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.
The frigid temperatures reportedly caused water pipes to burst in many residences across the region, forcing people to vacate their homes. Jacob Thompson, an energy co-ordinator with Nova Scotia environmental activist group Ecology Action Centre, said that while he appreciates that the cold snap was abrupt and severe, he questions why the utility’s equipment was not equipped to handle extreme weather.
