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.
Growing up, I was always surrounded by the serene beauty of lakes. From family picnics by the shores of Lake Ontario to my first canoeing experience in the pristine waters of Lake Louise, lakes have been an integral part of my identity. Their vastness, depth, and the life they support have always fascinated me. Today, I invite you on a journey to explore some of the most interesting facts about Canadian lakes, interwoven with personal memories and reflections.
Some of the most spectacular lakes in the world call Canada home. In fact, Canada has more lake area coverage than any other country. For example, 563 lakes in the country span over 40 square miles. Furthermore, fresh bodies of water cover eight percent of Canada’s landmass. Therefore, not only do these lakes provide a source of fresh water, but they also bring in a lot of tourism with their recreational activities. However, these lakes also serve an abundance of wildlife, including snakes. So, below is a list of the most snake-infested lakes in Canada.
A photo of Lake Okanagan won the Judges' Favourite Award in the Lake Landscapes category in the 2023 Lake Biodiversity Photo Challenge, organized by Living Lakes Canada. For the first time since the contest was launched in 2020, photos were submitted from every province and territory across the country. There were 629 submissions this year and a Public Favourite winner was selected in four different categories using an online voting system where a total of 1,609 votes were cast in August.
A new course at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., is offering students an opportunity to immerse themselves in Lake Ontario, both figuratively and literally. "A lot of Queen's students come to Kingston, spend four years here, and they really don't know anything about the lake," said David McDonald, a professor in the university's department of global development studies. He created the course in part to raise awareness among students about the long history of community effort that has contributed to creating the public space along the city's waterfront.
Cleanup crews are trying to determine how much runoff from an industrial fire in Etobicoke a week ago has made its way into Lake Ontario, the province's environment ministry says. The ministry has said the runoff is affecting two waterways, Mimico Creek and Humber Creek, and containment measures have been in place since August 11 in both creeks. On Friday, it said while measures along Mimico Creek were reinforced Wednesday, Thursday's rain night enabled the spill to move further down Mimico Creek.
Three Toronto beaches have been deemed unsafe to swim due to high levels of bacteria in Lake Ontario on Friday. E.coli levels at Marie Curtis Park East in Mississauga, Sunnyside Beach in downtown Toronto, and Kew Balmy Beach in the Beaches have been labelled as “unsafe to swim” by the City of Toronto ahead of the weekend. E. coli are a bacteria that can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The levels are predicted to be above 100 E.coli per 100ml of water, which may pose a risk to human health, according to the city’s water quality data.
Pulling a large truck tire from the water, volunteer Derek Evans says he is not sure how long it has been at the bottom of Lake Ontario. It’s filled with zebra mussels and mud, but the rubber has the potential to be a serious issue. "This is at least 50 pounds," Evans says. "It definitely would be a lot of damage to the fish and the wildlife in the water." Getting this tire, and other garbage, is part of a massive project called, 'Kingston Waters Clean Up.' More than 70 divers, kayakers and shorelines volunteers are bagging up garbage to keep it out of the water and drawing awareness to the issue, explains organizer Guillaume Courcy.
Corey Adkins, 52, communication and content director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, said the crossing will raise awareness of the Great Lakes. He has followed the group and produced documentaries on their work. Problems on the Great Lakes vary from algal blooms to microplastics, he said. "They are all in trouble in one form or another," he said. "What these guys do is bring awareness of the problems of each lake. The mission that these guys are on is very important."
It’s been a busy few years at the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant (ABTP) where the outfall is being upgraded to better handle storm surges and population growth demands, but the end is in sight. The ABTP is the second largest plant of its kind in Canada and one of the oldest, dating back to 1917 with the outfall constructed in 1947. It is one of Toronto’s four water treatment plants. The scope of the work is complex and extensive, adding a new outflow pipe to take discharge further into Lake Ontario after treatment by a new ultra-violet sanitization system.
