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.
He said they do this across the city and surrounding counties three times a year starting in mid-June, and will target nearly 37,000 storm drains each time. "The larvicide looks almost like hamster food. They only use .7 grams of it and it's strictly put in contained catch basins," he said, adding it doesn't pose a risk to public heath.
A London, Ont., plumber is warning people not to flush used syringes down toilets or kick them into catch basins, saying that while it seems safer than leaving them in the street, they can present a danger to those who work with the city's plumbing. The opioid crisis has been a simmering problem for at least a decade in the city, with recent figures putting the number of deaths from apparent overdoses at an average of eight a month since the pandemic.
On Sunday, October 30, Vancouver woke up to the sounds and sights of rain. Some of it was pleasant, like the pattering on our windows. Others are less pleasant, like ankle-swallowing giant puddles popping around downtown Vancouver. Environment Canada has a rainfall warning in effect for Metro Vancouver, and we’re going to get up to 50 mm of rain today. Already, in the early morning, it’s starting to collect in puddles, making it hard to navigate the city as a pedestrian.
The City of Saint John says three roads are still closed or partly covered in water after a rainstorm earlier this week. On Monday and Tuesday, a storm brought up to 75 millilitres of rain in southern areas of New Brunswick. Roads were flooded and buses were rerouted in the Saint John area. But two days after the rain stopped, some roads still have standing water, affecting traffic.
