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

city councillors

Scary precipitation stats from Environment Canada

Scary precipitation stats from Environment Canada

Well, the numbers are in, and they should terrify all of us. March was an extremely dry month throughout the Okanagan Valley, with Kelowna experiencing its sixth driest month on record. To the north, Vernon had its fourth driest month on record and Penticton had its second driest March on record, with only 1.8 mm of precipitation compared with an average of 23.6 mm. Those are some troubling numbers, especially when contrasted with a city skyline increasingly dotted with cranes, as Kelowna continues to be one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada.

Design for a new water treatment system in Whitehorse delayed

Design for a new water treatment system in Whitehorse delayed

City councillors in Whitehorse say they want more information before moving ahead with designing a $39-million upgrade to the city's water treatment system. Councillors heard last week from city staff that the upgrade would add a new filtration system — needed because the city's groundwater quality has been changing. The design itself, which councillors voted Tuesday to delay, would cost about $2 million and be done by the end of 2025.

Water rate hike too high: Brockville council

Water rate hike too high: Brockville council

A proposed water rate increase of 14 per cent is too high, city councillors said Tuesday, asking staff to find efficiencies in the water and sewer budgets. After a lengthy presentation on the water and wastewater budgets, council unanimously approved a motion to refer the vote on those budgets to the Jan. 10 meeting, hoping staff can find a way to reduce the rate increase by five per cent. Coun. Jeff Earle, who introduced the referral motion, said he is not asking for cuts, but efficiencies. He does not know what savings can be achieved, but he challenged staffers to try.

'It's just time for some new experiences': Iqaluit CAO Amy Elgersma resigns from city

'It's just time for some new experiences': Iqaluit CAO Amy Elgersma resigns from city

Elgersma moved to the city in 1999 and began work as a lifeguard at the swimming pool at the Frobisher Inn, then worked her way up into youth programming and to director of recreation. In the four years Elgersma held the position as CAO, the city saw a number of disasters, like when Iqaluit's biggest store, Northmart, caught fire, and several water emergencies. "There's definitely been some some challenges," she said.

City of Iqaluit to pay $800K to clean contaminated underground water tanks

City of Iqaluit to pay $800K to clean contaminated underground water tanks

The City of Iqaluit has awarded Tower Arctic Ltd. an $800,000 contract to clean three contaminated underground water tanks at the city’s water treatment plant. City councillors voted unanimously during Tuesday’s council meeting to hire the company to remediate the North and South Clear wells and the mixing chamber at the plant. The tanks were contaminated by fuel last fall and winter. Tower Arctic Ltd. had the lowest of three bids, the highest coming in at nearly $6 million.

An old fuel tank and 'the void' contaminated Iqaluit's water, experts say

An old fuel tank and 'the void' contaminated Iqaluit's water, experts say

On Thursday, Iqaluit city councillors heard a report from consultants who explained just how an aging fuel tank contaminated the city's water supply, and what steps it needed to take to fix the problem. Ian Moran, a water treatment process design engineer with WSP engineering firm, explained how the WSP team worked to find the "fingerprint" of petroleum hydrocarbons detected in October and again in January. The City of Iqaluit hired the firm in October, when Iqaluit residents reported a strong fuel smell in their drinking water. A state of emergency stemming from undrinkable tap water was declared Oct. 12, and would go on to last nearly two months. Five weeks later, residents again reported smelling fuel in the water, leading to a nine-day boil water advisory.

Iqalummiut get a break on November water bills

Iqalummiut get a break on November water bills

Iqalummiut will not have to pay their water bills for the month of November as city councillors voted in favour of providing a 100 per cent rebate due to the water emergency. The move will cost the City of Iqaluit approximately $1.7 million, money council hopes the Government of Nunavut will cover. The Government of Nunavut had imposed a do-not-consume water advisory from Oct. 12 to Dec. 10 due to fuel contamination in the city’s water supply.

Iqaluit's water crisis has cost the city $1.5 million so far

Iqaluit's water crisis has cost the city $1.5 million so far

Iqaluit's water crisis has so far cost the municipality more than $1.5 million. And this is only the start. City councillors will hold a special meeting on Friday to formalize a request for assistance from the Government of Nunavut to help cover the cost. The meeting's agenda includes a breakdown of the costs incurred so far.

'This was our utility': Alectra will stop handling Hamilton water bills

'This was our utility': Alectra will stop handling Hamilton water bills

Hamilton city councillors say Alectra Utilities has blindsided them after the massive utility says it's too busy to continue delivering local water bills. The utility, which formed in 2017 when Horizon Utilities merged with four others, says it has too large an area to cover and too much to do to keep handling water billing, city staff said last week. So, even though Hamilton will pay Alectra $5.6 million this year to deliver water bills, Alectra says it can't do it after the contract expires in December 2024.

City could help Indigenous communities overcome 'unacceptable' drinking water situations

City could help Indigenous communities overcome 'unacceptable' drinking water situations

Barrie could dedicate 0.2 per cent of its 2022 water and wastewater revenue — or about $100,000 — toward efforts to improve water services in Indigenous communities. City councillors will consider a motion to that effect Monday night, to help overcome the effects of colonization, discrimination and racism on Indigenous communities in Canada. “About 40 per cent of Ontario’s (Indigenous) reserves are currently operating under a boil water advisory. That is unacceptable,” said Deputy Mayor Barry Ward, whose motion is an item for discussion Monday. “I thought making a direct contribution to improve access to clean drinking water in Indigenous communities would be a wonderful gift from the residents of Barrie in the spirit of reconciliation.

Toronto councillors look to resurrect stormwater charge proposal after years of flooding and delays

Toronto councillors look to resurrect stormwater charge proposal after years of flooding and delays

After significant floods have swept through parts of Toronto three years in a row, washing out roadways, subway lines and basements, the idea of a stormwater charge is back on the table. The city staff proposal to make property owners pay for water runoff and the required infrastructure upgrades to deal with it was shut down by Mayor John Tory in 2017, when his executive committee sent it back to staff for more work. Giorgio Mammoliti, who was on council at the time, had incorrectly branded the charge as a "roof tax" that spurred opposition and Tory compared implementing the plan to trying to "unscramble an egg."

'The lines were blurred': Councillors slam sewer mail-out

'The lines were blurred': Councillors slam sewer mail-out

Ottawa city councillors have acknowledged the communication campaign around a partnership with a private company that offers homeowners optional sewer and water line insurance was a disaster, and have taken steps to prevent it from happening again. "There's absolutely no question that the communications rollout was beyond [un]acceptable," Coun. Laura Dudas said at Monday's environment committee meeting. "The lines were blurred between a private entity and the city of Ottawa, and it confused our residents and asked that it put into question their trust in our use of our logo."

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