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.
Two decades of boil water advisories are over for Hiawatha First Nation after the completion of the first phase of the community’s new water treatment plant and distribution system. A grand opening was held earlier this week for the new plant and system situation in the First Nation located 30 kilometres south of Peterborough. Chief Laurie Carr says the system is a symbol of change for the community which has long advocated for better long-term solutions for boil-water advisories across Canada.
The damage sustained to Vancouver’s scenic seawall during a storm last week could be a sign of things to come as sea levels continue to rise due to climate change. “We know that we are vulnerable,” Ian Stewart of the Vancouver Park Board told CTV National News. “We are looking at… long-term solutions.” During a fierce Jan. 7 storm, high winds and extreme tides battered the popular Stanley Park Seawall, transforming sections into rubble. Littered with upturned and broken chunks of concrete and debris, much of it remains dangerous and off-limits to visitors, robbing the city of part of what is supposed to be the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront path.
The Government of Canada and First Nations communities are working in partnership to build long-term solutions that support sustainable access to safe, clean drinking water and restore trust in the water supply. Today, Indigenous Services Canada provided an update on progress toward clean drinking water in all First Nations communities. As of July 6, 2021, 32 First Nations communities across Canada are working to resolve long-term drinking water advisories. In total, First Nations communities have lifted 108 long-term drinking water advisories restoring reliable access to safe drinking water for 6350 homes and 467 buildings in 79 communities since November 2015.
Indigenous Services Canada doesn’t expect to resolve all long-term drinking water advisories on reserves until at least 2023 — and may not have long-term solutions in place until 2026 — according to an action plan provided to the House public accounts committee. Christiane Fox, deputy minister of Indigenous Services, declined to provide the committee with a firm deadline during her testimony on Thursday.
Canadian Rangers were expected to arrive in Neskantaga First Nation on Friday to help the remote community in northern Ontario as it grapples with a water crisis. Much of the First Nation was evacuated earlier in the month after high levels of hydrocarbons -- chemical compounds found in crude oil and coal -- were discovered in the water supply, forcing officials to turn off the pipes.
