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

Real Estate Foundation of BC

OBWB briefs: Survey shows rising concern for water security

OBWB briefs: Survey shows rising concern for water security

A secure water source is the top environmental issue in the province, according to a public opinion poll released Oct. 20 by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and the University of Victoria’s POLIS Water Sustainability Project. In a survey report presented to the Okanagan Basin Water Board directors at their Nov. 2 meeting, a majority of respondents, 77 per cent, want industry to pay more to restore and secure watersheds. And 66 per cent of respondents, up from 57 per cent in the last survey done in 2018, now say they are concerned about the potential for a major water crisis in their community over the next few years.

$1 million for water monitoring in Columbia Basin

$1 million for water monitoring in Columbia Basin

Living Lakes Canada is receiving $1 million from the Healthy Watersheds Initiative, which is delivered by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and Watersheds BC, with financial support from the Province of British Columbia as part of its $10-billion COVID-19 response. The funding will go to development of a collaboration with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in the Columbia Basin to determine water monitoring priorities, and to train 25 people to conduct water monitoring and water-related restoration work. The data will help build climate resilience throughout the region, where melting glaciers, drier weather and diminished stream flows are signs that climate change is affecting water resources.

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