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.
Halifax Regional Municipality is warning residents that Chocolate Lake beach is closed due to high levels of bacteria in the water. Officials say the beach is closed to swimming until further notice. Recent municipal testing shows levels of bacteria in the water exceeding Health Canada swimming guidelines. Officials say high bacteria levels can be caused by a variety of factors, including dogs, birds, other wildlife and high temperatures.
