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.
Joanne Dally, 63, says she doesn't know when she will be able to host her next dinner party — she hasn't had running water at home since mid-October because the well on her property, her only source of water, has run dry. "We have to go to relatives to shower, we have to haul our water in totes, go to the laundromat," said Dally, who has lived in her home, a few kilometres west of the Fraser River near Prince George, B.C., since 2013.
Water levels in rivers and lakes of the central and southern Northwest Territories are at — or near — record lows this year after an extremely hot and dry stretch lasting months. "It's been steadily decreasing all summer and, as a result, the Mackenzie River downstream is also extremely low and record low at different locations," said Ryan Connon, a hydrologist with the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Yukon mine inspectors found a series of problems at the Hecla Mining Company's Keno Hill property, according to a recent report. Inspectors raised a number of concerns, including sediment runoff from tailings facilities, poor storage of hazardous materials, hydrocarbon stains on the ground, and discharged water that was toxic to fish.
Have questions or want to learn more about water stewardship in the Lower Columbia-Kootenay hydrologic region? Then mark Feb. 15 on your calendar as a day to have your voice heard in a community meeting focused on the life of local watersheds. Living Lakes Canada is hosting four public engagements around water concerns and priorities in the hydrologic region which, in the immediate area, encompasses Rossland and Trail to Castlegar, Salmo and Nelson.
Members of Norway House Cree Nation raised concerns about information sharing, environmental impacts and community employment at a consultation for a potential nickel mine in the area. Last Thursday, Flying Nickel Mining Corporation and the Government of Manitoba hosted a public consultation around the Minago Nickel Project — a possible development following a memorandum of understanding that was signed by the First Nation's chief and Flying Nickel in February. The mine could be under construction starting in 2024.
The developer of a senior living complex planned for Fall River, N.S., will review a study it conducted for the project's new sewage treatment plant amid concerns from residents about their drinking water, Nova Scotia's Environment Department says. The department ordered the review after residents of Thomas Drive told CBC they weren't informed about the planned outfall into Thomas Lake, from which 11 homes on the street draw drinking water through a small filtration system.
Officials say a diesel spill on a property near Lake Manitoba just over two weeks ago has been contained and there is little risk of the fuel contaminating Sandy Bay First Nation's water source, but a community official says he has concerns about the spill. "We drink from these and we eat from these bodies of water," Randal Roulette, band councillor for Sandy Bay, said on Thursday.
After decades of dealing with discoloured water, residents of Potlotek First Nation in Nova Scotia are able to put it in the past. A water treatment plant and tower has cleared and made the water safe to use, but despite the work, some residents still have concerns. "Still a lot of people won't drink it and I don't blame them. It's going to take a while yet. There's some skepticism, I guess if the water is safe," said Potlotek First Nation Chief, Wilbert Marshall. The Atlantic First Nations Water Authority is hoping for that to change.
With global water demand set to outstrip supply by 40 per cent by 2030, achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 (“ensure access to water and sanitation for all”) requires a call for urgent action to resolve the chronic supply-demand imbalance for freshwater resources, particularly as climate change, robust population growth and rising geopolitical tensions work against us in the fight for global water security.
The City of Iqaluit is getting closer to building its new landfill and waste transfer station. But not all councillors are on board with the current plans, citing sustainability, litter and contamination concerns. When the new landfill and waste transfer station was announced in 2018, it was supposed to be operational by 2020. But the deadline was pushed back — first to 2023, now to 2025.
Following the release of a federal report assessing the impact of climate change on Canadian communities, a local climate change specialist says the effects have been felt across Windsor-Essex. "We know that climate change is threatening some of the vital ecosystem services we have here and negatively impacting our Great Lakes and water resources as well," said Claire Sanders, a climate change specialist with Essex Region Conservation Authority.
On Monday, May 17, notice was posted that extraction below the water table and changes to the rehabilitation in the site plan for Durham Stone and Paving Inc. Feversham had been approved. Details posed on the Environmental Registry of Ontario website said that the consultation was open from Nov. 12 to Dec. 27, 2019. Local gravel extraction operations are sources of employment through the region, including Southgate, which also has pits, especially in the former Egremont area.
"We ran into these clumps of algae everywhere. They're brown clumps with algae on it as opposed to algae in clumps," Wayne said. "Just the idea of what happened in [Chedoke Creek], we're out of here. I don't want to come back. It just feels gross, like I want to go home and shower." Andrew Grice, director of Hamilton Water, said the city was looking into concerns about the water raised late last week and earlier on Tuesday, but said this isn't a spill. He says it's dark, older algae that may have floated to the surface due to low lake levels and weather conditions.
The province's plan for large-scale expansion of the industry is fueling widespread criticism that includes concerns over selenium pollution. The data shows that same contaminant has been found for years at high levels downstream of three mines and never publicly reported. The findings raise questions about Alberta Environment, said a former senior official who has seen the data. "There were lots of [selenium] numbers and it was consistently above the water quality guidelines and in many cases way higher," said Bill Donahue, the department's one-time executive director of science. "Why did Alberta Environment sit on these data for easily the last 10 to 15 years?"
Maitland Conservation (MC), formerly Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MCVA), has been monitoring two agricultural sub-watersheds to address water quality concerns and the effects of farming practices on local water. Ben Van Dieten, Agricultural Stewardship Technician, and Chris Van Esbroeck, Stewardship Services Coordinator of MC, presented their findings to date on these projects, in terms of how and when sediment and nutrients leave the landscape, and the practices they promote to reduce these losses.
ONEIDA NATION OF THE THAMES — Jennifer George’s home sits on a gravel road that separates this Indigenous community near London, Ont., from the neighbouring township of Southwold. On George’s side of the road, virtually no one trusts the drinking water that flows from the Thames River to their homes. Many have the same 18-litre blue jugs that line the floor of George’s kitchen, ubiquitous sources of water for drinking and cooking.
An Indigenous-led group plans to offer to buy a majority stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline from the Canadian government this week or next, a deal that could help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mitigate election-year criticism from environmentalists. The group, called Project Reconciliation, aims to submit the $6.9 billion offer as early as Friday, managing director Stephen Mason told Reuters, and start negotiations with Ottawa two weeks later. Project Reconciliation said the investment will alleviate First Nations poverty, a watershed for Indigenous people who have historically watched Canada’s resources enrich others.
