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

Moses-Saunders Dam

Lake Ontario saw third highest rise in water levels in October

Lake Ontario saw third highest rise in water levels in October

Unusually high levels of rainfall in the autumn led to the third wettest fall on record which created higher levels in Lake Ontario water levels, said joint U.S.-Canada regulators governing water levels. The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board said in a statement, “Lake Ontario is currently 34 cm (13.4 inches) above the long-term average (1918-2020) and 34 cm (13.4 inches) below the record high set in 1945 for this time of the year. “In terms of total water supply to Lake Ontario, September through November 2021 was the third wettest fall on record. As a result, Lake Ontario experienced the third largest rise in water levels in October. The lake rose 8 cm (3.1 inches) as opposed to decreasing an average of 11 cm (4.3 inches) typically experienced that time of year.”

Second water intake could cost Cornwall $40 million

Second water intake could cost Cornwall $40 million

The mood at Cornwall city council was somber during a special meeting on Monday evening. Council received two presentations — by EVB Engineering and Jacobs Engineering Group —regarding the environmental assessment study associated with the development of a second raw water intake for Cornwall’s municipal water system. Currently, the city’s only source of water is from a 65-year-old underwater intake to the west of the Moses-Saunders Dam. From there, the water is gravity-fed from Riverdale all the way to the water purification plant at 861 Second St. W.


IJC: Water levels have likely peaked for the year

IJC: Water levels have likely peaked for the year

The International Joint Commission (IJC) held a public meeting on Tuesday, June 15 to discuss water levels in Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River. The IJC is a bi-national governing body comprised of representatives of Canada and the United States (US) which manages the water levels of Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. IJC U.S. Secretary Bryce Carmichael told the audience of the virtual meeting that the organization was dealing with drought conditions throughout the region this season.

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