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.
Some people living in Iqaluit's Brown Row condo units haven't had water or sewage services for several weeks. It was caused by heating issues and a city water shutdown that left some residents with frozen pipes during the coldest time of the year. Jaban David, the Brown Row condo board's president, said there is extensive damage to the condo units as a result.
Plumbers in London, Ont. say they are responding to an influx of calls for help with bursting pipes following days of harsh winter weather. A fierce mix of rain, ice, heavy snow and chilly temperatures over the holiday weekend left travellers stranded and thousands without power across much of Ontario and Quebec. The London region experienced minimal outages, but extreme conditions have caused pipes in many residences and businesses to freeze and then burst as they thaw.
The excavation next door stopped 15 months ago but Wendy Richards is still digging out of the hole left behind. The Manotick woman has been fighting to have her property — and peace of mind — restored after unauthorized construction removed mature trees and a pile of earth within inches of her 1886 foundation. And, just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse, my, how they did. “I don’t even know what to do anymore.” Richards woke up Jan. 11 to discover there was no water in the taps — frozen pipes, which she is convinced are a side-effect of her foundation now broadly exposed to the winter elements.
Tips to avoid frozen water pipes in the home: Know where to find the main water shut-off valve and how it works (in case your pipes burst) and ensure areas that contain indoor water pipes are kept above eight (8) degrees Celsius, especially near the water meter. Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage. Outdoor faucets are the first to freeze. Unscrew any hoses, turn off the outdoor water supply and let the taps drain. Insulate pipes most prone to freezing, especially near outside walls and in crawl spaces, the attic and garage. This can be done with foam pipe covers available from building supply or home improvement stores.
To keep the plumber from your doorstep, Roberts strongly advises people to disconnect hoses from their outside taps and make sure the outside taps are shut off. Hoses should also be disconnected from frost-free outdoor faucets, he said. Isolation valves for backyard piping or irrigation should be shut off inside the house. The B.C. plumbing code says a water main should be 18 inches underground in our climate, said Roberts, but in some cases in older homes, or if someone ran their own irrigation line underground, it may be shallower and could freeze.
