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.
A plan is now in place to create the kind of detailed flood plain maps that some of Nova Scotia's emergency managers have said they lacked when torrential flooding occurred in July. Byron Rafuse, deputy minister of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing, told a legislature committee Wednesday it's expected the mapping will be conducted over the next three fiscal years and be completed by 2026.
The water temperatures are getting colder, and for sea turtles, this could be bad news. If a sea turtle ends up in water that's 10 C or below, it could become cold-stunned, which is similar to hypothermia but for turtles, according to April Nason, the education and outreach co-ordinator for the Canadian Sea Turtle Network in Nova Scotia.
When water temperatures get too hot, fish can become stressed or even die. In rivers, Atlantic salmon and other cold-water species sometimes escape the heat by flocking to cooler areas, which often arise near groundwater springs or relatively cool tributaries. Lots of work has been done to preserve and augment these naturally occurring refuges, said Smith, of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, “but there hasn’t really been an emphasis or focus on if we can create cold-water habitat.”
Some residents of a public housing building near Liverpool, N.S., say they are frustrated after months of murky brown tap water — and they're questioning why they weren't told sooner that it contained high amounts of lead. The tenants of Riverside Apartments in Milton received a boil-water advisory from the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency in early July. The apartments are managed by the provincial government.
Nestled across the diverse landscapes of Canada lies a series of remarkable lakes, each offering unique natural beauty and boating opportunities. From the tranquil waters of Porters Lake in Nova Scotia to the expansive majesty of Lake of the Woods in Ontario, these lakes beckon boating enthusiasts worldwide. Whether seeking the thrill of speed boating or the tranquility of kayaking, these waters cater to all. Moreover, according to the Canadian government, Canada is home to over an astonishing 2 million lakes. With so many lakes, narrowing it down to the best is impossible. However, this article will explore a handful of the best lakes across Canada, showcasing the diversity of its waters.
Feelings of overwhelming fear and anxiety hit Alicia Hennessey, Amanda Dunfield and Jennifer Moore every time a rainfall warning is issued for their area. The women are neighbours and live with their families on Stannus Street in downtown Windsor, N.S. — their homes three in a row. For years they've each dealt with repeated flooding caused by problems with the town's combined sewage and storm water system.
The Halifax regional council will officially ask the province to buy a group of flood-prone Bedford properties. On Tuesday, council approved a motion from Bedford-Wentworth Coun. Tim Outhit to have Mayor Mike Savage write to Premier Tim Houston and ask for a provincial buyout program for Union Street properties damaged during July's extreme flooding. Outhit said these homes, which are all in a flood plain, are ones he's visited many times over the years as they've been damaged again and again by water.
Residents of New Glasgow, N.S., can now apply for free home assessments and upgrades to protect against overland flooding, through a new project by Clean Foundation. The Dartmouth-based environmental charity is partnering with Nova Scotia's Department of Environment and Climate Change, the Town of New Glasgow and the Halifax Regional Municipality to kick start the resilient home retrofit pilot project. In May, the province spent $400,000 on this initiative.
A P.E.I. regulator has cancelled the licences of Maritime Home Services and its salespeople to sell products door to door on the Island, saying letting the business continue to operate here "would reduce public confidence, expose Island consumers to potential harm or exploitation… and not be in the public interest." Maritime Home Services is also known as Atlantic Environmental Systems Inc. The Nova Scotia company's salespeople promote water treatment equipment, sales and services.
In portions of Halifax and central Nova Scotia, as an estimated 250 millimetres of rain fell last weekend, similar confusion and improvisation was unfolding, in what some experts say is the latest example of the province's inadequate state of preparation for climate disasters. The mayor of the Municipality of West Hants has said many residents reported they didn't receive any emergency alert at all because of the area's spotty cellular service.
In the aftermath of the flooding that has devastated parts of Nova Scotia, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is providing insurance information to affected residents and has deployed its Virtual Community Assistance Mobile Pavilion (V-CAMP). Insurers serve as “second responders” in the recovery period after catastrophe strikes. IBC’s V-CAMP is staffed with trained insurance industry personnel who are on hand at IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1‑844‑2ask-IBC (1-844-227-5422) to help address consumers’ general questions about home, business or vehicle insurance.
Two of the four people missing after floods ripped through the Canadian Atlantic province of Nova Scotia over the weekend are dead, Premier Tim Houston said on Monday. Police earlier confirmed the death of a 52-year-old man who was reported missing after his car became submerged and said they had found a second body most likely to be one of the four people who disappeared as waters rose. "I extend my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the two people who passed away following floods," Houston said in a statement confirming the second body was one of the four people who went missing in the region of Halifax, the province's largest city.
Canada's East Coast province of Nova Scotia began cleaning up on Sunday after torrential rainfall caused devastating floods, while the search continued for four people including two children who went missing during the deluge. The storm, which started on Friday, in some places dumped more than 25 cm (10 inches) in just 24 hours - as much as normally falls in three months. CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said it was the most rain to hit the provincial capital Halifax since Hurricane Beth in 1971.
Lake Pisiquid near Windsor, N.S., which refilled with water following a provincial emergency order last month, won't be drained again anytime soon, according to Premier Tim Houston. "The lake will remain full because that's in the interest of public safety and that's just the way it is," Houston told reporters following a cabinet meeting in Halifax on Thursday. "We will not allow that lake to drain."
A veterinary hospital in Halifax says a dog's recent death was connected to exposure to blue-green algae at Long Lake in Hammonds Plains. Halifax Veterinary Hospital said in a statement Wednesday that a dog suddenly died after spending about five minutes in the water at the lake on June 16. The vet hospital said the dog quickly lost the ability to stand, was non-responsive and showed "seizure-like" activity.
A family of five in Howie Centre, N.S., has gone for months without clean water in their Cape Breton home after their well was contaminated by heating oil. They say officials from Nova Scotia's Environment Department confirmed a spill occurred on a neighbour's property earlier this year, but so far, little is being done about it and there are fears the oil has now spread to the nearby Sydney River.
During Friday’s sweltering hot weather, some Maritimers visited lakefront beaches and were not able to swim due to high E. coli levels. This was the case for Haja Nabay and her son who stopped by Albro Lake Beach in Dartmouth Friday, only to find out that the beach was closed to swimming due to high bacterial levels deemed unsafe for swimming.
Two lakes in the Halifax-area are closed to swimming after high bacteria levels were found in the water. Kearney Lake Beach and Albro Lake Beach – both supervised beaches -- are closed until further notice. A municipal news release Thursday said recent test results show bacteria levels at the beaches exceed Health Canada swimming guidelines.
