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

body of water

Credit Valley Conservation conducting public survey for development of new Credit River Watershed plan

Credit Valley Conservation conducting public survey for development of new Credit River Watershed plan

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is conducting a public survey to get input for the development of its new plan for the Credit River Watershed. A watershed is an area of land that drains surface water and groundwater into a body of water such as a river or stream. Watersheds are essential for both people and wildlife. A healthy watershed will slow, clean, filter and store water which would reduce flood risk, improve water quality, provide habitat for a diversity of species and increase resilience in a changing climate.

'The spirits hear us': Paddles and prayers protect Lake Simcoe

'The spirits hear us': Paddles and prayers protect Lake Simcoe

For an Anishinaabe woman, water is life — and water had taken life away. “It was very emotional for me. I guess you can say I was a little bit angry at the water.” Then she realized that part of her healing journey must include this. She would organize Shining Water Paddle to bring prayers, offerings, blessings and songs to the water. They would honour the spirits, remember the ancestors and seek their guidance to protect this precious resource, this essence of First Nations peoples. It was time to make their voices heard — and for her to heal, too.

Tanker hauling beef fat falls into Kingston, Ont. area lake

Tanker hauling beef fat falls into Kingston, Ont. area lake

Residents were seen checking out the damage on Buck Lake early Thursday morning, the day after a tanker truck hauling edible beef fat rolled into the body of water. The truck was driving on Perth Road near Hilltop Lane Wednesday when it fell into the western basin of Buck Lake in South Frontenac Township, Ont. The Ministry of Environment assessed the damage that same day, along with any possible environmental concerns.

Rare trout pulled from city lake means cleanup efforts working, scientist says

Rare trout pulled from city lake means cleanup efforts working, scientist says

An angler's surprise catch may indicate a decades-long cleanup effort in Sudbury has been successful. On February 4, Andrew Shea pulled a 3.4 kilogram mature female trout from Nepahwin Lake. The 128-hectare body of water is wedged between Paris Street, a busy, four-lane thoroughfare, a private golf course, and a heavily-densified residential neighborhood– not prime habitat for the highly-sensitive lake trout.

Insurers play critical advocacy role in Canada’s flood resilience

Insurers play critical advocacy role in Canada’s flood resilience

Throughout time, humans have gravitated towards water. Historically, people lived close to rivers, lakes, or the coastline to gain access to sustainable sources of drinking water, food, transportation, and power. In modern society, people occupy the floodplain – the relatively flat land beside a body of water – because the land is often aesthetically pleasing and can sometimes be cheaper to build on. Development of the floodplains has dramatically increased flood exposure across Canada by altering the flow regime of surface water. To remedy this, extensive human mitigation efforts have been made countrywide, including the construction of dams, dikes and diversion channels, as well as channel dredging, realignment, and drainage of wetlands.

A century of water: As Winnipeg aqueduct turns 100, Shoal Lake finds freedom

A century of water: As Winnipeg aqueduct turns 100, Shoal Lake finds freedom

The taps to Winnipeg's drinking water were first turned on in April 1919, but as the city celebrated its engineering feat and raised glasses of that clear liquid, another community's fortunes suddenly turned dark. Construction of a new aqueduct plunged Shoal Lake 40 into a forced isolation that it is only now emerging from, 100 years after Winnipeg's politicians locked their sights on the water that cradles the First Nation at the Manitoba–Ontario border. "The price that our community has paid for one community to benefit from that resource, it's just mind-boggling," said Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky.

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