Floating, rock-like masses formed of fat, grease and trash like wet wipes and diapers — researchers found more than 100 of these "fatbergs" along the docks of Toronto Harbour last year. Despite the stench, it's a celebratory feat. That's because since the research team's launch in the summer of 2019, keeping tabs on this form of pollution remained just out of reach.
Canadians value a safe and clean environment. Environment and Climate Change Canada's enforcement officers strive to ensure that individuals and companies comply with Canadian environmental laws. An alternative measures agreement has been concluded between the Government of Canada and The Barclay Construction Group Inc. As a result of the agreement, the company has agreed to pay $175,000 to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund. The agreement, as recommended by the court, was entered into as an alternative to prosecution of charges that had been laid by Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers under the Fisheries Act. The charges, which have since been stayed, were related to an incident where sediment-contaminated water was deposited into Lake Ontario.
Ontario orders Hamilton to improve sewage monitoring after spill into Lake Ontario. Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has issued a provincial officer order to the City of Hamilton to improve the way it inspects its sewage system, following the discovery of two recent large-scale spills. The two spillways collectively saw an estimated 396 million liters of wastewater flow into Lake Ontario since 1996.
Ontario's Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has issued the City of Hamilton a provincial officer's order to improve the way it inspects its sewage system, after the recent discovery of two massive spills. The two spills saw an estimated combined total of 396 million litres of wastewater flow into Lake Ontario since 1996. The order, issued on Jan. 18, isn't the audit of the entire sewage system that the province's environment minister said in late November he asked for — but the order does criticize the city's current procedures and offers a timeline for the city to review and improve how it monitors its sewage system.
Small groups of people have been taking to the new ice on Thunder Bay in recent days skating, biking ice boating and ice fishing. Yet this fun on the ice has been slow in coming this winter. And they are on thin ice. The ice formation on Thunder Bay has been slow to form this winter, due to above average air temperatures through December and into January.
The City of Hamilton says roughly 59 million litres of sewage had flowed from 11 homes near Rutherford Avenue and Myrtle Avenue straight into Lake Ontario since 1996. "City staff developed this estimate based on the water meter usage data from the 11 properties connected to the combined sewer pipe," reads a release, which adds this method was identified as the most accurate way to represent the discharge. The city confirmed the sewage leak on Monday during a risk-based proactive inspection program prompted by a separate, 337-million-litre sewage spill discovered in late November.
Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) says it is "highly concerned" to hear about yet another instance of sewage flowing straight into the Hamilton Harbour. This comes after the city of Hamilton announced Monday it learned 11 homes near Rutherford Avenue and Myrtle Avenue in Ward 3 have been flushing their wastewater straight into Lake Ontario since 1996. The exact amount of sewage is unclear.
Strolling along the shore of his home on Ault Island, about 30 minutes west of Cornwall, Ont., Cliff Steinburg points to the end of his dock. He says this summer there was less than a foot of water there, making it impossible to launch a boat. While the river has since stabilized, Steinburg worries what next year will bring to a region known for its fishing, beaches, and boating. "This area cannot go through another season like we did," Steinburg said. "It's going to have a major effect on tourism. It's going to have a major effect on all of us living here."
Although the lower river levels of the Mississippi River are perhaps better documented as affecting the movement of product into and through the US, Canada’s St. Lawrence River is also experiencing its shortcomings. The St. Lawrence River route with ports on both the US and Canadian sides moves a lot of agricultural products—about 40 percent of the Seaway’s trade. Note that the St. Lawrence route also moves cargo down via the Mississippi into the US, and vice versa.
Durham Region says the local water supply remains safe to drink despite “possible earthy or musty odours detected recently.” The region said in a post Thursday that changes to the smell or taste of the water typically occurs in the late summer or early fall, when Lake Ontario temperatures are higher. “Taste and odour episodes are caused by seasonal biological changes in Lake Ontario,” the region said.
