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.
Saugeen Ojibway Nation Water Walkers led by women from the Chippewas of Nawash and Saugeen First Nations are travelling nearly 600 kilometres around the boundary of their territory this month. Hundreds of members from the Saugeen Ojibway Nation are expected to participate in the walk and carry a kettle of water and an eagle staff throughout the traditional SON territory.
It’s sheer coincidence last summer’s severe Prairie drought and climate change-related disasters in B.C. immediately preceded a major review of Calgary’s water management policies, says the person leading it. But those realities only make the assessment of the city’s drought management practices more urgent and will colour its conduct, said Harpreet Sandhu, the city’s watershed strategy leader.
Following public uproar of the Alberta government quietly pulling the 1976 coal policy, opening up more areas of the province for coal mining, a Calgary committee has started work to find out how those changes could affect the city on the Bow and Elbow Rivers. “The good news is, we found out today that although there’s different (land use) categories, the main category of the national parks and everything for our river system in the Bow is not affected with this policy,” Ward 1 Coun. Ward Sutherland said. “Obviously we’re very pleased with that.”
