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

N.W.T. government

Months worth of rain expected over the weekend near southern Mackenzie Mountains

Months worth of rain expected over the weekend near southern Mackenzie Mountains

The bulletin says it's not known exactly where the heaviest rainfall will happen, but that Wrigley and the South Nahanni River Basin "could see very significant rainfall." The South Nahanni River may also see a quick rise and possibly affect residents in Nahanni Butte. "It is always important for individuals to be ready for emergencies. That means having an emergency plan for you and your household, having an emergency kit ready to go, staying up-to-date with the latest information from your community, and following instructions from local officials should the time come," reads the bulletin. 

N.W.T. gov't calls for emergency dredging of Hay River harbour

N.W.T. gov't calls for emergency dredging of Hay River harbour

The N.W.T. government has put out a call for tenders for an emergency dredging program in the Hay River harbour. It's been over a decade since the harbour was last dredged and last year residents of Hay River said the sediment buildup in the harbour was the worst they'd seen. Barges belonging to the government's marine transportation service (MTS) and even a Coast Guard vessel were held up on sand bars. 

Survey shows mixed confidence in ultimate success of Giant Mine remediation project

Survey shows mixed confidence in ultimate success of Giant Mine remediation project

Some Yellowknife, Ndilǫ and Dettah residents are skeptical about the Giant Mine site being successfully remediated.  That's according to a recent survey from the Giant Mine Oversight Board (GMOB). About one-third of respondents said they were either "not very confident" or "not at all confident" that the site would be successfully remediated. 

Tsiigehtchic ferry fully reopens as water levels subside and N.W.T. gov't takes the reins again

Tsiigehtchic ferry fully reopens as water levels subside and N.W.T. gov't takes the reins again

On June 23, the N.W.T government was officially approved by the Gwich'in Land and Water Board to operate the Tsiigehtchic ferry landing, after its previous licence expired in November. The department said the timing of the licence approval wasn't responsible for the delay in the ferry's opening — that was caused by high water levels. The average opening date for the ferry over the last 15 years has been May 30. This year, it was open on and off from June 13 until June 21, and has remained open since then, according to the Department of Infrastructure's Twitter account. Lawrence Norbert of Tsiigehtchic told CBC News in mid-June that he and other residents were getting concerned when the ferry connecting the hamlet to other communities had still not opened. Their fears were around access to medical supplies and services.

N.W.T. has no extra money to assist Behchokǫ̀ with failing water infrastructure

N.W.T. has no extra money to assist Behchokǫ̀ with failing water infrastructure

The N.W.T. government says the Behchokǫ̀ community government, which includes Rae, Edzo and Frank Channel, is responsible for budgeting major repairs to its deteriorating water infrastructure. That's after residents in Edzo went weeks with brown water coming from their taps, or none at all. "This is a municipal government issue," said Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Shane Thompson.

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