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

Northern Ontario

Northern Ont. residents concerned about new plastic plant

Northern Ont. residents concerned about new plastic plant

Area residents said they worry that the lakes in the area and municipal water will be affected by the plant. "There is no discharge from the factory whatsoever. As a matter of fact, they’re not even hooked up to sewage," said Chirico. "So there’s no effluent that will be discharged. They have their separate bed, which is inspected, which must be tested, all of these types of things." No one from IPC was made available for an interview with CTV News, but the company president issued a statement. "The North Bay IPC facility boasts state-of-the-art processes that are entirely enclosed and fully recyclable, resulting in zero environmental impact," the statement reads in part. "No water from our manufacturing process is discharged into any lakes, streams or other bodies of water. Additionally, no material waste is produced during the process."

Northern Ont. activist Autumn Peltier a finalist for $135K International Children’s Peace Prize

Northern Ont. activist Autumn Peltier a finalist for $135K International Children’s Peace Prize

Autumn Peltier of Wiikwemkoong First Nation is a finalist for this year’s International Children’s Peace Prize. Peltier, 18, is one of three people who made a shortlist selected by a panel of experts from more than 175 nominees from 46 countries. The winner will receive 100,000 euros, or about $135,000, half of which will go to a project they support. “Global youth environmental activist Autumn Peltier, also known as ‘The Water Protector,’ has been advocating for clean water in Canada and beyond for many years,” said a news release Tuesday from kidsrights.org.

Hydro can pump up power

Hydro can pump up power

The agency that represents Ontario’s water-power producers says they could add another 5,000 megawatts to the provincial power grid through a combination of new plant construction and operational efficiencies made at existing stations. “We’ll know more once we have completed a technical study,” said Paul Norris, the president of the Ontario Waterpower Association, on Tuesday.

Sudbury-Manitoulin health unit considers posting COVID-19 wastewater data

Sudbury-Manitoulin health unit considers posting COVID-19 wastewater data

As Ontario government criteria have changed for eligibility for PCR testing for COVID-19, Public Health Sudbury and Districts says it is looking into posting that data online. As of Dec. 31, symptomatic testing became available for only high-risk individuals or people who work in high-risk settings, like hospitals and long-term care facilities. Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, medical officer of health for the Sudbury-Manitoulin districts, said that change means reported case numbers aren't telling the whole story.

A TALE OF THREE WATERSHEDS: WHAT WE KNOW — AND DON’T KNOW — ABOUT THE HEALTH OF CANADA’S FRESHWATER

A TALE OF THREE WATERSHEDS: WHAT WE KNOW — AND DON’T KNOW — ABOUT THE HEALTH OF CANADA’S FRESHWATER

Canada is famously home to 20 percent of the world’s freshwater — but how well are we stewarding this supply? WWF-Canada recently reassessed the health of our country’s 25 watersheds to better understand how they’re responding to threats from pollution, habitat loss and climate change. Our 2020 Watershed Reports found that 26 per cent of Canadas’s 167 sub-watersheds received a score of Good or Very Good, which is good or very good news! But what’s bad, or possibly very bad, is that nearly 60 per cent of these sub-watersheds received no score at all because they remain Data Deficient. In other words, we just don’t know. This lack of data is concerning as we need a complete picture to determine which areas need dedicated efforts to protect our freshwater ecosystems.

First Nations communities pursue clean drinking water through the courts

First Nations communities pursue clean drinking water through the courts

This time of year, with the temperature plunging below -20 C, a snowmobile and an ice chisel are required tools for anyone in Tataskweyak Cree Nation in need of fresh water. There’s the bottled stuff, trucked into town courtesy of the federal government, but the weekly shipment of 1,500 cases is only sufficient to meet basic consumption needs. For cleaning, cooking and basic hygiene water, many residents need a supplementary source. And rather than use their tainted tap water, they follow a snowmobile trail several kilometres to Assean Lake, pails in hand.

Building trust in its tap water will be Neskantaga’s next big challenge

Building trust in its tap water will be Neskantaga’s next big challenge

The chief of the First Nation in Northern Ontario that has suffered through the country’s longest continuous boil water advisory is hopeful that water coming out of the taps in the homes of Neskantaga will be safe to drink sometime in early 2021. The question now is: Even if public health and First Nation officials pronounce the water safe to drink, will anyone trust in the purity of what comes out of their taps?

Members of Neskantaga come home today to boil water advisory

Members of Neskantaga come home today to boil water advisory

Another factor in the chief's decision is the fact that the plant still isn't running at capacity. It's designed to produce 3.8 litres of water per second for each of its two treatment lines, but the most it can produce now is less than three litres, according to project progress reports obtained by CBC News. "The amount would still meet the [community's] need," said Lalita Bharadwaj, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan who studies access to safe drinking water in First Nations. "But it raises concerns about the sustainability of the system, and operations and management of the system." Bharadwaj said there should be four operators working at the plant — two who are certified and two others from the local community who can receive training, which she said could take years.

Sudburians brave Nepahwin’s freezing water to raise awareness of First Nations water woes

Sudburians brave Nepahwin’s freezing water to raise awareness of First Nations water woes

For the past month, Greater Sudbury’s Jordan Cheff has been taking dips in the freezing waters of Lake Nepahwin. November and December might seem like an odd time to visit the beach, but it’s all part of Cheff’s initiative, Cold Water 4 Clean Water, which aims to raise awareness of the issue of FIrst Nations communities in Canada that are living without clean water. The issue has been in the news lately, as the federal government says it will not meet a marquee pledge by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lift all boil-water advisories in First Nations communities by March 2021.

Waabnoong Bemjiwang Association of First Nations and Water First announce new training internship for Water Treatment Plant Operators

Waabnoong Bemjiwang Association of First Nations and Water First announce new training internship for Water Treatment Plant Operators

The Waabnoong Bemjiwang Association of First Nations (WBAFN), a tribal council with six member First Nations in Northern Ontario, and Canadian charity Water First Education & Training Inc. announce their partnership to deliver a drinking water treatment and environmental water science internship program for young Indigenous adults. Approximately 12 interns will be recruited from six participating First Nations communities across the tribal council’s region to pursue Operator in Training (OIT) and Water Quality Analyst (WQA) certifications.

Data gaps prevent assessment of most Canadian watersheds: WWF report

Data gaps prevent assessment of most Canadian watersheds: WWF report

Spotty research and inconsistent monitoring have made it impossible to evaluate the health of most Canadian watersheds, a study has found. “It’s still largely unknown,” said Elizabeth Hendricks of the World Wildlife Fund, which has just released its second evaluation of the condition of Canada’s freshwater environments. Hendricks said the report points to the need for standardized, national water monitoring done by local communities.

‘No child should have to experience not knowing what clean running water is,’ says Autumn Peltier at the United Nations

‘No child should have to experience not knowing what clean running water is,’ says Autumn Peltier at the United Nations

I would like to thank the Global Landscapes Forum and the United Nations General Assembly for having me here today to share my concerns and share why my people have a sacred connection to the water and the lands. I would like to start by sharing that the work I do is in honour of my late Great Auntie Biidaasige-ba. If it weren’t for her lifetime commitment and sacrifices to create the awareness and the sacredness of water, I would not be standing here today. She inspired me to do this work as she was an Elder when she began. I thought about who would keep doing her work one day; I just didn’t expect that day to come as soon as it did. She created the Mother Earth Water Walks. She walked around all the Great Lakes, more than once. She did this because the Elders began to see changes in the lands, medicines, animals and waters.

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