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.
As extreme weather events such as forest fires and floods become more severe and common thanks to the effects of climate change, experts say that could result in more expensive home insurance in the long term. Morgan Roberts, insurance sales director at Ratehub.ca, says the increasing frequency of claims means that insurance companies could try to implement more premium hikes.
You may soon be getting a letter in your mailbox with Durham Region’s logo on it, advertising an insurance plan for your water and sewer lines. The letter will appear different from other regional correspondence because it is being sent out by Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC), a private company. The program is run by SLWC, with regional approval. It would cover repairs to your home’s service lines, specifically the ones that the region is not responsible for maintaining. You may want to check if your home insurance already covers such repairs. SLWC runs similar programs in tandem with a number of municipalities across Ontario.
Penny Fentiman is one of several Saskatoon homeowners in the middle of a major cleanup after houses in the Montgomery Place neighbourhood were recently hit with a deluge of backed-up wastewater. Sewage water first seeped into Fentiman's home Friday morning and then again shortly before midnight. It's the second time wastewater has flooded her home on the 3400 block of 11th Street in the past five years. The City of Saskatoon said the latest incident was due to a pair of sewer blockages, which forced them to shut off water to homes in the area. The issues have since been resolved and the water turned back on — but Fentiman is concerned it's a Band-Aid solution and that it could be several years before the city implements a long-term solution.
