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

harbourfront

Hamilton estimates 337 million litres of sewage spilled into harbourfront since 1996

Hamilton estimates 337 million litres of sewage spilled into harbourfront since 1996

The City of Hamilton estimates 337 million litres of sewage — roughly 135 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of sewage — flowed into the harbour since 1996. That's roughly 13 million litres per year for 26 years. "City staff developed this estimate based on the water meter usage data for all of the properties connected to the combined sewer pipe," read a media release from the city on Monday morning, adding this method was identified as the most accurate way to represent the discharge over the 26 years.

Condoms, pads, tampon applicators found at the Harbourfront following Tuesday's storm

Condoms, pads, tampon applicators found at the Harbourfront following Tuesday's storm

If you were thinking about taking a dip in the lake at Toronto's Harbourfront area, you may want to make other plans. Tuesday's heavy rainfall, which totalled about 70 mm within a 24-hour span, caused a large sewage spill into the city's Inner Harbour. As a result, an excessive amount of condoms, pads and tampons was found floating amid the garbage. 

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