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.
A southwestern Manitoba First Nation is using $12 million in federal funding to ensure on-reserve members have access to potable water for generations to come. Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller was in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, located 260 kilometres west of Winnipeg, Tuesday announcing $12 million in federal funding to help build water and wastewater system upgrades.
Across the province, Local Conservation Funds are an approach that a growing number of communities and local governments are taking. Local Conservation Funds provide much-needed financial support for important local projects that contribute to the health of wildlife, habitat and water. The Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund, established in 2008 in the East Kootenay, was the first of its kind in Canada’s history. Local residents agreed, by referendum, to pay a parcel tax of $20 per parcel per year to this dedicated fund for conservation projects. The service was so successful, the Columbia Valley’s Regional Directors voted unanimously to remove the sunset clause before the service was due to expire so it would continue after 2018.
A national farm organization is asking the federal government to pitch in with efforts to move hay from the East Coast to struggling farmers and ranchers in Western Canada. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is seeking financial support for its Hay West initiative, which aims to ship donated hay from Maritime farmers to drought-affected Prairie provinces.
