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.
Since flood waters hit the Northwest Territories communities of Fort Simpson and Jean Marie River, 10 reports of fuel spills have been reported on the territory's spill database, some on residential properties. It's left people wondering what that means for wildlife in the area and whether homes are actually safe to return to. Beth Hudson, a Fort Simpson resident, told CBC last week that there isn't clear information about environmental impact.
Twenty-two homes in Jean Marie River have been damaged by water and contaminated with fuel after the Mackenzie River flooded the N.W.T. community on both Friday and Saturday nights, according to the community's chief. Chief Stanley Sanguez told CBC News the band office and the school — in the lower lying downtown area — were also affected. The community of fewer than 100 people only has 26 homes in it, he said. "The water went so high that it uprooted all the fuel tanks, you could literally smell diesel all over," he explained. "The fuel that got into the houses is going to embed right in the lumber. It [doesn't] matter how you wash it, you'll still have that smell." When the water came Friday night, it came quickly.
