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.
Quebec will give $2.4 billion over 10 years to help municipalities work on their water and wastewater infrastructure. "We want to repair our water system in Quebec. It's expensive. Our drinking water, we must be careful," said Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest in an interview with The Canadian Press. This assistance is part of a municipal water infrastructure program called PRIMEAU. Previous PRIMEAU programs had a total envelope of $826.7 million.
Officials on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast have approved another extension of the state of local emergency declared last month as an intense summer drought and little rain have nearly exhausted a key watershed. The Sunshine Coast Regional District says the state of local emergency, declared jointly with the District of Sechelt and shíshálh Nation, will now remain in effect until at least Nov. 21.
