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

enforcement

Mexican avocados shipped for Super Bowl named in complaint

Mexican avocados shipped for Super Bowl named in complaint

One year after the Super Bowl season was marred by a ban on Mexican avocado shipments, another threat has emerged: An environmental complaint that avocado growers are destroying forests that provide critical habitat for monarch butterflies and other creatures. The complaint, filed with the trilateral Commission for Environmental Cooperation, part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade accord, accuses the Mexican government of failing to enforce its own laws on deforestation, water conservation and land use.

Kamloops’ backflow prevention program designed to protect drinking water

Kamloops’ backflow prevention program designed to protect drinking water

The City of Kamloops is taking additional steps to protect residential drinking water. Council on Tuesday (Sept. 20) authorized a new cross connection control program, enforcement measures and spending of about $100,000 on a full-time staff member. Bylaws were read for the first three times and will return to council for adoption at a later date. Mayor Ken Christian and councillors Dale Bass, Dieter Dudy, Sadie Hunter, Bill Sarai, Kathy Sinclair, Arjun Singh and Denis Walsh voted in favour.

Canadians could soon have the legal right to a healthy environment. But can it be enforced?

Canadians could soon have the legal right to a healthy environment. But can it be enforced?

Canada has joined much of the rest of the world in adopting a United Nations resolution recognizing that a healthy environment is a human right. But a bill making its way through Parliament to codify this right into law may need to change to be truly effective. While Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault has promoted the resolution’s “principles” as being in line with the bill, a Canadian UN special rapporteur has said the legislation “should be strengthened” and noted it is not consistent with the approach taken by the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.

Auditor general says Alberta's enforcement of pesticide rules needs 'significant improvement'

Auditor general says Alberta's enforcement of pesticide rules needs 'significant improvement'

Alberta's auditor general says the province's lack of oversight into the use and sale of pesticides could be putting people's health and the environment at risk. In a report released Tuesday, Auditor General Doug Wylie found people and businesses may have sold 80 products in 2018 that were illegal in Canada and that inspectors aren't checking whether the people applying pesticides are properly certified.

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