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.
Two decades of boil water advisories are over for Hiawatha First Nation after the completion of the first phase of the community’s new water treatment plant and distribution system. A grand opening was held earlier this week for the new plant and system situation in the First Nation located 30 kilometres south of Peterborough. Chief Laurie Carr says the system is a symbol of change for the community which has long advocated for better long-term solutions for boil-water advisories across Canada.
Drinking water, for many Peterborough residents, comes from the tap. The source of this tap water is our treasured Otonabee river. But many people get their drinking water from grocery and convenience stores. In 2022, according to Statista, it was forecast that Canadians spent $6.09 billion dollars on bottled water. Bottled water is a major environmental issue related to climate change and plastic pollution. In 2023, we witness stressors regarding the rising cost of living, news about our environment, and research that indicates even our bodies contain microplastics.
Rainmaker Worldwide Inc. (OTC: RAKR) (“Rainmaker” or “Company” or “RAKR”), a global leader in water solutions, has announced the addition of key resources to its global operations team. Viva Industries, an investment company owned by entrepreneurs Michael Skinner, John Gillis, and Ryan Moore, will acquire a controlling interest in the Canadian subsidiary of Rainmaker Worldwide Inc., and will re-name it Rainmaker Canada & Caribbean Inc. (“RCCI”). This acquisition will allow Rainmaker to focus on the growth of its global business while the Viva Industries team drives the growth of the Canadian and Caribbean markets.
To strengthen Peterborough’s climate resilience, an integrated flood model (IFM) was created. The IFM depicts the entire storm sewer system and projects the potential surface flooding that could occur. Highly detailed data is needed to accurately model all the different types of built surfaces and vegetation, so the city enlisted the help of Ecopia AI, a Toronto-based tech company that uses geospatial data and artificial intelligence (AI) to create high-resolution images of landscapes.
Residents in Kingston, Ont. are enjoying reusable water bottles more than almost any other city in Canada, new numbers show. The Statistics Canada Households and the Environment Survey released on Monday finds 95 per cent of households in Kingston use reusable water bottles, the second highest in the country. Lethbridge, Alta. leads the way in using reusable water bottles in Canada, with 97 per cant of households having at least one person using their own water bottle. St. Catharines-Niagara and Peterborough had the lowest use of reusable water bottle usage, at 85 and 84 per cent respectively.
Peterborough Regional Science Fair winners experiment with vegetation sanitation, microplastics in Jackson Creek, green detergents and colour perception. Five Peterborough youth science enthusiasts are heading to the Canada-Wide Science Fair after winning for their projects at the Peterborough Regional Science Fair last week. The science fair was held virtually again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The winners were revealed Wednesday in a ceremony held over Zoom.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission says its latest soil, water and air sample study again shows areas around BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada’s facility in Peterborough are “protected” and do not pose health risks. As part of its operating licensing renewal agreement, areas around the Monaghan Road facility are tested annually for levels of uranium and beryllium. Among sites tested include Prince of Wales Public School across from the facility.
In Curve Lake First Nation, illnesses from what’s believed to be related to water quality have been so systemic that some people don’t believe reporting them would make a difference, according to the community’s chief. Emily Whetung, the chief of Curve Lake First Nation — just north of Peterborough, Ont., — said she and her family got sick from what’s believed to be related to bad water about seven or eight years ago.
Residents downstream from Peterborough may want to boil their water, after heavy rainfall has led to a discharge of partially-treated sewage into the Otonabee River. On Thursday, Sept. 23, around 1 p.m., the city’s Twitter account posted a notice saying that due to current water conditions, the city water treatment plant had to “start a temporary, partial bypass.” "This means that some partially treated sewage is being discharged to the Otonabee River," reads the Tweet.
They may be among the most misunderstood landscapes, but scientists say Canada's swamps have a powerful role to play in combating climate change. Bogs, marshes and wetlands across the country are the secret stars of carbon capture, but most people don't realize their worth, said Christina Davy, a research scientist for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. "Because they do look like big mud puddles when you don't understand how important they are, I think we don't always give them the value that they really deserve," she told What on Earth host Laura Lynch. "And I think that people understanding why they're important is a big step to conserving them and slowing the rate of loss."
Rebecca Zagozewski, executive director with the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, says cisterns can pose health risks to those who rely on them. She says the structures can have cracked lids, which allows all sorts of debris to get into them — including rats, mice, drowned puppies and garbage — and they’re often not cleaned properly. On top of that, she says the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association is concerned that there is no certification program for water truck drivers. The group wants to create such a program where drivers would have to be trained in how to keep the water safe and be held accountable if things go wrong. “Because right now there’s no accountability,” she says.
