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 Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) warned people to stay away from the Lower Don River after rising water levels near the Don Valley Parkway and Bayview Avenue due to the heavy rainfall. Water levels remain dangerously high throughout the city as Toronto saw two-thirds of a month’s rainfall in 18 hours. Pearson Airport saw 31 mm of rainfall on Monday, breaking the previous daily record for June 12 that was set in 1954.
