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.
Strong winds could cause waves and high water levels along the southern basins of Lake Manitoba and areas around Lake Winnipeg beginning on Wednesday. Affected areas include the western shoreline near Gimli, and Victoria Beach on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. Northwest winds up to 55 km/h will develop Wednesday afternoon and last until early morning on Thursday, and could raise water levels by more than five feet, Manitoba's Hydrologic Forecast Centre advised.
Toxic blue green algae blooms are appearing on Lake Winnipeg beaches earlier than normal, as the deadline looms for the City of Winnipeg to come up with a plan to tackle the excessive amount of phosphorus it's pumping into the lake each day. Some residents who live along the lake's shorelines say the bright green goo — which grows because of an excessive amount of phosphorus in the water — is the worst they've seen.
