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.
“When settlers arrived, you could drink the water from our creeks. Now, in 50 years, you can’t drink the water from our lakes or creeks or eat the vegetation on our lakeshore.” Today, the women who attended the first annual tea and bannock celebration in Peachland, are trying to do something about it, with a Syilx water declaration that they hope will inspire other communities to do the same.
