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.
St. John's residents will be paying higher property and water taxes in 2024 as the city grapples with higher road maintenance costs and aging snow-clearing and garbage trucks. The residential mill rate is going up by 9.64 per cent, to 9.1 mills. The mill rate increase, plus a 3.4 increase in property assessments, means the average homeowners will see their property tax go up by just over $240 per year. Residential water taxes will go up by $5.
The Liberal government tabled much-anticipated legislation Monday that aims to improve water quality in First Nations communities, improve collaboration on water protection and codify a new First Nations-led commission. The long-promised bill, which Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is touting as the result of immense collaboration and knowledge-sharing, would apply a new framework for source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nations land.
A new agreement between the federal government and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia will allow Mi’kmaw First Nations to manage and control their housing and infrastructure. "Since 2015, we have been working in a nation-to-nation partnership with Indigenous Peoples to advance self-determination,” said Patty Hajdu, minister of Indigenous Services. “Whether for water and health or housing and infrastructure, Indigenous communities must have the tools to decide for themselves. Today is an important step on this journey.”
The city of Montreal is planning to build more urban "sponge" infrastructure to protect against future flood waters brought on by climate change. The announcement Tuesday came as Montreal once again found itself drying out after heavy rainfall pummelled the city in the early morning. The city plans to build 30 sponge parks and 400 more sponge sidewalks by 2025 — green spaces that naturally absorb excess rainfall instead of draining the water directly into neighbourhood sewers.
Aging infrastructure, climate change and population growth are putting significant pressure on Montreal’s water resources. Faced with the magnitude of the issues and planned investments, the city is launching a public consultation on the future of water in its territory. Montreal is wasting too much drinking water, it is dumping too many pollutants into the St. Lawrence River, its aging infrastructure is unable to swallow the ever-increasing quantity of water spilled during torrential rains, and the city does not have enough money to update and adapt its infrastructure related to water management.
This stream helps build greener communities by contributing to climate change preparedness, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting cleaner air, water, and ecosystems. Infrastructure Canada helps address complex challenges that Canadians face every day—ranging from the rapid growth of our cities, to climate change, and environmental threats to our water and land.
"This topic of security and safeguarding Canada's sovereignty, it ties into so many different other issues," Koch said. "One element or aspect to start with is actually to make sure that Northern residents have access to basic services. It means education, health care and clean drinking water." "This will ultimately support Canada's goal of establishing security and projecting outward Canadian sovereignty in terms of the Arctic."
The American Southwest is running out of freshwater. Recently, the Biden administration proposed to up-end legal rules and impose cuts to water allotments from the shrinking Colorado River. In arid southern Alberta, we understand the vulnerability. A century ago, the International Joint Commission — the body that rules on how Americans and Canadians co-manage water systems along the 49th parallel — grew out of a bitter dispute between settlers in Montana and Alberta over access to water.
The City of Rossland received a healthy grant from the Canada Community Building Fund to help support its infrastructure. Rossland received $284,445 to complete a Utility Master Plan. The Plan will provide detailed condition assessments of the existing storm drainage, sanity sewer and water distribution networks, which will allow for a much anticipated infrastructure replacement and renewal efforts.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government has released a new plan aimed at improving drinking water safety in the province. The provincial government said from 2017-2022, there have been an average of 191 boil water advisories, which affected 146 communities and about 44,000 people. In comparison, there were 350 boil water advisories throughout the province in 2001.
To date, the Government of Canada’s investments have improved access to safe drinking water by building or rehabilitating over 1,000 water and wastewater systems, strengthened communities with 800 projects to improve cultural and recreational spaces, and enhanced public transit systems by acquiring over 4,200 public transit vehicles like buses, subway cars and light rail transit trains.
Ted Laking, the president of the Association of Yukon Communities (AYC), was in Ajax, Ont. earlier this month representing the Yukon at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) board meetings. Municipal leaders from across the country discussed a number of priorities for the federal abudget to be tabled Tuesday. According to Statistics Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure Survey, 14 per cent of municipal and water infrastructure and 12 per cent of municipal transportation infrastructure is in “poor” or “very poor” condition.
Spoiler alert, the rates are rising. Expect to see a 2.1 per cent increase in your water bill throughout the year. This rate hike is identical to last year’s increase which was also 2.1 percent. This is no coincidence, as back in 2019 the town adopted a financial plan, and soon after implemented an asset management plan. These plans outlined strategies for rehabilitating old infrastructure within the municipality, including water and sewer. In 2020, the water financial plan was adopted, which recommended an annual increase in the water levy of 2.1 per cent, and that rate is in place until 2026.
For the first time in seven years, residents in Prince Rupert will be able to drink water once again from Woodworth Lake, the City of Prince Rupert announced on Feb. 8. With the completion of the new Woodworth Dam in October 2022, water levels have now risen enough to return the supply to the primary source instead of Shawatlans Lake from where it has been pumped since 2016.
Investment enables water, electricity, and broadband connections for community growth, housing and commercial space The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (formerly Pic Mobert First Nation) have finalized their agreement for the CIB to lend $7.9 million towards critical infrastructure required for commercial and residential development that will improve living standards on reserve.
With inflation driving construction costs higher than in previous years, local service distracts are having trouble coming up with the 10 per cent in funding they need to tackle important infrastructure upgrades. When small communities and local service districts in Newfoundland and Labrador need to build roads or water treatment plants, most of the cost is covered by the provincial government. But some districts have started to run into problems, when jobs can no longer be done for the amount of money available by the time tenders go out.
Those who are a part of an Indigenous community may have an opportunity to make a claim for compensation. Last year, the courts approved a settlement between Canada and First Nations who were subject to a drinking water advisory that lasted at least one year between Nov. 20, 1995, and June 20, 2021. The settlement includes compensation for impacted First Nations and eligible individuals, as well as commitments to fund the construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure needed to provide regular access to clean, safe drinking water in their homes in a quantity sufficient for everyday use, reads a news release from organizers of The First Nations Drinking Water Settlement.
From nutrient-rich wetlands and 100,000 lakes to a dry southern region and an Arctic port, Manitoba is a province defined by water — after all, nearly a fifth of the province is covered in it. Now, in an update nearly 20 years in the waiting, the Manitoba government has released a strategy to manage its water resources — factoring in the impacts of a warming climate for the first time.
The Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board has approved rate increases for Halifax Water totalling 7.2 per cent, the first increase in water rates since 2016. A release from the municipally owned utility on Monday said the board had issued a decision that will see water rates for the average residential customer increase by 3.6 per cent in December 2022 and 3.6 per cent in April 2023.
Do you think the City of Kelowna should attempt to take over the independent water systems that serve Rutland and Glenmore, as it did with the Southeast Kelowna system, with a view to providing the same quality water throughout the city? Kelowna currently has enough challenges updating its current infrastructure and taking over something that is currently running may not be the answer in today’s world of traffic concerns, municipal transportation challenges and other facility upgrades on the checklist of things we need to focus on.
