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.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has tabled a petition calling on the federal government to take urgent action on Canada’s aging asbestos-cement pipes due to the potential dangers of drinking tap water containing the deadly fibre. “This is an understudied and unregulated problem,” May said Thursday in the House of Commons. “Believe it or not, many municipalities rely on old cement water pipe delivering water to millions of Canadians, and the pipes contain asbestos fibres.”
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) is warning swimmers not to go in the water at Sandpoint Beach in Windsor and Lakeshore Lakeview Park West Beach. The agency launched its annual testing program this week — taking samples from eight local beaches. Beach water samples grabbed by inspectors at Sandpoint and in Lakeshore showed high bacterial counts of E. coli.
In addition, the NWHU said another bloom has been reported in Lulu Lake near Kenora. People are asked to avoid the water in those lakes, as blue-green algae can produce toxins which can pose a health risk to people an animals. The water shouldn't be used for swimming, drinking,or household purposes for at least two weeks after the bloom has dissipated.
Dawn Stewart said she’d never encountered the foul flavour of her home’s tap water until she filled up a glass a few weeks ago. “It was disgusting and I said ‘does it taste like there’s dirt in it?'” “I ran the water for a bit and it was worse — even when I’ve got soap in it, it still has that musty odour.” With no water filters in her Royal Oak home, Stewart said the water’s earthy flavour is a disincentive to drinking it. And initially, she wondered if consuming it posed a health risk.
