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

ocean

How one Canadian firm is using the power of the ocean to desalinate the ocean

How one Canadian firm is using the power of the ocean to desalinate the ocean

But in a groundbreaking mission to mitigate the global water crisis without further contributing to carbon emissions, a Canadian company, Oneka Technologies, is pioneering an innovative approach to desalination. The Quebec-based startup has developed an avant-garde solution that harnesses the boundless energy of the ocean waves to convert saltwater into fresh, drinkable water. Oneka Technologies’ floating desalination units, anchored securely to the ocean floor, utilize a membrane-based system, known as reverse osmosis, to purify seawater. The process is elegantly simple: wave energy is converted into mechanical energy, powering pumps that draw in seawater and push a portion through a semipermeable membrane to filter out the salt. The result is clean, potable water delivered to shore through pipelines, propelled by the very force that generated it: the undulating waves of the sea. “Oneka's technology is 100% mechanically driven," Hunt told the BBC, underscoring the zero-electricity operation of their machines. Such innovation represents a seismic shift towards sustainability in desalination practices. 

‘Air-Conditioning’ Rivers and Streams Could Save Overheated Fish

‘Air-Conditioning’ Rivers and Streams Could Save Overheated Fish

And a new threat is gradually emerging. Water temperatures are warming, thanks to a combination of climate change and human water management techniques. And in some places they’re growing hot enough to kill the fish. “We’ve seen instances where we’ve had die-offs of coldwater species,” said Kathryn Smith, a doctoral candidate in the Coastal Hydrology Lab at Dalhousie University in Canada.

First Nation on Vancouver Island declares marine protected area

First Nation on Vancouver Island declares marine protected area

The Tsawout First Nation, located 20 kilometres north of Victoria, B.C., has declared an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) for 155 kilometres of ocean in its traditional waters. The area will be called QEN'T Marine Protected Area. QEN'T — pronounced "qwant" — means "to be looking after," "caring for," or "protecting something or someone" in SENĆOŦEN. 

Salmon are dying in dried-up river beds in northern Yukon

Salmon are dying in dried-up river beds in northern Yukon

Yukon River chinook and chum salmon in the Old Crow region of the territory are being hit with the perfect storm — not only are this year's runs expected to be dismal, but the life cycle of the salmon is being broken. Over the last several years, lower numbers of chinook and chum salmon have made the long journey from the ocean to creeks and streams at the mouth of the Porcupine River, spawned, and then died. The small fry would then make their way back to the Bering Sea in spring. But now many of the fertilized eggs left behind in the rivers are dying because large stretches of river are drying up in the early spring — and it's not exactly clear why.

Unchecked climate change puts Canada’s West Coast in hot water

Unchecked climate change puts Canada’s West Coast in hot water

Last year was the hottest on record for the ocean, an upward trend only expected to continue as it wreaks havoc on coastal communities and spurs irreversible losses to marine ecosystems. Ocean warming has cascading effects, melting polar ice and causing sea-level rise, marine heat waves and ocean acidification, the United Nations’ panel of climate experts made clear on Monday. Sea-level rise has doubled in the last three decades, reaching a record high in 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported. Rising seas, coupled with more extreme weather, are setting the stage for a perfect storm of flooding for coastal communities. 

IMPAC5

IMPAC5

Or consider how climate change is also melting ice and glaciers in the Arctic. For Inuit, this means that the traditional way of life is being disrupted and destroyed. That same ice melt is also raising water levels, endangering coastal communities and island nations. Tuvalu, for example, is building a digital version of its country to preserve its history, culture and language. If things continue on this course, there is a good chance the nation will be submerged by the end of the century.

Pacific islands urge Japan to delay release of Fukushima waste over contamination fears

Pacific islands urge Japan to delay release of Fukushima waste over contamination fears

Pacific island nations are urging Japan to delay the release of water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant over fears fisheries will be contaminated, the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) said on Wednesday. The Japanese government said last week that water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant could be released into the sea "around this spring or summer," raising concerns from island nations still grappling with the legacy of nuclear testing decades ago.

Mid-Island beaches feeling effects of king tide

Mid-Island beaches feeling effects of king tide

“We had a storm surge as well, which added to that. The storm surge is separate from king tides, it’s a rise in water that happens generated by storms, and this one was generated by a storm off the coast. Those two factors together gave us some pretty high water levels on the 27 (of Dec.). “ Charbonneau said the tides are expected to diminish over the next few days, and shouldn’t be as high as what was seen on Tuesday. Southeastern winds and storm surges are also factors in increasing the size of waves.

'There's no reason not to': More N.S. lobster plants get on board with pollution control

'There's no reason not to': More N.S. lobster plants get on board with pollution control

If you walk along one of Nova Scotia's many shorelines, you'll see rocks, shells, and mounds of seaweed. But some of those beaches are also riddled with colourful rubber bands, ropes and fragments of plastic. According to Angela Riley, founder of Scotian Shores, a local business dedicated to cleaning the shorelines of the province, the province's biggest industry is also behind much of the pollution found near the ocean. 

Amid struggling COP15 talks, Indigenous leaders from Canada offer some solutions

Amid struggling COP15 talks, Indigenous leaders from Canada offer some solutions

Talks on a plan to protect land and water globally are underway at the COP15 meeting in Montreal, with the host nation Canada among a legion of countries pushing for a “30×30” deal to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. Agreements on the targets, approaches and language in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework have been especially slow, with ministers from around the world set to arrive tomorrow to approve on the text. Indigenous delegates and analysts are calling for the integration of Indigenous land rights, knowledge and financing to resolve the 30×30 conservation target, citing Canada’s guardians program as a successful way to meet area-based conservation goals.

