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 Indigenous Services Minister has tabled much-anticipated legislation to improve water quality in First Nations communities. “Created with First Nations, this legislation is the foundation of clean and safe drinking water for generations to come,” stated Minister Patty Hajdu. “It establishes the rights and supports that should have always been there for First Nations. It creates the tools First Nations need to manage their water systems and ensure the water they draw from is safe.”
The Ontario government is investing up to $6.9 million in approximately 100 local conservation projects to restore and enhance wetlands across the province. This funding will help 14 conservation partners restore more than 2,400 acres of wetlands in Ontario, which combined is larger than Presqu’ile Provincial Park, near Brighton. The projects will improve water quality, help prevent flooding and build climate change resiliency.
Our most valuable resource is water, which we frequently take for granted. World Water Day is observed on March 22, and this year’s message is about change; it encourages us to change how we use, consume and manage water in our daily lives. There are several steps that homeowners can take to ensure their water is safe for their homes and consumption. I always recommend homeowners get their water tested, no matter where they live, but particularly outside urban centres or if they rely on a well source.
If you have spare land in Niagara in need of some trees, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is looking for you. “Trees for All” is an initiative that sees the NPCA partner with local community groups, environmental agencies and government organizations. Landowners can apply for the grant to help Canada reach its goal of planting two billion trees.
Canada and the Yukon are collaborating to fight climate change, protect nature and important habitats, fight biodiversity loss, improve air and water quality and preserve our natural heritage for future generations. Last month during COP15, Minister Wilkinson announced the launch of the third call for proposals of this program, ensuring additional long-term agreements with eligible partners, including Indigenous communities and partners, municipalities and for- and non-profit organizations, as we continue to advance our commitment to support partners in planting two billion trees by 2031.
Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is conducting a public survey to get input for the development of its new plan for the Credit River Watershed. A watershed is an area of land that drains surface water and groundwater into a body of water such as a river or stream. Watersheds are essential for both people and wildlife. A healthy watershed will slow, clean, filter and store water which would reduce flood risk, improve water quality, provide habitat for a diversity of species and increase resilience in a changing climate.
Prince Edward Island is focused on creating new forests by planting currently unforested areas and riparian zones, along with supporting municipalities with urban planting. In the wake of the extreme weather the province has faced, it is also necessary to incorporate replanting of hurricane-damaged areas. These actions will contribute to the province's climate change adaptation and net-zero goals and while supporting biodiversity, air and water quality, erosion control and wildlife habitat.
Across the country, Canadians are feeling the impacts of climate change. By investing in community initiatives that cut pollution and support efficient local infrastructure, we can keep our air clean and build strong, healthy communities for everyone to call home. This is why the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are investing in smart, sustainable solutions from coast to coast to coast.
Trout Lake in East Vancouver is often among the first places in the city to be closed to swimmers each year because of poor water quality — namely E. coli. It's a scenic, small lake in John Hendry Park that's popular with locals, as well as ducks and geese. On Monday, the Vancouver Park Board launched a floating island into the lake with the goal of increasing biodiversity and helping with water quality.
Indigenous scholars spoke of the need for water to be better protected and appreciated in an online symposium about the natural resource Friday. During a three-hour virtual discussion, hosted by the University of Windsor's Indigenous Legal Orders Institute and Windsor Law, Indigenous community members shared their relationship with water and the ongoing fight to keep it clean. In Anishnaabe tradition, women have held the primary caretaking role in looking after water and protecting it.
With groundwater an important resource in P.E.I., a collaborative research project is looking at what effect agricultural practices have on it. Scientist Yefang Jiang and technician Ana Kostic from Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC) were in Kinkora recently collecting samples to see how farming impacts water quality as part of the Living Lab – Atlantic project.
The Ontario government is investing $44,500 towards a project to improve water quality in Kawartha Lakes. On Wednesday, July 21st, MPP Laurie Scott announced, in a press release, the government would be providing these funds towards a Kawartha Conservation project. According to the press release, the project is intended to enhance “nearshore water quality and aquatic plant management in the Kawartha Lakes, Lake Ontario Drainage Basin.”
Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) (“Teck”) Teck announced today that commissioning is now underway at its Elkview Saturated Rock Fill (Elkview SRF) expansion, which doubles the water treatment facility’s capacity to 20 million litres of water per day. The Elkview SRF has been achieving near complete removal of selenium and nitrate from up to 10 million litres of water per day since 2018 and is part of Teck’s ongoing work to implement the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan (EVWQP). The goal of the EVWQP is to maintain the health of the watershed in the area of Teck’s B.C. steelmaking coal operations.
Rural communities near Prince Albert want to turn the taps on a $45 million water project. The Town of Shellbrook and the RM of Shellbrook have struck a steering committee with the Prince Albert Rural Water Utility (PARWU), spending $60,000 on studying a new water treatment plant with connecting pipelines to the communities, according to its terms of reference. “I really believe that building a water treatment plant will open the door to other communities to get good water,” noted Brent Miller, who is the steering committee chair and a Town of Shellbrook councillor.
Canada is famously home to 20 percent of the world’s freshwater — but how well are we stewarding this supply? WWF-Canada recently reassessed the health of our country’s 25 watersheds to better understand how they’re responding to threats from pollution, habitat loss and climate change. Our 2020 Watershed Reports found that 26 per cent of Canadas’s 167 sub-watersheds received a score of Good or Very Good, which is good or very good news! But what’s bad, or possibly very bad, is that nearly 60 per cent of these sub-watersheds received no score at all because they remain Data Deficient. In other words, we just don’t know. This lack of data is concerning as we need a complete picture to determine which areas need dedicated efforts to protect our freshwater ecosystems.
