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

environmental groups

New Canadian cruise ship rules don’t stop major source of wastewater pollution

New Canadian cruise ship rules don’t stop major source of wastewater pollution

The federal government has made new anti-pollution measures mandatory for cruise ships, but environmental groups say they don’t stop contamination of some of Canada’s most sensitive coastlines. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced recently that voluntary guidelines established in April are now mandatory. Those rules cover the discharge and treatment for so-called black water, or stuff from toilets, and grey water, kitchen water, water from laundry machines, and water containing cleaning products, food waste, cooking oils/grease and other pollutants.

Glencore moves to take full control of PolyMet, developer of Minnesota copper-nickel mine

Glencore moves to take full control of PolyMet, developer of Minnesota copper-nickel mine

The Corps said the permit did not comply with the water quality standards set by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, whose reservation on the St. Louis River is downstream from the mine and processing plant sites near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes. The project has long been criticized by environmental and tribal groups for its potential impacts on water resources, but it has also come under increasing fire in recent months from former Gov. Arne Carlson, a Republican who served from 1991-99. In addition to the risks to water quality, Carlson has sounded the alarm about the influence of big mining corporations on Minnesota politics.

Canada's new cruise ship rules don't fix major pollution sources, critics say

Canada's new cruise ship rules don't fix major pollution sources, critics say

The federal government says some new cruise ship pollution measures are now mandatory, but environmental groups say the move still doesn't plug gaps that permit the ongoing contamination of some of Canada's most sensitive coastlines. Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced Friday that voluntary measures established last April on the discharge and treatment guidelines for sewage (black water) and grey water - which includes kitchen water, laundry detergent, cleaning products, food waste, cooking oils and grease as well as hazardous carcinogens and other pollutants - will be mandatory immediately under an interim order.

Canada clamps down on cruise liners dumping sewage, outlines big fines

Canada clamps down on cruise liners dumping sewage, outlines big fines

Canada on Friday banned cruise ships from dumping sewage and dirty water close to shore and said it would impose fines of up to C$250,000 ($190,000) for offending vessels. A range of anti-pollution measures introduced on a voluntary basis in April 2022 will become obligatory with immediate effect, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a statement.

Indigenous Leaders, Environmental Groups, and Concerned Citizens Call on Canada to Shut Down Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline

Indigenous Leaders, Environmental Groups, and Concerned Citizens Call on Canada to Shut Down Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline

Line 5 transports crude oil through the heart of the Great Lakes, an invaluable cultural resource for residents and visitors to the region who benefit from the connection with the water and the land. The pipeline has already leaked 29 times, spilling over 4.5 million litres of oil and putting 84 percent of North America’s surface freshwater at risk. And yet, Canada continues to prioritize the ongoing operation of the pipeline over this critical global freshwater system.

A global movement is granting rivers legal personhood. Could the Gatineau River be next?

A global movement is granting rivers legal personhood. Could the Gatineau River be next?

A global movement to grant rivers legal personhood recently reached Canada, and a local Indigenous leader is asking whether the Gatineau River could be next. Former Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg chief Gilbert Whiteduck said such legal designation would provide the Gatineau River better environmental protection, and he's "pushing" to make it a reality. The movement, which is largely led by Indigenous communities, environmental groups and scientists, is designed to afford rivers and other ecological features stronger legal protections by granting them rights normally reserved for people.

Environmental group claims water tests at gold mine site have high arsenic levels

Environmental group claims water tests at gold mine site have high arsenic levels

An environmental group in Nova Scotia says a gold mine is responsible for high levels of arsenic in waterways nearby. Members of Water is Life Nova Scotia have been doing regular water testing near the tailings dam at the Touquoy Gold Mine located in Moose River, about 65 kilometres northeast of Halifax. What they discovered in late August near Scraggy Lake, which is located next to the mine, prompted them to come back and take more water samples.

Eby may signal change in B.C.'s stance on climate action, environmental groups say

Eby may signal change in B.C.'s stance on climate action, environmental groups say

Environmental groups are applauding B.C. Premier David Eby's new promise to protect 30 per cent of the province's land by 2030 in partnership with Indigenous Peoples. The goal signals a potential shift by the NDP under the new premier to improve B.C.'s lacklustre record of protecting biodiversity and endangered species hot spots, conservation groups say.

Arizona’s governor is creating a border wall with shipping containers Published

Arizona’s governor is creating a border wall with shipping containers Published

With just weeks left until Mr Ducey leaves office, work crews operating along Arizona's eastern border with Mexico have been making progress on the barrier, which consists of double-stacked shipping containers and razor wire. That progress has recently been slowed by days of protests from environmental groups, who say that the barrier poses a danger to native species and natural water systems in the region.

Fight against coal mine expansion to be brought to UN climate change conference

Fight against coal mine expansion to be brought to UN climate change conference

A coalition of environmental groups is taking the fight against an Alberta coal mine expansion to the international stage at the 27th annual United Nations climate conference (COP27) this month. Keepers of the Water is a coalition of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and environmental groups formed in 2006 over concerns about water quality in the Mackenzie River. The coalition has since expanded as more communities come forward with concerns about pollution in their watersheds.

