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.
An ongoing drought on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast has caused the region's water supply to reach historic low levels, and local authorities are warning of a "very dire situation" if it continues. The Sunshine Coast Regional District has been at Stage 4 water restrictions since Aug. 31, banning all outdoor use, and an emergency operations centre was established last week to respond to the crisis.
Starting June 11, farmers on P.E.I. will be able to apply to the provincial government for a licence to drill a high-capacity well to water their crops. A moratorium on high-capacity wells for agriculture has been in place since 2002. Other industries — such as golf courses and food processors — have been free to apply and drill wells. "There's a model of fairness built into this that farmers can finally apply for water, because they were the only ones who couldn't," said Environment Minister Steven Myers
