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

fracking

Fracking Wastewater Causes Lasting Harm to Key Freshwater Species

Fracking Wastewater Causes Lasting Harm to Key Freshwater Species

Extracting fossil fuels from underground reservoirs requires so much water a Chevron scientist once referred to its operations in California’s Kern River Oilfield “as a water company that skims oil.” Fracking operations use roughly 1.5 million to 16 million gallons per well to release oil and gas from shale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. All that water returns to the surface as wastewater called flowback and produced water, or FPW, contaminated by a complex jumble of hazardous substances in fluids injected to enhance production, salts, metals and other harmful elements once sequestered deep underground, along with their toxic breakdown products.

The Dangers of Fracking in Canadian Wells

The Dangers of Fracking in Canadian Wells

Fracking is a process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks and release natural gas inside. Although fracking has been used in the U.S. since the 1950s, it was not until recently that this process made its way up to Canada. Currently, there is a moratorium on fracking in Quebec, but this process is still occurring in many other parts of the country. Fracking has been shown to have a number of negative environmental impacts, including water contamination, air pollution, and noise pollution. In addition, fracking can also lead to earthquakes. For these reasons, it is important for Canadians to be aware of the dangers of fracking so that they can make informed decisions about whether or not to support this process.

Fracking promises prosperity — but what if it's happening in your front yard?

Fracking promises prosperity — but what if it's happening in your front yard?

When Kevin McCleary and his wife cleared 160 acres of land to build their home in Pouce Coupe, B.C., two decades ago, they didn't expect a hydraulic fracturing gas well pad would be built less than half a kilometre from their front door. Now, McCleary says his family is bombarded by bright lights, foul smells and high-decibel industrial noise from the work site near the community, which is a few kilometres southeast of Dawson Creek in the province's northeast.

Environmental groups want data on water contamination in Quebec

Environmental groups want data on water contamination in Quebec

Environmental groups are demanding data on water contamination in the vicinity of all Quebec's hydrocarbon wells drilled over the past 20 years. They say they deplore the absence of data on groundwater near wells drilled using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking -- 19 out of 31 in the Saint Lawrence Valley. Their demand comes after analyses that concluded groundwater quality has deteriorated in the Murdochville sector of the Gaspé Peninsula, even years after exploratory drilling.

The Brutal Legal Odyssey of Jessica Ernst Comes to an End

The Brutal Legal Odyssey of Jessica Ernst Comes to an End

After 14 years of battling Alberta regulators and the fracking industry over a water well contaminated with methane and chemicals, Jessica Ernst says she feels incalculable grief and anger. On April 1, 2021, her tortuous legal crusade — which included a controversial detour to the Supreme Court of Canada — came to an end with no resolution. What one Alberta lawyer dubbed “the legal saga of the decade” is over. Court of Queen’s Bench Judge J.T. Eamon accepted applications from Encana and the Alberta government to dismiss the case due to inactivity on the file for three years. “It was inevitable,” says Ernst who was informed three weeks after the dismissal. “The rules are the rules.”

New technique could help decontaminate oilsands process water

New technique could help decontaminate oilsands process water

New technology developed by engineers at the University of Alberta shows potential in cleaning and decontaminating process water from oilsands production. The process relies on ozonation and biofilters to remove organic compounds from contaminated water. The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, demonstrates that the method, previously used to clean pharmaceutical waste water, efficiently removes naphthenic acids, considered to be one of the main contaminants in oilsands process water.

Sask. researcher says provincially-encouraged oil, gas extraction method could put groundwater at risk

Sask. researcher says provincially-encouraged oil, gas extraction method could put groundwater at risk

A University of Saskatchewan researcher says a form of oil extraction being encouraged by the Saskatchewan government needs more research and monitoring to avoid potential long-term contamination of drinking water in the province.
Grant Ferguson said his research suggests "waterflooding," a conventional form of oil extraction, could become a bigger problem for Saskatchewan than the more controversial practice known as fracking. 

Follow us