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 protection

BQE Water and David Kratochvil Win Both MetSoc Innovation & Sustainability Awards for Contributions to Environmental Protection in Mining

BQE Water and David Kratochvil Win Both MetSoc Innovation & Sustainability Awards for Contributions to Environmental Protection in Mining

BQE Water Inc. (TSXV: BQE), a leader in the treatment and management of mine impacted waters, is extremely honoured to be the recipient of two awards from the Metallurgy and Materials Society (MetSoc) – the 2023 MetSoc Innovation Award to the company for its development of the groundbreaking Selen-IX™ technology for selenium removal from wastewater and the 2023 MetSoc Sustainability Award to President & CEO David Kratochvil for his significant contribution towards addressing critical water challenges in mining, including leadership in developing Selen-IX™.

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.

Libero Copper Provides Update on Advances at the Esperanza Prophyry Project in San Juan, Argentina

Libero Copper Provides Update on Advances at the Esperanza Prophyry Project in San Juan, Argentina

Another important milestone in the project permitting process was the recent site visit to the project area with representatives from the Ministry of Mines of San Juan to confirm project conditions before activity restart.  The visit complimented the latest water quality work carried out by the Institute of Hydraulic Investigation of the National University of San Juan for the water baseline study.

P.E.I. ferry service resumes July 27 between Wood Islands and Caribou, Nova Scotia

P.E.I. ferry service resumes July 27 between Wood Islands and Caribou, Nova Scotia

Any water from inside the ship is considered contaminated, so it is getting pumped directly into trucks and taken away by a specialized company to be disposed of properly, said Cormier. “There has not been any release of pollutants into the water or on land,” said Cormier, “But as an abundance of precaution, we have a response organization that is providing containment around the vessel and also containment along the shoreline to habitat, marsh area, to the west of the terminal.” The Canadian Coast Guard environmental response team is still on site, he said. “Our activities we basically discuss and submit plans on what we are doing so that the priority of environmental protection is taken care of,” said Cormier. “So, we always consult with them.”

A Quebec first: INRS awards honorary doctorate to author and environmental activist Maude Barlow

A Quebec first: INRS awards honorary doctorate to author and environmental activist Maude Barlow

The Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) is proud to announce it will award this year's honorary doctorate to Maude Barlow, a strong advocate for water resources in Canada and around the world. This distinction will be the first one awarded to her from a university in Québec. With an ongoing focus on solidarity, Ms. Barlow has led a remarkable career in service of the environment, social justice, and democracy. She embodies the key values of respect, openness, and inclusion advocated by INRS, as the environment and its protection are an important part of the institute's mission, both in research and training.

City of Ottawa submits recommendations for nuclear waste disposal site at Chalk River

City of Ottawa submits recommendations for nuclear waste disposal site at Chalk River

Ottawa city staff have submitted their recommendations for the proposed nuclear waste facility at Chalk River to ensure the Ottawa River is protected from contamination. In a memo dated March 10, staff outline 10 recommendations to ensure the safety of river, the primary source of drinking water for residents of Ottawa. "We are supportive of the proposed [near-surface disposal facility] as a means of providing improved environmental protection and engineered storage for low-level radioactive waste," the memo said.

Tay gets Georgian Bay water quality update from SSEA

Tay gets Georgian Bay water quality update from SSEA

Overall, drinkable water in Tay is reportedly much better than it was thirty years ago, but there are still areas of concern. Aisha Chiandet, water scientist at Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA), provided Tay council with a presentation about the organization’s monitoring and stewardship activities that included a look at compounds that affect water quality. “It's critical that we continue to monitor environmental conditions, maintain improvements that have been made, and continue to invest in environmental protection in order to prevent regressing to conditions encountered when Severn Sound was listed as an area of concern,” Chiandet began.

Groundbreaking documentaries to watch before Earth Day on Netflix Canada

Groundbreaking documentaries to watch before Earth Day on Netflix Canada

At the end of April, the 51st anniversary of Earth Day will take place, the annual event whose purpose is to show support for environmental protection across the globe. Earth Day takes place on April 22 and includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by earthday.org, spread out across 193 countries and celebrated by millions of people. Netflix Canada also has an impressive library of sustainability documentaries that allow viewers to discover the planet’s wonders, hoping to trigger a conversation about climate issues, consumerism, food systems, overconsumption, and what needs to be changed.

Government of Canada launches consultation process for new Canada Water Agency

Government of Canada launches consultation process for new Canada Water Agency

“Through the Canada Water Agency, our government is looking to strengthen collaboration between the federal government, the provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples and other partners to find the best ways to safeguard our freshwater consultations are an important part of this process and I look forward to input from Canadians,” Terry Duguid said in a statement. Mr. Duguid is Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Wilkinson and has been key in the development process. The discussion paper, ‘Toward the Creation of a Canada Water Agency,’ presents key issues and provides an overview of the federal government’s existing activities to enhance freshwater management, and a virtual national freshwater policy forum is planned for January 27 and 28. A series of regional forums will be held in February that will provide additional opportunities to participate in consultations. The discussion paper and additional information can be found at placespeak.ca. Comments can be submitted until March 1.

Province's plans to change gravel pit rules could harm local water, natural areas: report

Province's plans to change gravel pit rules could harm local water, natural areas: report

Regional staff are urging the province to reconsider proposed policy changes that could loosen rules around gravel mining and other aggregate extraction. Aggregate is the technical term for raw materials like sand, gravel and stone. The proposed changes are outlined in a draft update to the Provincial Policy Statement, a document that provides direction on land use planning across the province.

Marine biologist offers Montreal festivals an alternative to single-use water bottles

Marine biologist offers Montreal festivals an alternative to single-use water bottles

Planning on attending Osheaga in Montreal this summer? Bring along a reusable water bottle and fill it up as often as you'd like — for free. You can do that now thanks to a local marine biologist and her determination to keep plastic out of the oceans. This summer, Rachel Labbé-Bellas is unveiling her new water-refill stations at the summer festival — water-refill stations she's dubbed The Green Stop, designed to discourage people from using single-use plastic bottles and inspire environmental awareness.

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