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.
Members of a First Nation in British Columbia who were forced from their home more than 90 days ago when a nearby river changed course during catastrophic floods are now allowed to return. Chief Arnie Lampreau of the Shackan Indian Band said he never expected community members would be off their reserve in the Nicola Valley for so long. "They're excited to come home,'' he said in an interview.
She said some preparations are as easy as a trip to the hardware store. "Make sure your eavestroughs are clear and your downspouts allow water to flow away from your foundation. Put valuable things or potentially toxic items up on a basement shelf, so they don't get damaged or contaminate water." Lou Di Gironimo, general manager of Toronto Water, says storms have become more severe over the past few decades and the city has invested billions of dollars in flood mitigation programs.
On Oct. 12, due to concerns about fuel contamination, Iqaluit issued a do-not-consume order for its tap water that lasted nearly two months. The city of 8,000 would eventually point to an underground fuel spill as the potential cause of the contamination. After learning that the city's water was not safe to drink, residents in Iqaluit collected water from the nearby Sylvia Grinnell River. The military was dispatched to help provide treated water from the river using mobile water treatment units.
A series of atmospheric rivers hit southern B.C. in November, causing evacuations, widespread flooding and mudslides. Watch this file for updates with the latest on the recovery effort. Highway 1 has been fully reopened between Abbotsford and Hope, said the transportation ministry Tuesday. WorkSafeBC is reminding employers and contractors to watch out for hazardous materials during post-flood recovery.
The torrential rainfall that has pummeled British Columbia in recent days — causing mudslides and flooding, shutting down highways and stranding and displacing thousands — is being fuelled by an atmospheric river. Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of moisture in the atmosphere that carry water from the tropics and subtropics toward the poles.
