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-capacity wells

P.E.I. water strategy 'a leaky document'

P.E.I. water strategy 'a leaky document'

While praising the goals of P.E.I.'s recently released water strategy, some water protection groups have some concerns about how exactly it is going to be implemented. The province announced regulations on its new Water Act would come into effect June 11, which would, among other things, end the moratorium on high-capacity wells for irrigation. Permits for irrigation wells would be tied to the creation of a soil conservation plan, and the province will create an open web site where the public can monitor water extraction from high-capacity wells.

Farmers need water to survive, P.E.I. Potato Board tells MLAs

Farmers need water to survive, P.E.I. Potato Board tells MLAs

The P.E.I. Potato Board made its pitch to Island MLAs on the importance of water to growing potatoes. The board appeared before a legislative standing committee looking for a sustainable irrigation strategy. Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, says the industry is competitive and irrigation ensures producers can consistently meet customers' demands. He said irrigation also ensures potato producers can survive, especially as the province sees more drought conditions.

P.E.I. environment officials consider creating water-use buffer

P.E.I. environment officials consider creating water-use buffer

P.E.I. environment officials are mulling whether to create a water-use buffer given that farmers will be able to apply to construct more high-capacity wells under the province's impending irrigation strategy. Currently, regulations allow groundwater wells to draw down a waterway by 35 per cent of a stream's base flow in August and September. But Bruce Raymond, manager of water and air monitoring at the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, says officials are weighing whether to only permit 90 per cent of that draw down.

Province lays out possible framework for water use in post-moratorium era

Province lays out possible framework for water use in post-moratorium era

Officials with P.E.I.'s Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action laid out a bare-bones plan Thursday for how water could be shared among various users — including farmers — once the province's moratorium on new high-capacity irrigation wells ends. The King government quietly signalled the end of the 19-year moratorium earlier this month, introducing changes to regulations under the Water Act that could be implemented in September.

P.E.I. environment minister downplays recommendations on Water Act

P.E.I. environment minister downplays recommendations on Water Act

Environment Minister Steven Myers is downplaying the work of a legislative standing committee tasked with examining Water Act regulations that will govern the use of agricultural holding ponds and high-capacity wells. During question period on Friday, Myers compared the work of an all-party standing committee on natural resources and environmental sustainability, which had been tasked with making recommendations related the province’s Water Act, to Maggie Simpson, a character from the popular TV series The Simpsons.

GUEST OPINION: P.E.I. water issue is not urban versus rural

GUEST OPINION: P.E.I. water issue is not urban versus rural

It is disturbing to hear the genuine public concern over high-capacity wells being deliberately misinterpreted as “urban versus rural” and as an attack against farmers. The Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island has been working for years to usher in a new era of water protection and conservation, and never once have we opposed farmers. Farmers are important to the economic and social health of the province.

Rules for high-capacity wells not included in new Water Act consultations

Rules for high-capacity wells not included in new Water Act consultations

The P.E.I. government released two different sets of regulations for the province's Water Act for public consultation Tuesday, but opposition parties wanted to draw attention to regulations which were not released to the public.

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