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 research these youth snorkelers are partaking in is part of an Indigenous-led project to map the coastal waters of Átl’ḵa7tsem, once polluted by industry, but now teeming with fish. For centuries, Indigenous communities have had their traditional knowledge and cultural traditions overlooked, if not erased. That’s reflected in the conventional maps of Canada.
The Yukon government is mapping areas that were hit hard by record-setting floods last year, according to officials. "We're doing flood mapping in every Yukon community," Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said in the Legislative Assembly yesterday. "That's not something that we've done before, and we're going to continue to work to ensure our communities are safe, just like we did last year." Last summer, rapid snowmelt caused serious flooding, eventually spurring the territorial government to declare a state of emergency for the Southern Lakes and Lake Laberge areas. Some Yukoners were forced from their homes and the Canadian military was posted in the territory for months to help shore up lakefront properties.
