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.
Canadian officials have found traces of the emergent pollutant class PFAS in a drinking water intake area connected to Lake Memphremagog. The chemicals, found in water meant for the city of Sherbrooke by Quebec’s environmental ministry last fall, have spurred concern from environmentalists on both sides of the border. The findings add to years-long talks about the border-spanning lake, which flows north and supplies drinking water for more than 175,000 Canadians.
