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 Town of Cochrane says its reservoir levels are no longer critically low. In a statement Wednesday night, the town said water conservation efforts and water hauling from Rocky View County and Calgary are making a difference. But more than a dozen homes have no water as repairs continue on ruptured lines. A handful of businesses are also cut off.
A main sewer line break occurred yesterday in the town of Cochrane, causing an overland sewage discharge that flowed into the Bow River at the Highway 22 bridge. Cochrane drinking water is not affected by the sewage and remains safe to drink. Stacy Loe is the executive director of protective and community services for Cochrane. She said the town found out about the problem at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Most Calgarians are facing a 3.6 per cent hike on their property taxes this year — that is, unless you live in Shepard, about 20 minutes southeast of downtown, where residents are bracing for a 40 per cent increase. The area was annexed by the City of Calgary in 2007, and as part of the agreement, residents were given a 15-year reprieve before switching from tax rates set by Rocky View County — their previous municipality — to Calgary tax rates.
We start with a drought update. More communities in Alberta have declared a state of agricultural disaster as drought continues to decimate crops across much of Western Canada. As CBC News reports, Rocky View County is the latest to make the declaration because of expectations of terrible yields this year. Meanwhile, ranchers in Alberta say they, too, are continuing to struggle and are worried about feeding their animals as the drought hits feed supplies. Global News has that story.
