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 beginning of June in Calgary has been hot and dry, and that could have an affect on the city’s water supply through summer. Environment Canada and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says Calgary has come into the summer season with dryer than normal conditions — spring 2023 ended as the fifth driest spring on record.
Weather modeling data indicates that parts of central and northern Saskatchewan could see wetter than normal conditions between December and March, and near normal precipitation for the rest of Saskatchewan. Due to minimal runoff in spring 2021 followed by what was generally a hot and dry summer, most agricultural areas of the province are currently experiencing drier than normal moisture conditions. Conditions are driest starting in the central area of the province around Saskatoon and extending in a south westerly direction toward Rosetown, down through Leader and then to the Maple Creek area.
It could be wetter than normal in the coming months for parts of Saskatchewan. However, Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency (WSA) said Wednesday that even if there is an above-normal snowpack, the chance of an above-normal runoff is not likely. The agency said that is due to dry conditions at freeze-up. A minimal runoff last spring, followed by a mostly hot and dry summer, has left many agricultural areas of the province with drier than normal conditions. Conditions are driest in the Saskatoon area, extending out to Rosetown, Leader and the Maple Creek area.
Many Manitobans have come to expect chilly weather and maybe a dumping of snow this time of year, and instead are experiencing an unseasonably warm and pleasant November. It's not good news for farmers, though. Producers have just come out of a hot and dry summer and are hoping for rain and snow to build up soil moisture for the next growing season, but that hasn't happened yet.
This year witnessed one of the hottest and driest summers in recent history for Western Canada and the American Southwest. The resulting droughts adversely affected food supply and helped send meat prices rising three times faster than inflation. Despite the severity of these droughts, the worst may be yet to come. Extreme weather events are expected to become increasingly severe and frequent in the Prairies, with longer dry periods coupled with the risk of floods from intense rainstorms.
