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

Kitigan Zibi

First Nations want federal party co-operation, commitment to clean water

First Nations want federal party co-operation, commitment to clean water

Every Wednesday drinking water is delivered to the home of Dylan Whiteduck, chief of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg near Maniwaki, Que. His home, which is just a 90-minute drive from Parliament Hill, used to belong to his grandmother, and for years the water coming from the tap has been unsafe to drink. "All these politicians live on our unceded traditional territory in Ottawa. ... So close to us, [yet] we don't have access to this clean drinking water," said Whiteduck, who partly blamed unsafe levels of uranium in the well water.

What if Ottawa spends $2B on water for First Nations and it still isn’t safe for everyone to drink?

What if Ottawa spends $2B on water for First Nations and it still isn’t safe for everyone to drink?

A green dot. That’s the symbol the federal government uses for this First Nation in the Gatineau River Valley. An online map that tracks one of the Liberal administration’s signature pledges — to rid First Nations of warnings that their tap water is dirty and unsafe — marks Kitigan Zibi with a green dot, like a traffic signal, indicating Mission Accomplished.

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