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 results of water quality testing in Iqaluit showed "exceedingly high concentrations of various fuel components" in one of the city's water tanks, the city's chief administrative officer said Friday at a news conference, as residents learned their water supply will remain undrinkable until at least mid-next week. While officials said the water could contain diesel or kerosene the territory's top doctor doesn't see long-term health concerns for those who drank the water.
A Memorial University professor says the Newfoundland and Labrador government is taking a big risk by building a mental health and addictions facility in an area that has flooded repeatedly over the past few decades. The location of the new mental health hospital, near the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's on a flood plain, has drawn criticism from many, including Joseph Daraio, a hydraulic engineer and MUN associate professor. "It's not a really good idea to put any building in a flood plain," said Daraio in a recent interview. "Especially something that would include such a high risk to so many people in a flood plain."
Suggested measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 won't be effective in remote Manitoba First Nations unless housing conditions and access to clean water are improved, says a new report. "Asking people to wash their hands and isolate in overcrowded homes without running water is like asking people unable to afford bread to eat cake," reads the report, released Wednesday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
