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

food supply

‘It’s our food supply, right?:’ Shuswap land defender focuses on water

‘It’s our food supply, right?:’ Shuswap land defender focuses on water

It’s about clean water. It’s always been about clean water. Miranda Dick, Secwépemc, repeatedly emphasizes the importance of clean water when she speaks about her actions trying to stop the twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline. She said for her whole life, stemming from her mom and dad, she’s been protecting the watershed. Her mom passed away from cancer more than 18 years ago. “She always said it was in the food we eat and the water we drink – this cancer would be contaminating our human consumption. So she always said to protect clean water, protect the berries, and protect the salmon and the deer. It’s our food supply, right?” remarked Miranda. “So I always led with that, over the course of time, protection of clean water.”

BEYOND LOCAL: Ancient water management techniques may help farmers experiencing drought

BEYOND LOCAL: Ancient water management techniques may help farmers experiencing drought

This year witnessed one of the hottest and driest summers in recent history for Western Canada and the American Southwest. The resulting droughts adversely affected food supply and helped send meat prices rising three times faster than inflation. Despite the severity of these droughts, the worst may be yet to come. Extreme weather events are expected to become increasingly severe and frequent in the Prairies, with longer dry periods coupled with the risk of floods from intense rainstorms.

DFO considers release of toxins to control an invasive species in Miramichi Lake

DFO considers release of toxins to control an invasive species in Miramichi Lake

Officials at Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans are weighing in on a troublesome question. Should they allow a healthy lake to be poisoned — even temporarily — to avert a potential disaster for the Miramichi River's wild Atlantic salmon? That question became urgent this fall with the discovery of dozens of smallmouth bass had appeared in Miramichi's southwest branch.

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