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

dike

High risk of flooding around Dawson City, Yukon, as late spring thaw arrives

High risk of flooding around Dawson City, Yukon, as late spring thaw arrives

The latest ice breakup forecast for Yukon suggests there may be some flooding in the Dawson City area this spring, though not likely in town. "We assess the flood risk as low for Dawson City proper, the town itself, because it is protected by the dike," said Anthony Bier, the Yukon government's acting senior hydrologist. It's been a cool spring so far in the Dawson area, and a lot of snow fell over the winter. The amount of snow on the ground — called the snowpack — is higher than it usually is, meaning more water hitting the rivers once things start melting.

B.C. flood recovery tempered by fears of new climate disasters looming on horizon

B.C. flood recovery tempered by fears of new climate disasters looming on horizon

When a dike was breached and floodwaters started to flow across British Columbia’s Sumas Prairie a year ago, poultry farmer Corry Spitters said all he could do was let nature take its course. A feeling of helplessness gripped him as the encroaching water methodically engulfed his farm’s 21 barns, and 200,000 of his chickens drowned, he said. “You stand there and Mother Nature takes control,” said Spitters, 67. “What can you do? The water comes in and there’s nothing you can do.”

Sumas River dike in Abbotsford, B.C., to be permanently repaired by month's end, says province

Sumas River dike in Abbotsford, B.C., to be permanently repaired by month's end, says province

British Columbia's public safety minister was in Abbotsford Thursday nearly a year after the area was hit by catastrophic flooding. Mike Farnworth said progress has been made rebuilding critical infrastructure on the Sumas Prairie and in parts of the Fraser Valley following last year's atmospheric river. Farnworth said permanent repairs to the Sumas River dike are expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Forecast improves, but flooded Minnedosa not in the clear yet

Forecast improves, but flooded Minnedosa not in the clear yet

The forecast may be improving in Minnedosa, but that doesn't mean people in the flooded southwestern Manitoba town can let their guards down just yet. "The big rain is behind us. Not time to get complacent, though," Jim Doppler, the town's chief administrative officer, told host Marcy Markusa on CBC's Information Radio Friday morning. People in Minnedosa were frantically sandbagging and pumping water throughout a downpour Thursday, as the Little Saskatchewan River inched higher.

Winkler narrowly avoids flood evacuation after drainage culvert failure

Winkler narrowly avoids flood evacuation after drainage culvert failure

Some Winkler residents narrowly avoided a flood evacuation Monday night after a broken culvert caused floodwaters to rise in the southern Manitoba city. Around 9 p.m., City of Winkler public works supervisor Terry Froese got a call that a culvert near Highway 32 had buckled, preventing water from flowing through it and putting extra pressure on the dike. When functioning, the culvert drains water east of the highway.

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