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

firefighting

Stage 1 water restrictions in Nelson, focus on lawn watering

Stage 1 water restrictions in Nelson, focus on lawn watering

The City of Nelson has reminded residents that the city is still under Stage 1 water restrictions. Here are the rules, according to a news release Tuesday. If you live at an even-number address, you can only water your lawn using a sprinkler or irrigation system on Wednesday and Saturday between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. If you live at an odd-number address, you may only water your lawn using a sprinkler or irrigation system on Thursday and Sunday between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Regardless of your address, you may water vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs using a sprinkler between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on any day. You can water these items using a hose with a shut-off nozzle or a drip irrigation system at any time. All hoses must have an automatic hand-held shut-off device/nozzle. “Conservation is a community effort to reduce strain on the city’s drinking water supply and fire protection,” the news release states. “Working together, we can offset further restrictions.”

SCRD declares Stage 4 water restrictions

SCRD declares Stage 4 water restrictions

Following weeks of hot and dry weather and ongoing high water use, Stage 4 water restrictions are in effect for the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) until further notice. The severe water conservation regulations, banning all outdoor use of drinking water, came into effect at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 10. The restrictions apply to those on the Chapman water system, which includes the District of Sechelt, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay and parts of Elphinstone. A $500 fine applies to anyone found not complying. As of Aug. 9, the SCRD had issued 57 warnings and four fines since Stage 1 began in May. “Under these drought conditions, water use priorities focus on water for human health, firefighting and environmental flow requirements,” an Aug. 10 SCRD press release said.

GUEST OPINION: P.E.I. water issue is not urban versus rural

GUEST OPINION: P.E.I. water issue is not urban versus rural

It is disturbing to hear the genuine public concern over high-capacity wells being deliberately misinterpreted as “urban versus rural” and as an attack against farmers. The Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island has been working for years to usher in a new era of water protection and conservation, and never once have we opposed farmers. Farmers are important to the economic and social health of the province.

Health Canada knew about contaminated water for 2 years before Mississippi Mills residents informed

Health Canada knew about contaminated water for 2 years before Mississippi Mills residents informed

Many government agencies knew about the suspicious well water in Ramsay Meadows, a small subdivision halfway between Almonte and Carleton Place. But none of those agencies told the residents. The 49 homes stand across the street from the National Research Council’s national fire lab, which does research on firefighting. In late 2013, the lab bosses learned that their firefighting chemicals had contaminated their property’s groundwater, probably in the late 1900s.

A century of water: As Winnipeg aqueduct turns 100, Shoal Lake finds freedom

A century of water: As Winnipeg aqueduct turns 100, Shoal Lake finds freedom

The taps to Winnipeg's drinking water were first turned on in April 1919, but as the city celebrated its engineering feat and raised glasses of that clear liquid, another community's fortunes suddenly turned dark. Construction of a new aqueduct plunged Shoal Lake 40 into a forced isolation that it is only now emerging from, 100 years after Winnipeg's politicians locked their sights on the water that cradles the First Nation at the Manitoba–Ontario border. "The price that our community has paid for one community to benefit from that resource, it's just mind-boggling," said Shoal Lake 40 Chief Erwin Redsky.

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