Do people aboard derelict boats in False Creek have squatters' rights?

Do people aboard derelict boats in False Creek have squatters' rights?

There have been longstanding community concerns about derelict boats in False Creek, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Pressure from locals regarding pollution, safety, and aesthetic issues has spurred VPD's Marine Unit along with Transport Canada and the City of Vancouver to embark on a project to clean up the harbour.

Canadian delegation to tell COP27 about oceans' role in fighting climate change

Canadian delegation to tell COP27 about oceans' role in fighting climate change

Lying in plain sight and lapping against our shores is what scientists describe as an unsung hero that has been quietly absorbing heat and keeping the world’s temperatures under control. And over the coming days, a group of Canadian researchers hopes to persuade the world that the ocean has a crucial role to play in fighting climate change. Prof. Anya Waite is leading a delegation from Dalhousie University’s Ocean Frontier Institute to attend the 27th annual Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change — better known as COP27 — in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, starting Sunday. They plan to share ways the deep blue carbon sink acts as a buffer and impacts climate forecasts.

Hundreds of striped bass wash up dead in northern Cape Breton

Hundreds of striped bass wash up dead in northern Cape Breton

University biologists say striped bass that recently washed ashore in northern Cape Breton probably died from a sudden temperature change in the ocean. A video posted to the Port Morien Wildlife Association's Facebook page on Monday shows what looks like hundreds of dead fish in North Bay, near Dingwall, N.S. Trevor Avery, a biology professor and lead researcher with the Striped Bass Research Team at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., said he doesn't know for sure what happened.

'Forever chemicals' in the ocean become airborne from sea spray, study says

'Forever chemicals' in the ocean become airborne from sea spray, study says

So-called “forever chemicals,” which are compounds that do not break down easily in the environment, are entering the air from the water through sea spray, a new Swedish study says. Detailing their findings in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, researchers said lab results showed that when bubbles containing perfluoralkyl acids (PFAS) burst at the surface of saltwater, the compounds were aerosolized and entered the air in tiny particles. In order to find out if sea spray could be a vehicle for the compounds to be transported long distances, researchers did field observations at two coastal locations in Norway, collecting more than 100 air samples between 2018 and 2020.

Greater Victoria residents asked to stay out of water at 2 locations due to wastewater discharge

Greater Victoria residents asked to stay out of water at 2 locations due to wastewater discharge

Residents in Greater Victoria are being advised not to enter the water at two shoreline locations due to wastewater discharge after heavy rain. The two affected shorelines are between Tarn Place and Seaview Road (Cadboro Bay), and between Radcliffe Lane and Trafalgar Park (McNeil Bay). Warning signs have been put up at beaches in both areas, and will only be removed after tests confirm bacteria levels are below acceptable levels.

Japan adopts plan to release Fukushima nuclear water into ocean

Japan adopts plan to release Fukushima nuclear water into ocean

Japan’s government adopted an interim plan Tuesday that it hopes will win support from fishermen and other concerned groups for a planned release into the sea of treated but still radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. The government decided in April to start discharging the water into the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2023 after building a facility and compiling release plans under safety requirements set by regulators. The idea has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan’s neighbours including China and South Korea.

Toilets and trash featured in Victoria exhibition about local history of water and waste

Toilets and trash featured in Victoria exhibition about local history of water and waste

There are some dirty pictures on public display at one of Victoria's oldest homes right now. Built in the early 1860's, Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens was a family home for more than a century before it was turned over to the province in the 1970s and became the national and provincial historic site it is today. And now until the end of the year, people are invited to check out the museum's latest feature exhibition exploring two basic human needs that city residents face regardless of the decade— dumping waste and accessing clean water.

'I was wondering why the water looked so clean': CRD's sewage treatment plant up and running

'I was wondering why the water looked so clean': CRD's sewage treatment plant up and running

Victoria and surrounding municipalities are no longer dumping untreated sewage into the ocean — much to the delight of our neighbours south of the border. Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, who has a house on Bainbridge Island, is among those welcoming news that, after four years of construction, the Capital Regional District’s $775-million Wastewater Treatment Project has begun treating sewage at the McLoughlin Point plant.

What really happens to plastic drink bottles you toss in your recycling bin

What really happens to plastic drink bottles you toss in your recycling bin

The infinite triangular loop of arrows that we know as the recycling symbol adorns millions of plastic pop and water bottles we carefully sort in the blue bin. It comforts us with the idea that each one will be recycled over and over again forever. But unfortunately, most of the time, it's a lie. Many bottles aren't recycled at all, and those that do get recycled usually aren't turned into other bottles or recycled again after that.

Marine biologist offers Montreal festivals an alternative to single-use water bottles

Marine biologist offers Montreal festivals an alternative to single-use water bottles

Planning on attending Osheaga in Montreal this summer? Bring along a reusable water bottle and fill it up as often as you'd like — for free. You can do that now thanks to a local marine biologist and her determination to keep plastic out of the oceans. This summer, Rachel Labbé-Bellas is unveiling her new water-refill stations at the summer festival — water-refill stations she's dubbed The Green Stop, designed to discourage people from using single-use plastic bottles and inspire environmental awareness.

Follow us