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.
It's Sproat, not Sprout Lake and after a tight race, CBC readers have decided Sproat is G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) when it comes to B.C.'s Best Lake. From July 24 to Aug. 2, British Columbians whittled down a list of 48 lakes to crown a winner. More than 100,000 votes were cast and in a nail-biting final round, the Vancouver Island lake emerged victorious over Shuswap Lake in the province's southern interior.
The Resort Village of Cochin is receiving funding for the rehabilitation of their breakwater, a structure that protects against erosion, maintains fish spawning area, and allows for free movement of water between lake systems. It also provides a scenic community-centred area for public gathering and fishing. Once completed, these improvements will rehabilitate the existing breakwater.
Reeve Bert Liverance of the Township of The Archipelago joined a delegation of local government leaders who are members of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (Cities Initiative) at the Summit on Fresh Water in Ottawa, hosted by the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. The summit brought together diverse voices to highlight the importance of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to Canada’s economy and quality of life. The Cities Initiative played an active role in preparations for the event.
The world is in desperate need of water. Drought and increasing temperatures have threatened to impact nearly every major sector of the economy, from energy to agriculture to shipping. Markets are taking note. The S&P Global Water Index, which tracks 50 companies from around the world that are involved in water utilities, infrastructure, equipment and materials, has outperformed the S&P Global Broad Market Index by more than 3 percentage points per year since its beginning in late 2001. So far this year, the Global Water Index return has been nearly 5 percentage points higher than the S&P Global BMI.
A clean freshwater supply is essential to the well-being of Canadians, the health and sustainability of the environment, and the economy. Fresh water from lakes, rivers, and groundwater is critical for the survival of all living organisms. Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, alongside a number of environmental organizations at John Hendry Park in Vancouver announced over $1 million in funding to support twelve new projects in British Columbia over the next four years under the EcoAction Community Funding Program.
The Alberta government is giving $136 million of financial relief to livestock producers and beekeepers, after drought conditions and the pandemic took a toll on the industry. Premier Jason Kenney said at a press conference on Friday that the money is part of the AgriRecovery program — which combines efforts of the federal and provincial governments. According to a release issued Friday, the federal government agreed to $100 million for immediate relief for Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta.
The provincial government has issued licences with new operational terms to Manitoba Hydro for two programs that critics say have devastated the environment and economy in parts of the north. Manitoba Hydro's Churchill River Diversion and Lake Winnipeg regulation projects both control water levels of the Nelson River. Created in the 1970s and renewed annually since 1986, both have been controversial when it comes to impacts on Indigenous communities.
Almost $50 million will be poured into water projects by the Province of Manitoba. Officials announced Manitoba will invest nearly $50 million in critical water and wastewater services projects under the Manitoba Restart Program “These projects are significant capital works that support the ongoing supply of clean water and wastewater treatment in our municipalities and parks,” said Derek Johnson, municipal relations minister, in a statement. “Our government is committed to growing Manitoba’s economy and protecting Manitobans, and these investments will help create jobs and improve the safety and well-being of our communities.”
Alberta's plan to allow for open-pit coal mining in the Rocky Mountains could be a serious threat to Saskatchewan's water supply, says the director of the Global Water Futures Project at the University of Saskatchewan. "For a water scientist to see this happening, it's just an abomination to have these types of developments suggested in the headwaters of the rivers that supply drinking water and the economy for most of Saskatchewan," John Pomeroy told CBC's Blue Sky. Last spring, the Alberta government revoked a 1976 policy that blocked open-pit coal mining on the eastern slopes and peaks of the Rockies.
ST GEORGE'S, NL, July 16, 2020 /CNW/ - The health and well-being of Canadians are the top priorities of the governments of Canada, and Newfoundland and Labrador. But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than our personal health. It is having a profound effect on the economy. That is why governments have been taking decisive action to support families, businesses and communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done. Strategic investments in creating safe park spaces and a reliable water supply will play a key role in ensuring Newfoundland residents have modern facilities to support a healthy community.
On any given day in Newfoundland and Labrador, there are about 200 boil-water advisories in place in rural communities — and it's not only a problem of public health, but of the viability of small towns themselves. Governments have known for decades the seriousness of the situation, but the problem persists, for several reasons, starting with cost.
The 500 residents of La Motte, Que., don't have have a gas station or even a convenience store, but they do enjoy some of the best-tasting drinking water in North America. So when an Australian mining firm began seeking approval to build an open-air lithium mine just a stone's throw from the community's water source, reactions were decidedly mixed in the town, located 50 kilometres northwest of Val-d'Or.
