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

cattle

Cattle struggles deepen in Alberta

Cattle struggles deepen in Alberta

A second rural municipality in Alberta has declared an agricultural disaster because of drought this spring as beef producers head into summer, a period typically of less rain. “We haven’t seen the total effects of the drought,” said Stan Schulmeister, reeve of the County of Paintearth east of Red Deer. “But the agricultural producer that’s strictly dealing with livestock is going to find it very difficult to find feed this year because it’s almost province-wide, the damage to the hay crop and so on.”

Business booms for family that brings water to drought-ravaged pastures

Business booms for family that brings water to drought-ravaged pastures

As the drought-ravaged summer pushes some ranchers toward the grim prospect of selling off herds, a pair of Manitobans are offering ways to pump water for cattle to those parched pastures — and business is booming. Fraser and Mark Schram, a father-and-son duo, run separate companies, both selling products that deliver the life-giving liquid to cattle in a way that helps producers manage the health of their animals and their pastures.

'Challenging times' for Manitoba farmers as drought conditions persist

'Challenging times' for Manitoba farmers as drought conditions persist

Near Oak Point, Man., rancher Tom Johnson waters his cattle using makeshift troughs made out of old tractor tires. "They probably just drank these dry this morning," he said. The dugouts his 120 head of cattle usually get water from are nearly dry. His cattle also have access to Lake Manitoba, but its level is so low, the water is too far away. So twice a day — morning and night — he hauls water from two wells.

'Extreme drought' is threatening parts of the Prairies, says Agriculture Canada

'Extreme drought' is threatening parts of the Prairies, says Agriculture Canada

Manitoba farmer Chuck Fossay has never seen his fields this dry. As he scoops up a handful of black top soil, it runs through his fingers like sand. "It's just bone dry. And there's nothing there to support the seed and the crop to grow," he said. Farming near Starbuck, Man., about 20 minutes west of Winnipeg, Fossay is trying to get his canola into the ground. He's planting a little deeper this year, hoping to find moisture so the seeds can germinate and start growing. He hopes that with some well-timed rain, he can still salvage a near-average crop but with conditions this dry, he said it's likely compromised before it's even planted.

Alberta government wants to rewrite the water use rules along eastern slopes of Rockies

Alberta government wants to rewrite the water use rules along eastern slopes of Rockies

The Alberta government wants to rewrite the rules on water use along the eastern slopes of the Rockies as part of its economic recovery plan, including a push for new coal developments in the area. Water use is highly restricted in southern Alberta due to concerns about supply, and new water licences cannot be issued, they have to be purchased from existing licence holders on the open market. The new plan put forward by the Alberta government would affect water pulled from the Oldman watershed above the dam.

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