New Brunswick announces the protection of another 100,000 hectares of land and water

New Brunswick announces the protection of another 100,000 hectares of land and water

The New Brunswick government said Thursday it will protect another 100,000 hectares of land, as part of its commitment to double the amount of protected land and water in the province. The new designation would permit hiking, camping and hunting in the protected areas but restrict activities such as timber harvesting, mining and quarrying, Natural Resources Minister Mike Holland told reporters. “Land doesn’t protect itself and forests don’t conserve themselves — they need a voice,” Holland said.

Wave of pollution from cruise ships expected regardless of new federal wastewater rules

Wave of pollution from cruise ships expected regardless of new federal wastewater rules

Environmental groups are hoisting red flags as the cruise ship season relaunches after the easing of COVID restrictions on the West Coast despite Ottawa’s recent announcement it will roll out stricter wastewater dumping rules. The federal government’s proposed environmental regulations are ambiguous, but signal Transport Canada is starting to acknowledge cruise ships have been taking advantage of Canada’s lax standards to dump billions of litres of dirty water waste along the B.C. coast, said Anna Barford, Stand.earth’s shipping campaigner.

Wave of pollution from cruise ships expected regardless of new federal wastewater rules

Wave of pollution from cruise ships expected regardless of new federal wastewater rules

Environmental groups are hoisting red flags as the cruise ship season relaunches after the easing of COVID restrictions on the West Coast despite Ottawa’s recent announcement it will roll out stricter wastewater dumping rules. The federal government’s proposed environmental regulations are ambiguous, but signal Transport Canada is starting to acknowledge cruise ships have been taking advantage of Canada’s lax standards to dump billions of litres of dirty water waste along the B.C. coast, said Anna Barford, Stand.earth’s shipping campaigner.

Saskatchewan's plan to build small nuclear reactors draws mixed reactions

Saskatchewan's plan to build small nuclear reactors draws mixed reactions

Saskatchewan's push to build small nuclear reactors in the province is drawing mixed reactions from academics and environmental groups, with some touting the clean energy potential while others say it's a threat to human safety. On Monday the province, along with representatives from Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick, released the strategic plan for expanding nuclear power by building small modular reactors (SMR). The report said the nuclear reactors are safe, reliable and a source of "zero-emission energy."

Environmental groups want data on water contamination in Quebec

Environmental groups want data on water contamination in Quebec

Environmental groups are demanding data on water contamination in the vicinity of all Quebec's hydrocarbon wells drilled over the past 20 years. They say they deplore the absence of data on groundwater near wells drilled using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking -- 19 out of 31 in the Saint Lawrence Valley. Their demand comes after analyses that concluded groundwater quality has deteriorated in the Murdochville sector of the Gaspé Peninsula, even years after exploratory drilling.

Canada will never export bulk water to the U.S. — and journalists should stop writing about it

Canada will never export bulk water to the U.S. — and journalists should stop writing about it

This summer, environmental groups and First Nations in Clinton, B.C., a rural village of about 650, opposed a bottling company’s application to take 500,000 litres of water a day from the local aquifer. It was far from the first time that the proposed sale of water has created controversy in Canada. But it’s usually massive schemes for bulk water exports — which aren’t allowed in Canada — rather than bottled-water businesses like the one in B.C. that grab headlines. Maclean’s published high-profiles articles on the bulk-water scare in 1999 and 2000 when an Ontario businessman applied to ship water from Lake Superior to Asia.

Amid lead crisis, EPA orders Benton Harbor to fix water quality violations

Amid lead crisis, EPA orders Benton Harbor to fix water quality violations

Federal environmental regulators have flagged Benton Harbor’s water system for a host of problems, from inadequate water treatment to a failure to adequately notify residents about high lead levels that have plagued the water system for at least three years. In an order Tuesday, officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told Benton Harbor it must fix a range of Safe Drinking Water Act “violations and deficiencies” identified during a September inspection.

Drinking water impairment on St. Clair River close to being resolved

Drinking water impairment on St. Clair River close to being resolved

Thirty-four years ago, the St. Clair River was proclaimed an environmental disaster. Now, environmental and business groups are working to resolve one of the most intractable impairments to the river — restrictions on drinking water consumption or taste and odor problems with the water. Sheri Faust, president of the Friends of the St. Clair River, is hoping that enough progress can be made by 2022 to remove the impairment. On Oct. 19, the Friends hosted a Zoom presentation on the status of drinking water from the river. About 25 people tuned into the mini-conference.

Japan to start releasing treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into sea in 2 years

Japan to start releasing treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into sea in 2 years

Japan's government announced Tuesday it would start releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean in two years, a move fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan's neighbours. The decision, delayed for years because of safety worries and protests, came during a meeting of cabinet ministers who endorsed the ocean release as the best option.

Nova Scotia Premier rejects pulp mill’s request to keep dumping waste water near First Nation

Nova Scotia Premier rejects pulp mill’s request to keep dumping waste water near First Nation

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil has sided against a pulp mill’s plea for a lifeline in a move that has bitterly split his province, earning praise from environmental, fisheries and Indigenous groups, but angering many in the province’s forestry sector. The Northern Pulp mill in Pictou had been asking for an extension on a provincially imposed deadline to stop dumping contaminated wastewater in Boat Harbour, next to the Pictou Landing First Nation, in what many have called one of the province’s worst examples of pollution linked to racism.

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