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.
Peel police have reported two instances of severe watermain breaks in two different districts of Mississauga. The first was reported on Lakeshore Road West between Lorne Park Road and Ibar Way in the late afternoon of Jan. 5. Heavy flooding was reported and crews were on the scene. The police Twitter account stated the stretch of roadway would be closed until 5 p.m. the afternoon of Jan. 6 and that sinkholes were forming.
Heavy rainfall in the Kenora area has slowed the drop in the Lake of the Woods water level. Municipalities in the Lake of the Woods watershed struggled with heavy flooding in recent months. The Lake of the Woods Secretariat, in its most recent update, stated the lake's level remains above its 2014 peak, but is below the record level set in July 1950. With recent rainfall in the area, and forecasted precipitation in the coming days, the lake is expected to rise slightly before resuming its drop, the secretariat said.
The chief administrative officer of a Métis settlement in northwestern Alberta says water is slowly receding, but an emergency alert is still in place after heavy flooding in the area five days ago. Justin Gaudet of the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement says damages are being assessed after rain and snowmelt raised water levels on nearby rivers to heights residents have not seen before. Gaudet says the excessive moisture, combined with contaminated water, has a high potential to cause mould and unlivable conditions on the settlement.
