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 Bolduc family has been farming and ranching near Stavely, Alta., for generations and this year will be remembered for its scorching heat, lack of rain, parched fields, reduced yields and water restrictions. It's something their family and many others have seen before, but it doesn't make it any easier as they look to harvest whatever they can from their barley, alfalfa and corn fields.
The unusual stretch of warm weather and summer-like heat is allowing some farmers in B.C. to extend their fall harvest season as crops continue to grow and yield quality produce, while others, especially in water-restricted areas, are struggling with the lack of rain. Sean Smukler, the chair of agriculture and environment at the University of British Columbia, says farmers experienced a cold and wet start to spring that delayed the growth of their crops by about three weeks, but some have been able to make up for lost time in the latter half of the season. "The crops that are well established and just need a little bit of water in this late season are probably able to take advantage of the sunny warm weather," Smukler told CBC News.
Thirty years ago, a public backlash over the issuance of a half-dozen water-shipping permits spurred B.C. to put a moratorium on bulk water exports, a measure later backed up with legislation. Santa Barbara-based Sun Belt Water, which had a deal with Snowcap Waters of Fanny Bay to ship supertankers of water to California, announced it would challenge that decision under NAFTA, but then the story petered out.
As conservation authorities in the Ottawa area warn of low water levels on area waterways this spring, Environment Canada's forecast suggests the lack of rain will continue. "It's almost forgotten how to rain in the Ottawa area," said David Phillips, Environment Canada's senior climatologist. Ottawa has received 16.7 mm of rain so far in June, after 13.5 mm of rain fell in May.
