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

Mississauga

High levels of bacteria in Lake Ontario closes 3 Toronto beaches

High levels of bacteria in Lake Ontario closes 3 Toronto beaches

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.

Major watermain breaks reported in north, south Mississauga

Major watermain breaks reported in north, south Mississauga

Peel police have reported two instances of severe watermain breaks in two different districts of Mississauga. The first was reported on Lakeshore Road West between Lorne Park Road and Ibar Way in the late afternoon of Jan. 5. Heavy flooding was reported and crews were on the scene. The police Twitter account stated the stretch of roadway would be closed until 5 p.m. the afternoon of Jan. 6 and that sinkholes were forming.

Local startup aims to provide world with clean water

Local startup aims to provide world with clean water

A small Canadian company working out of the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park is taking on one of this century’s greatest challenges —abundant access to clean water for people, farms and industry. Forward Water Technologies has developed a proprietary technology that uses ‘forward osmosis’ to convert dirty wastewater into clean water. The technology was born at an Ontario university lab and has now reached the demonstration stage in a pilot plant at the Sarnia facility. “The winds of change are blowing,” company president and CEO Howie Honeyman said of addressing climate change and resource protection.

Neskantaga First Nation evacuees can return home, officials say

Neskantaga First Nation evacuees can return home, officials say

Evacuees from Neskantaga First Nation started returning home Monday after recent water testing showed chlorine and microbiological levels were at acceptable levels after a new pump was installed in the local water system. The previous piece of equipment malfunctioned earlier in September, triggering a state of emergency. About 220 residents were in Thunder Bay for more than a week after the pump went down on Sept. 14. Chief Chris Moonias called for the evacuation himself, concerned about symptoms he said were showing up in community members, including skin rashes, stomach problems and headaches.

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