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

University of Ottawa

Wastewater testing a 'potentially powerful tool' in tracking the flu, epidemiologist says

Wastewater testing a 'potentially powerful tool' in tracking the flu, epidemiologist says

Researchers at the University of Ottawa are using the wastewater testing strategy that has helped track the ebbs and flows of coronavirus and applying it to influenza. Patrick D'Aoust, a PhD candidate in the faculty of engineering, said the idea came from one his colleagues, Elisabeth Mercier, and the success of the wastewater testing used to track levels of coronavirus in Ottawa. "She said, 'You know we're looking [for] COVID-19. It's an RNA virus. Why don't we just start looking at other RNA viruses?" D'Aoust said.

Why testing sewage for COVID-19 could be more useful than ever

Why testing sewage for COVID-19 could be more useful than ever

The COVID-19 testing system has been overwhelmed by the Omicron variant, making it impossible to know how many people are infected. Monitoring for the novel coronavirus in wastewater could help fill the gap, says Rob Delatolla, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Ottawa and one of dozens of researchers across Canada that have been developing and using the technique. "I think it just became that much more valuable," he said.

Sewer repair partnership with U.S. firm puts city at risk, prof says

Sewer repair partnership with U.S. firm puts city at risk, prof says

A municipal law professor says a private-public partnership between the City of Ottawa and an U.S. home warranty company puts the city at risk of financial liability, and the royalties paid to the city aren't worth it. "If this private partner doesn't do its job properly, the city might end up on the hook for whatever damages they cause or whatever work they haven't done. And that to me as a taxpayer ... concerns me," said Stéphane Émard-Chabot, a former Ottawa city councillor who now teaches municipal law at the University of Ottawa.

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