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.
Gaudet said homes on the west side of the settlement, near Highway 35, remain at the highest risk because floodwater is taking longer to drain from the area. The settlement said it's looking for the provincial and federal government's help in assessing and repairing the damage. He added the flood has been very traumatizing because it reminds community members of a fire that burned down half the settlement and forced evacuations in 2019.
The chief administrative officer of a Métis settlement in northwestern Alberta says water is slowly receding, but an emergency alert is still in place after heavy flooding in the area five days ago. Justin Gaudet of the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement says damages are being assessed after rain and snowmelt raised water levels on nearby rivers to heights residents have not seen before. Gaudet says the excessive moisture, combined with contaminated water, has a high potential to cause mould and unlivable conditions on the settlement.
Severe weather led to $2.1 billion in insured damages in 2021, making it the sixth costliest year in Canada's history, says the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). In tallying the cost, the national insurance organization said climate change is already showing just how expensive a world-dominated catastrophe will be. Last year, the most expensive single event occurred in November when an atmospheric river triggered widespread flooding across southern British Columbia and led to $515 million in claims.
