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

high levels of bacteria

High levels of bacteria in Lake Ontario closes 3 Toronto beaches

High levels of bacteria in Lake Ontario closes 3 Toronto beaches

Three Toronto beaches have been deemed unsafe to swim due to high levels of bacteria in Lake Ontario on Friday. E.coli levels at Marie Curtis Park East in Mississauga, Sunnyside Beach in downtown Toronto, and Kew Balmy Beach in the Beaches have been labelled as “unsafe to swim” by the City of Toronto ahead of the weekend. E. coli are a bacteria that can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The levels are predicted to be above 100 E.coli per 100ml of water, which may pose a risk to human health, according to the city’s water quality data.

High bacteria levels close Lake Echo Beach to swimmers

High bacteria levels close Lake Echo Beach to swimmers

The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has closed Lake Echo Beach for swimming after confirming high levels of bacteria in the water. In a news release, HRM said a recent test shows bacteria levels at the beach exceed Health Canada’s swimming guidelines. The beach is closed for swimming until further notice. However, HRM staff will continue testing the water until bacteria levels return to safe levels and will notify the public.

No-swimming advisories issued for 4 N.B. beaches

No-swimming advisories issued for 4 N.B. beaches

If you're heading to a beach for a cool-down swim, make sure you check if there are any water-quality advisories in your area. A few beaches in New Brunswick have registered high levels of E. coli and enterococci as most of the province is under a heat warning, with temperatures in the low 30s but feeling like up to 40 C. Oak Bay Provincial Park near St. Stephen has had a no-swimming advisory in place for more than a week. Parlee Beach and Murray Beach near Moncton are both also not suitable for swimming.

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