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 province says it recently concluded almost four weeks of online public consultations aimed at gathering input on design concepts for future public spaces and parkland at the site. The results of those consultations and previous public engagement events will be shared in 2023. Public access to the waterfront has been a major source of conflict to this point and the push to privatize a large portion of Ontario Place has those opposed sounding the alarm along the lake even louder.
With climate change and extreme weather becoming more frequent, people are encouraged to provide feedback about how best to prepare for future flooding in B.C. The Ministry of Forests and Emergency Management BC are releasing an intentions paper focused on specific actions to mitigate flooding, such as the fall 2021 atmospheric river. The intentions paper provides discussion points about improved assessment, decision-making, preparedness and response, and crucial investments to safeguard communities.
It’s the last chance to have your say and provide input on why Sault Ste. Marie should be the host of Canada’s Water Agency Initiative. The federal government announced earlier this year that it wants to establish a Canada Water Agency to improve freshwater management across the country. Ward 5 Coun. Corey Gardi has spearheaded the initiative for Sault Ste. Marie to host the future agency. Stakeholders called to the table include various organizations, Indigenous persons, youth and the community at large. The comments, ideas and concerns for clean-water issues will be incorporated in the city’s pitch to bring the Canada Water Agency to the Sault.
Hajdu said she won’t presume to rank priorities for Canada’s Indigenous people without first seeking out their input. That said, ending all boil-water advisories is near the top of her to-do list. “This is a huge priority and it has been for our government for a long time. In fact, since we were elected we’ve lifted over 100 boil-water advisories. There are about 44 left to do. I’ve just finished meeting with my deputy minister for the first time and I’ve reiterated this is a top priority for the government of Canada,” Hajdu said. “I’m really looking forward to understanding those continued long-term boil-water advisories better and meeting with those individual communities to hear their perspective on how we can more quickly accelerate this work.”
The federal government seeks feedback on whether the objectives outlined in the Discussion Paper are the right objectives for the government to pursue and input on which objectives should be prioritized. Input is sought from provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, local authorities, the private sector, non-government organizations, and the public. Feedback will inform the federal government's next steps in implementing the CWA. The deadline for providing feedback on the Discussion Paper is March 1, 2021. Information about where to send responses is provided in the Discussion Paper. In January 2021, the federal government will host a virtual national freshwater policy forum. A series of regional forums will be held in February 2021 to provide further opportunities for Canadians to participate in consultations on the Discussion Paper.
At the community's request, Indigenous Services Canada has replaced the top federal bureaucrat working with Neskantaga First Nation during its current state of emergency. Assistant deputy minister Joanne Wilkinson has taken over from Ontario regional director general Anne Scotton as the liaison between department officials and Neskantaga — a fly-in community about 450 km north of Thunder Bay, Ont., that has been under a boil-water advisory for 25 years.
