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

accountability

Bill C-61 Introduced for First Nations Clean Water

Bill C-61 Introduced for First Nations Clean Water

The Government of Canada, acknowledging the long-standing water issues in First Nations communities, has introduced a new legislation, Bill C-61, known as the First Nations Clean Water Act. The announcement comes with the aim of ensuring clean and safe drinking water for First Nations for generations to come. “Created with First Nations, this legislation is the foundation of clean and safe drinking water for generations to come. It establishes the rights and supports that should have always been there for First Nations,” states Patty Hajdu Minister of Indigenous Services. “It creates the tools First Nations need to manage their water systems and ensure the water they draw from is safe. It holds the federal government accountable to provide sustainable funding so that communities never have to live with unsafe water. And it is thanks to the extensive expertise, work, and guidance of First Nations partners that this legislation will lead to a future where no one has to grow up without clean drinking water ever again.”

What does the Liberal election platform promise on Indigenous issues? Here’s what we know

What does the Liberal election platform promise on Indigenous issues? Here’s what we know

In previous elections, the Liberals promised they’d end long-term boil-water advisories. Those are advisories that have been in place for more than a year and that warn residents to boil water for at least a minute before drinking it or using it to cook. Now, the Liberal Party is promising they’ll finish the job they didn’t get done in previous terms in Parliament. In the platform, they say they’ll make “any investments necessary to eliminate all remaining advisories.” That promise doesn’t specify that they’d have to be long-term drinking water advisories — which is something that appeals to one advocate.

Meaford Resident Wins Important Legal Battle Against Diamond Giant De Beers

Meaford Resident Wins Important Legal Battle Against Diamond Giant De Beers

Local Meaford resident Trevor Hesselink never thought that his margin notes in an environmental reporting document would turn into an eight-year struggle for accountability in Ontario’s mining sector. But after months of painstaking research, publishing an exhaustive investigative report, and launching a private prosecution, Hesselink’s case against the diamond giant finally came to a successful resolution in the Timmins Ontario Court of Justice last week. De Beers Canada Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to provide mercury monitoring data relating to the operation of its Victor Diamond Mine in Northern Ontario.

Follow us