail, received an estimated snow accumulation of up to 70 cm, while lower elevations experienced lesser amounts. The heavy snowfall resulted in widespread tree damage, making travel conditions on trails challenging and, in some cases, impassable, with Parks Canada having to rescue dozens of people who were left stranded in some areas.

Lethbridge voted number one for best tasting water

Lethbridge voted number one for best tasting water

Lethbridge has been crowned the winner for the best tasting water. Out of nine competing cities at the 2022 American Water Works Association Western Canada Conference, Lethbridge was chosen as number with Jasper and St. Albert coming in behind. An official with the city explains the secret behind the best tasting water. “It’s purely a subjective competition. They have a panel of people that are tasting and sniffing the entries. Some of the things they’re looking for is whether there’s an aftertaste, a chemical aftertaste, or whether there’s an odor that might impact customers experience,” said Doug Kaupp, General Manager of Waster & Wastewater for the city of Lethbridge.

Alberta promises close watch on new mines but cuts oversight of coal-polluted rivers

Alberta promises close watch on new mines but cuts oversight of coal-polluted rivers

Alberta government documents show repeated cuts to environmental monitoring despite contaminants in some waterways that exceed thresholds that are supposed to trigger increased scrutiny. The province's 2019 five-year monitoring plan shows stations on two rivers and a creek polluted with selenium from coal mines were mothballed. That was despite more than two decades of readings that Alberta Environment guidelines suggest should have led to closer attention.

Contaminant from coal mines already high in some Alberta rivers: unreported data

Contaminant from coal mines already high in some Alberta rivers: unreported data

The province's plan for large-scale expansion of the industry is fueling widespread criticism that includes concerns over selenium pollution. The data shows that same contaminant has been found for years at high levels downstream of three mines and never publicly reported. The findings raise questions about Alberta Environment, said a former senior official who has seen the data. "There were lots of [selenium] numbers and it was consistently above the water quality guidelines and in many cases way higher," said Bill Donahue, the department's one-time executive director of science. "Why did Alberta Environment sit on these data for easily the last 10 to 15 years?"

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