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

hospitalization

2 years after legionnaires' outbreak in Moncton, cooling tower registry not in place

2 years after legionnaires' outbreak in Moncton, cooling tower registry not in place

Cooling towers use water evaporation to remove heat and release it into the atmosphere. If legionella bacteria is present in the water, it can be aerosolized and spread over several kilometres by the wind. Those who inhale water droplets with the bacteria may then contract the illness. It doesn't spread person-to-person. After the 2019 outbreak in Moncton where 16 contracted the severe form of pneumonia, the regional medical officer of health said he'd support more rules for building owners to try to prevent future outbreaks.

Blue-green algae confirmed in Grand Lake

Blue-green algae confirmed in Grand Lake

Toxins associated with blue-green algae have been confirmed in Grand Lake, N.S., but the province's Department of Environment is awaiting further test results for pesticides and other chemical contaminants. Those results are expected soon, the department said. In the meantime, people are still being urged to avoid drinking the water in Grand Lake, and avoid any skin contact with the water. "We still want people to be cautious and not use the water," Julie Towers, deputy minister of the Department of Environment and Climate Change, told media outside the East Hants Aquatic Centre in Elmsdale, N.S.

Expert says blue-green algae may not be cause of Grand Lake contamination

Expert says blue-green algae may not be cause of Grand Lake contamination

Tri Nguyen-Quang, an engineering professor whose research includes water quality and management, collected samples of the lake water around the shoreline last week. "I think there is some very harmful substance, chemical substance in the water. But that I don't know yet," Nguyen-Quang said Monday. "So far, just the impression that … something is not normal there."

Blue-green algae: A Q&A with a public health doctor

Blue-green algae: A Q&A with a public health doctor

The Department of Environment and local veterinarians are pointing to blue-green algae as one of the most likely causes of contamination at Grand Lake, N.S., that led to the death of two dogs and one person being hospitalized this week. An alert was issued early Thursday morning warning all residents who take water directly from Grand Lake to stop using the water immediately. Residents near Grand Lake who don't receive water from a municipal utility are advised not to consume their water, or use it for cooking, bathing, swimming or boating, until told otherwise.

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