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.
A group of Indigenous ceremonial ‘Water Walkers’ have been on a long journey, and recently passed through Rimbey, Ponoka and Wetaskiwin. The group, the Saskatchewan River Water Walkers, made their trek down Highway 53 on July 21, and will walk a total of 1,900 kilometres before they are finished. They “move for the water, for life and for the children.”
