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.
“We're also hearing about the importance of water, which is life, the ties to Indigenous teachings and the importance of developing water practices that are sustainable for agriculture,” said Kathleen Heymans. A series of community discussions are underway to help understand the community’s perspective of having the federal government’s planned Canada Water Agency located in Sault Ste. Marie.
