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

excessive heat

Dry conditions have Alberta farmers worried — but province says there's no cause for concern

Dry conditions have Alberta farmers worried — but province says there's no cause for concern

Despite seeing promising crop yields this year, there's a heightened sense of pessimism among Alberta farmers as the harvest season wraps up. Farmers said that barley and wheat crops were great, but the excessive heat and above-average temperatures over the summer created issues for other crops, like canola — and it's leaving them worried for the year ahead. "The crop utilized every ounce of moisture that was in the soil this year to produce what we got and our farming practices helped us produce what we have," said Larry Woolliams with Airdrie-based Woolliams farms. "But there is zero reserve."

Insufficient watering killed 60 % of trees in Montreal borough initiative

Insufficient watering killed 60 % of trees in Montreal borough initiative

About 60 per cent of young trees planted as part of a green initiative in Montréal-Nord died because the borough didn't properly water them, according to the city's auditor general. The trees were part of the city's Un enfant, un arbre (One child, one tree) initiative, which began in 2013. Citizens can apply to have a tree planted in their neighbourhood to celebrate the birth or adoption of a child. The report, released Tuesday, said "a lack of sufficient watering" meant that 60 per cent of those trees, planted in public spaces in Montréal-Nord, died, representing "a loss of both investment and benefits to the ecosystem."

‘Incredibly destructive’: Canada’s Prairies to see devastating impact of climate change

‘Incredibly destructive’: Canada’s Prairies to see devastating impact of climate change

As the climate continues to warm at an alarming rate, experts warn if dramatic steps to mitigate global warming are not taken, the effects in Canada’s Prairie region will be devastating to the country’s agriculture sector. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the country is warming, on average, about double the global rate. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S. recently found 2020 was earth’s second-hottest year on record, with the average land and ocean surface temperature across the globe at 0.98 of a degree C above the 20th-century average. However, the agency found the northern hemisphere saw its hottest year on record, at 1.28 degrees C above the average.

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