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 Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is accepting applications for its 2023 Water Conservation and Quality Improvement (WCQI) grant program. With a funding pool of $350,000, eligible applicants, including local governments and First Nations, irrigation districts and non-profit organizations, can receive grants ranging from $3,000 to $30,000 for water projects within the Okanagan Basin.
The federal government’s plan to plant up to 320 million trees a year to meet the prime minister’s target to put an extra two billion trees in the ground by 2030 has been met with sharp criticism from opposition members including the New Democrat’s natural resources critic, Charlie Angus (NDP — Timmins-James Bay). Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food, said the national tree planting program “will engage farms groups across the country and help farmers manage soil erosion, improve water management, provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, and shelter for livestock.”
