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.
As floodwaters continue to recede, the Town of Fort Frances, Ont., has begun cleaning up and making infrastructure repairs. But that will take some time. "The problem with doing all of these repairs is ... the water is going down, but it's still very high," said Travis Rob, Fort Frances's manager of operations and facilities. "So we really can't start any of this work until the water reaches that normal level.
Rising floodwaters in the Fort Frances, Ont., area are leaving people living there with feelings of helplessness, one resident says. Water levels on Rainy Lake set a record last week, surpassing one set in 1950. "I had a feeling that there was going to be a lot of water when spring did roll around," Nathan Calder said Tuesday. "Ice on the lake held on for a lot longer than it usually does.
With rising water levels cutting off access to her home in Mine Centre, Ont., Rebecca Maclean has resorted to unusual measures to get to work every morning. Maclean has been using her kayak and canoe to access her vehicle, parked on the other side of the flooded road in front of her house. "This is not our first rodeo with flooding," said Maclean, who lives at Bear's Pass on Rainy Lake, east of Fort Frances. "We did have flooding in 2002, and at that point in time, I didn't have a child, so I just waded every day and the water was up ... to basically mid-thigh."
Town officials in Fort Frances are continuing to work to address flooding in the northwestern Ontario community. As of Monday, Fort Frances has closed sections of Front Street, as well as walking and bike paths along the street. Also closed are the Front Street playground and fitness equipment, the Sorting Gap Marina gas docks and boat launch, Lookout Tower, the Hallett, Crowe Avenue Dock, Point Park and Seven Oaks.
