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.
The Great Lakes Ecoregion Network (GLEN) is calling on the Canadian and United States governments to renew and strengthen their commitment to water quality and healthy ecosystems. GLEN, a new initiative to engage members of the Great Lakes environmental community on issues related to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), is issuing the call for better protection of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin as the signing of the agreement celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Approximately eight million people who live in the Great Lakes basin (on both sides of the border) rely on groundwater for clean drinking water, sanitation systems, farming and food production, industry and healthy ecosystems. ‘Groundwater: making the invisible visible’ was the theme for World Water Day 2022. For World Water Day on March 22, The Expositor took a deeper look at our own groundwater.
Climate change and extreme weather events are strengthening the call for protection and restoration of B.C.’s watersheds to ensure healthy ecosystems support communities with secure access to clean water. The Province is developing B.C.’s first Watershed Security Strategy and Fund. The first step is to explore key themes, including governance, climate change, ecosystems and sources of drinking water, as well as community and economic stability, through the release of a discussion paper for feedback. The Province is developing the strategy with Indigenous Peoples and in collaboration with other levels of government.
