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

importance of clean water

Mural on FEDCO building celebrates importance of clean water, sustainability

Mural on FEDCO building celebrates importance of clean water, sustainability

Multiple vignettes flow through the mural connected by an undulating blue wave of water that crashes and rolls from one end of the wall to the other. The piece, a collaborative brainchild of Laporte and FEDCO, was fittingly given the working title "Water is Crucial to Life." It was renamed "Beyond the Current" at the conclusion of the work. "This mural was based around the concept of water being crucial to life. All life," Laporte said. "This project emphasizes the abundance of water that makes up our world, while reflecting the strong community ties in Monroe, as well as the importance of sustainability and the providing of fresh drinking water on a global scale."

Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier addresses UN on clean water

Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier addresses UN on clean water

Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier, 15, addressed hundreds of international guests at UN headquarters in Manhattan on Saturday, where she urged the global community to respect the sacredness and importance of clean water. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again: we can't eat money or drink oil," said the activist from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario. Peltier spoke at the Global Landscapes Forum, a platform on sustainable land use founded by UN Environment and the World Bank that's dedicated to achieving development and climate goals.

Follow us