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.
United Nations' World Water Day
Of course Kelowna residents take their water for granted. It's plentiful, clean and cheap. And, as such, we tend to let it flow freely from the tap with hardly a second thought. "Yes, Canadians use a lot of water per capita," said City of Kelowna utility services manager Kevin Van Vliet. "And, in the Okanagan, we're some of the biggest per capita users in Canada because of the irrigation used for agriculture in our hot, dry climate."
On the United Nations' World Water Day Unifor is renewing its call to guarantee safe drinking water for Indigenous communities across the country. "Canadians must hold this government to account," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. "Safe drinking water is a right." United Nations' World Water Day coincides with the Trudeau government's self-imposed deadline to eliminate water boil advisories and ensure safe drinking water in Indigenous communities. A Parliamentary Budget Officer's report last year cast doubt on whether there was enough funding to get the job done.
