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.
Some residents in Colchester County, N.S., are worried about the effects of the herbicide glyphosate being sprayed on land near waterways, and new research out of McGill University suggests there is cause for concern. Glyphosate is used in the forestry industry to kill deciduous trees, allowing the softwoods sought by harvesters to grow unhampered. Every year, Nova Scotia's Environment Department issues permits to companies to spray the herbicide in forests around the province.
McGill Bioresource Engineering Professor Chandra Madramootoo – a member of the steering committee of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture – expands on the theme of this year’s World Water Day: Valuing Water, and describes the goals of the federal government’s Canada Water Agency, which is in the process of being created. He is contributing to this effort.
Amid the challenges of a global pandemic, an early-stage researcher at McGill University has been recognized for his innovative work to remove microplastics during water treatment, ensuring safe drinking water and helping to combat the growing environmental problem of microplastic accumulation in aquatic ecosystems, soils and surface waters. The breakthrough work has earned Mathieu Lapointe the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — Postdoctoral, awarded by Mitacs, a national innovation organization that fosters growth by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.
Metro Vancouver has higher-than-average levels of opioids and methamphetamine in its waste-water system compared with other Canadian cities, according to a new Statistics Canada study analyzing cannabis and drug use in the country based on what Canadians flush down their toilets. In contrast, Vancouver reported less-than-average levels of cannabis in sewage, casting doubt on the city’s reputation as Canada’s cannabis capital.
