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

mitigate flooding

Input wanted to strengthen flood planning, response

Input wanted to strengthen flood planning, response

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.

Ecologists, insurance companies partner up to mitigate flooding

Ecologists, insurance companies partner up to mitigate flooding

As climate change persists, researchers and stakeholders are working together to come up with nature based solutions to damage in urban communities caused by extreme weather. Nature Force, a project led by Ducks Unlimited in partnership with 15 property and casualty insurance companies, aims to use natural infrastructure, such as wetlands, to restore and protect high-risk areas from flooding.

Here are the highlights of the City of Vaughan's $512.8M operating budget

Here are the highlights of the City of Vaughan's $512.8M operating budget

$179.6M water, wastewater and stormwater budgets fund The city put forward $179.6 million for its water, wastewater and stormwater budgets fund programs and services to ensure Vaughan can deliver clean and safe drinking water, collect wastewater effectively, manage stormwater to mitigate flooding and save for future water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure needs. The approved increase for the combined water and wastewater rate in 2022 is $0.1551 per cubic metre, or 3.3 per cent, versus 2021. The increase for the 2022 stormwater charge is an average of 4.5 per cent versus 2021.

How climate change played a role in the B.C. floods

How climate change played a role in the B.C. floods

Climate change, wildfires, and towns being built on former lakes played major roles in the flooding across British Columbia, says a climate researcher at Queen’s University. “We've really grossly underestimated what needs to be done to mitigate the flooding that is going to occur in the future,” Edward Struzik, a fellow at Queen’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy in Kingston, Ont., told CTVNews.ca during a video interview on Tuesday. He urged engineers to team up with climate scientists and meteorologists to rethink infrastructure, such as bridges, railways, and roads, with climate change in mind.

From wastelands to conservation: Why Alberta needs to start thinking about its wetlands

From wastelands to conservation: Why Alberta needs to start thinking about its wetlands

Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of an international agreement to protect wetlands around the globe, and this may get you thinking what is so important about wetlands. For awhile they were looked at as wastelands, but over the past few decades, science has shown just how important these areas are. Dan Kraus, a senior conservation biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, says wetlands were the first habitat to have been protected through a global agreement.

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