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

litter

London, Ont., conservationist builds fishing line receptacles to reduce waste

London, Ont., conservationist builds fishing line receptacles to reduce waste

A London conservationist is hoping people hooked on fishing will use his do-it-yourself receptacles to recycle their lines and keep them from harming wildlife.  "It's a lot of litter," said Brendon Samuels, a Western University PhD candidate and coordinator of Bird Friendly London. The tube stations Samuels hopes take of will give fishers a way to recycle their fishing lines after use. The units are designed to keep plastic fishing lines out of London's waters, where fish, animals and birds and get tangled. Small parts such as fishing hooks are also a hazard to smaller animals.

These B.C. garbage picker-uppers say once you start, it's impossible to stop

These B.C. garbage picker-uppers say once you start, it's impossible to stop

For Vancouver's Yasmin Schepens, what started as a project to photograph her favourite spot of beach has blown into, at times, an overwhelming commitment to rid it of garbage like cigarette butts, food wrappers and other pieces of plastic. "I couldn't just leave it there, so I started picking it up," said the 30-year-old who moved to Canada from Belgium in 2016.

Volunteers clean up after Vancouver beaches left littered with trash

Volunteers clean up after Vancouver beaches left littered with trash

Dozens of volunteers cleaned up several Vancouver beaches Sunday morning after they were left littered with cans, bottles and garbage overnight. Beaches in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood and at English Bay, which are typically kept clean even during peak season, were both left with unusual amounts of trash on the hottest weekend of summer weather thus far. Locals who volunteered to clean up the mess said they were upset about all the trash. "I'm really disappointed to see it to be honest," said Kassandra Sison as she picked up litter at English Bay. "We're probably going to get at least half a dozen [garbage bags] if not a full dozen if we keep going."

Taking it to the bank: Dozens clean up litter along Winnipeg's Assiniboine River

Taking it to the bank: Dozens clean up litter along Winnipeg's Assiniboine River

The banks of Winnipeg's Assiniboine River are a little bit cleaner after dozens of people helped pick up litter near Assiniboine Park on Saturday afternoon. The effort was part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a long-standing national conservation initiative that teaches people about the harmful effects of shoreline and riverbank litter and encourages them to get involved in stopping it. Marc Brandson, curator of animal care at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, said the group focused on cleaning up any waste found along the banks of the Assiniboine that might eventually find its way into the river system.

Increase in litter washing up on Canadian shorelines following the pandemic

Increase in litter washing up on Canadian shorelines following the pandemic

The annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup’s (GCSC) 2020 report has revealed an increase in single-use plastic food and beverage litter found on Canadian coasts — nearly doubling the amount recorded in 2019. Single-use food plastic takes up 26.6 per cent of all waste collected in this year’s program, while it only made up 15.3 per cent of the 2019 report.

Activist honoured at first meeting of Great Lakes Guardians' Council

Activist honoured at first meeting of Great Lakes Guardians' Council

Ontario's government is working to protect what matters most by identifying priorities for action to help protect the water quality and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and other waterways as part of its commitment in the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. Today, Rod Phillips, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Grand Council Chief Glen Hare co-chaired the Great Lakes Guardian Council, which includes leaders from across Ontario including municipalities, First Nations and Métis communities, environmental organizations, and the science community, to discuss challenges and opportunities around the Great Lakes.

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