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.
The Liberal government tabled much-anticipated legislation Monday that aims to improve water quality in First Nations communities, improve collaboration on water protection and codify a new First Nations-led commission. The long-promised bill, which Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is touting as the result of immense collaboration and knowledge-sharing, would apply a new framework for source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nations land.
In Ottawa's vast rural boundary, you can clear cut privately owned woods on entire lots, even through floodplains and shorelines, without a permit. You can also dump clean fill, significantly altering the grade of a lot and how water drains from it, before having to submit a building application and a grading and drainage plan.
The federal government says it's signed its first major nature agreement with a province and First Nations to mutually support protecting 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030. In Vancouver on Friday morning, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault joined B.C. Premier David Eby, several cabinet ministers from both governments and First Nations leaders to announce a $500-million commitment from both governments for an agreement that would help conserve and protect land, species and biodiversity in the province.
About 77 millimetres of rain fell on Ottawa in a matter of hours, according to Environment Canada. That's more than any other Aug. 10 on record, but surrounding regions saw even more, receiving between 80 and 110 millimetres. At the storm's peak, Hydro Ottawa reported 24,000 customers without power. Mycah Katz was practicing a drag performance in the basement lounge of his condo building when the power cut out.
Ottawa restoration companies are inundated with calls from households beset by sewage backup from Thursday's flash floods, which caused "catastrophic" damage to some homes. Deven Raval, owner of PuroClean, called it "mayhem." He said his company normally deals with five or so calls per day. But this has been different. "My phone's going crazy," he said, as rings repeatedly interrupted an interview. He'd already fielded about 70 calls as of Friday morning. He said four of every five relate to sewage.
The First Nation that has been the source of Winnipeg's water for more than a century is suing the city and federal government, saying it's never been compensated for the harms suffered as a result of the city's water diversion system. When it was build in 1915, Winnipeg's aqueduct left Shoal Lake 40 isolated on a man-made island that was only accessible by ice road in the winter or barge in the summer.
Ottawa residents can expect letters from Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to reach their mailboxes in the coming weeks. The letters will provide homeowners with detailed information related to the optional and voluntary Service Line Warranties program, including coverage options and the enrollment process for interested residents. Water and sewer/septic service lines, including the stormwater sewer line, connect a homeowner’s property to the City’s water and wastewater systems. Homeowners are responsible for repairs to the portion of the service lines located on their property. If a leak, break or clog occurs in the private portion of these lines, the homeowner is responsible for hiring a plumber and paying any of the associated repair costs.
This cool and innovative fountain debuted just last year as a solo act and the reviews were so good it came back this summer as a group of six, with more dates available for Ottawa fans to enjoy. These mobile, seasonal fountains attach to local fire hydrants, are completely accessible and dispense the same reliable drinking water found in Ottawa homes.
This year, for the first time in its more than 50-year history, the beloved Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa didn't open. Since its inaugural season in 1971, the famous canal-turned-rink has welcomed Ottawans and other visitors every year, offering a skating route of nearly eight kilometres through the heart of the capital. But this year, temperatures were higher than average, making the world's largest natural outdoor rink unsafe for skating.
Sudden downpours flooded parts of Ottawa Monday evening, leaving some streets swamped as storms rumbled through the region. Videos on social media showed torrential scenes in the Glebe and near Lansdowne. Marilyn Journeaux, Director, Water Services-Linear with the city of Ottawa, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon following the storm that the city was “not aware of any flooding occurring on private property due to Monday’s heavy rainfalls.” “Monday’s severe storm delivered heavy rainfalls in our city in a short time, posing a risk of overwhelming the city’s storm sewer system and causing flooding to nearby properties,” Jorneaux said. “In order to safeguard residents’ properties and address these concerns, the city has diligently worked on enhancing our drainage system over the past two decades, incorporating infrastructure modifications into its design.
In 1951, a man in Hay River, N.W.T., drowned after the town experienced devastating flooding. The cause of the flooding was the same thing that caused the 2022 floods: ice jams. But a 1988 report by the federal government details that a flood prevention measure that had been used the previous three years wasn't used in 1951. This was the practice of ice blasting, using explosives to blow up river ice and prevent jamming. "Because of the flooding in 1951, an extensive blasting program was undertaken in the spring of 1952," the report said.
Residents near Boisé and Leo lanes in Ottawa's east end are busy filling sandbags and operating sump pumps for the third time in seven years as the Ottawa River once again floods the area. One of the snowiest winters on record in Ottawa contributed to flooding along that river that started last month. Water levels are surging again during a very rainy week. In Cumberland, located about 30 kilometres east of downtown Ottawa, longtime resident Glen Roberts is no stranger to flooding.
Light, buoyant and cheap, polystyrene foam is commonly used for docks, buoys, pontoons at marinas and other water activities throughout Canada. But the plastic, oil-based product is causing a wave of pollution in oceans and waters across the country, says B.C. NDP MP Rachel Blaney. The federal government needs to ban the use of expanded polystyrene (ESP) and extruded polystyrene (XP), commonly known as Styrofoam, in floating structures in both freshwater and saltwater, said Blaney, the MP for North Island-Powell River.
A report from Environment and Climate Change Canada said Ontario and Quebec have the poorest water quality in Canada, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Calculated trends using data from 2002 to 2020 show no site with improved water quality,” said the report. “During that same period, water quality deteriorated at 24 sites.” Water quality showed no improvement in the past two decades because of raw sewage dumped into waterways. Regional waterways with worsening quality included Ottawa’s Rideau River, Toronto’s Humber and Don rivers, and Quebec’s Chateauguay, Jacques-Cartier, and la Petite Nation rivers.
Reeve Bert Liverance of the Township of The Archipelago joined a delegation of local government leaders who are members of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (Cities Initiative) at the Summit on Fresh Water in Ottawa, hosted by the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. The summit brought together diverse voices to highlight the importance of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to Canada’s economy and quality of life. The Cities Initiative played an active role in preparations for the event.
He admitted it can be difficult, pointing to the ongoing challenge of pressuring the federal government to provide drinkable water to Canada’s remote Indigenous communities. Obed said there were 298 boil water advisories between 2015 and 2020, including four that went on for more than a year and 50 that lasted more than three months. “This is part of our job,” he said of keeping Canadian government leaders accountable to fix these problems. “Our job is to articulate and quantify what it means to eliminate an infrastructure gap. These require billions of dollars, new relationships, and on ongoing effort where you tweak it over time.”
A veteran is urging the federal government to extend the deadline to apply for compensation for military personnel who drank contaminated water coming from a Canadian forces base. "They got caught. Now they're playing sore loser," said Ed Sweeney, a former corporal who once served at CFB Valcartier, a military base north of Quebec City. In 2020, the Quebec Court of Appeal awarded millions of dollars in compensation to some residents of Shannon, Que. Among those eligible were some current and former military personnel and their families who lived nearby at CFB Valcartier's married quarters between 1995 and 2000.
To protect the hangars from fire damage, a dual system is being used. In addition to a conventional sprinkler system, the aircraft parking and maintenance areas will be equipped with an instantaneous foam deluge system. In the event of a fire, the multi-layers of fire suppression do not rely on a conventional single source of water supply. The city hydrant system is fully supplemented by an onsite underground water storage tank containing approximately 1.2 million litres of water. The hangars have been designed to exceed current energy efficiency standards. Stormwater management has also been factored into the design. Instead of rain and stormwater flowing directly into and over-stressing city mains, two 173,000-litre underground tanks are being installed to capture excess runoff.
