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.
The City of Winnipeg's public service is recommending a combined 11.6 per cent increase to water and sewer rates over the next four years. A report to the city's water and waste committee says the main driver behind the recommended increase is providing funding for improvements to the city's North End sewage treatment facility and other sewage infrastructure projects. The city faces approximately $1.8 billion in costs to upgrade the treatment plant.
