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.
Living Lakes says these meetings will be interactive sessions where participants can provide feedback on local water concerns and monitoring priorities and ask questions about the project. “Through this project we are collaborating with local groups to expand our water monitoring network so we can work with communities and all levels of government to protect our watersheds,” said co-ordinator Bill Coedy in a news release.
Land, Water and Resource Stewardship Minister Josie Osborne is facing conflict-of- interest allegations after she approved a $15 million grant to the non-profit group that purchased her husband’s investment property. Osborne in April awarded a $15 million stewardship fund to the MakeWay Charitable Society, formerly known as Tides Canada, to co-ordinate watershed restoration projects led or co-led by First Nations. Osborne’s husband, George Patterson, sold the Tofino Botanical Gardens to the MakeWay Charitable Society for $2.3 million on Sept. 17, 2021, according to land title documents. The 12.128 acre waterfront property on the Pacific Rim Highway was initially listed for $3.75 million. The B.C. Liberals have asked conflict-of-interest commissioner Victoria Gray to look into whether there’s any conflict.
A non-profit group is working with a First Nation community in northeastern Ontario to become citizen scientists. Swim Drink Fish, with funding from Environment Canada, is continuing to set up citizen science water monitoring hubs. The group is now working with Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, located at the western end of Manitoulin Island on the northshore of Lake Huron. "We're trying to build a community of people around the Great Lakes who are working for swimmable, drinkable and fishable water," Mark Mattson, president of Swim Drink Fish said.
