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 couple from Calgary say they're still drying out after being evacuated from a Nova Scotia park this week. Carala and Terence Jellema are experienced backcountry hikers who said they were visiting Cape Chignecto Provincial Park this week for their first time. They had a five-day hike planned and started Sunday. The couple said they pushed through waist-high water Monday, fast-moving rivers and log jams on the way to the cabin they had rented.
Swift Current will remain in a state of emergency, as rising waters encroach on the edges of the Swift Current Creek, officials said Saturday. The city declared the emergency as a proactive measure on Tuesday evening, in response to rising creek levels. The declaration allows the southwestern Saskatchewan city to restrict access to areas that are under flood conditions and to work zones.
Rain in the forecast could increase the water level on Lake of the Woods again in the next few days, just as flood conditions were beginning to improve. As of Friday, the lake was 324.1 metres (1,063.3 feet) above sea level, just a few centimetres below its record crest of 324.31 metres (1,064 feet) above sea level reached during the flood of 1950, according to the Lake of the Woods Control Board. However, rainfall is expected to rise between five and 11 centimetres (two to four inches) over the next week, with most of the rise occurring over the weekend, says the board's most recent notice.
