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

additional funding

Council exempts new water reservoir from sustainability policy

Council exempts new water reservoir from sustainability policy

St. Albert city council unanimously granted a water project an exemption to the city's own sustainable building policy on April 18, after city staff recently noticed the project's design potentially wasn't up-to-code environmentally. Despite the $33 million budget, the Sturgeon Heights Reservoir and Pump Station replacement project, which is already under construction, would need an estimated maximum of $1 million in additional funding if it were to be green certified as all new municipal buildings must be under the city's Sustainable Buildings Policy. 

Feds to help fund feasibility study for new water Hay River treatment plant

Feds to help fund feasibility study for new water Hay River treatment plant

The Town of Hay River will be receiving federal funding to cover half the cost of a feasibility study on the potential construction of a replacement water treatment plant and identification of other water treatment options. The federal government will provide $225,000 for the project under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan. Another $225,000 will come from the town. The federal funding was announced on May 6.

Former Neskantaga contractor accused of cutting corners in other First Nations

Former Neskantaga contractor accused of cutting corners in other First Nations

“They cut corners every day, every day,” said Justin Gee, vice-president of First Nations Engineering Services Ltd. Gee said he encountered these recurring problems while overseeing the work of a construction firm, Kingdom Construction Limited (KCL), building a water treatment plant 10 years ago in Wasauksing First Nation, along the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, about 250 kilometres north of Toronto. “You have to be on them every step of the way,” said Gee, who was the contract administrator on the project. “You can’t leave them on their own.”

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