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

coastlines

Canada's new cruise ship rules don't fix major pollution sources, critics say

Canada's new cruise ship rules don't fix major pollution sources, critics say

The federal government says some new cruise ship pollution measures are now mandatory, but environmental groups say the move still doesn't plug gaps that permit the ongoing contamination of some of Canada's most sensitive coastlines. Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced Friday that voluntary measures established last April on the discharge and treatment guidelines for sewage (black water) and grey water - which includes kitchen water, laundry detergent, cleaning products, food waste, cooking oils and grease as well as hazardous carcinogens and other pollutants - will be mandatory immediately under an interim order.

Shrinking coastlines: Will more Canadians have to move because of climate change?

Shrinking coastlines: Will more Canadians have to move because of climate change?

Few will forget post-tropical storm Fiona, battering the east coast last fall. From Cape Breton to Charlottetown, Halifax to Port aux Basques, Canadians were caught between downed power lines and trees, with harrowing stories of narrow escapes from the rising waters. Some homes were completely submerged, and carried out to sea. One woman in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, tragically lost her life this way.

Narhwal Week, episode 3: Can Canada survive flooding?

Narhwal Week, episode 3: Can Canada survive flooding?

This is the third episode in a weeklong collaboration between The Big Story and The Narwhal, an award-winning non-profit publication that provides in-depth coverage of climate issues across Canada. More than 200 million people could be displaced from their homes worldwide in the next few decades as extreme weather events become more frequent and intense. The biggest climate change risk in Canada? Flooding.

As climate change erodes coastlines, industry looking again at storm insurance

As climate change erodes coastlines, industry looking again at storm insurance

Properties on P.E.I.'s North Shore took the brunt of post-tropical storm Fiona's battering last month, and where the sea rose up and swept things away, many owners are finding they were not insured. It's called a storm surge. Winds driving water onshore combine with a high tide to raise the sea well above normal levels. Surges of more than two metres were measured in several locations during Fiona. These surges combined with metres-high waves to wreak havoc on the shore. It's a risk for all coastal properties, but climate change has made it difficult to put a price on that risk, making storm surge insurance rare.

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