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.
Cora Voyageur, a professor of sociology at the University of Calgary whose research interests include First Nations, said there are parts of the letter that piqued her interest, such as one focus on providing communities better access to clean drinking water, but she was disappointed to see no further mention of healthcare needs specific to Indigenous communities, or education.
Xianming Zhang, assistant professor of environmental chemistry in Concordia’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been invited to join Health Canada’s new Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products. The panel of nine researchers from across the country will provide independent guidance to the Government of Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
Some believe Sault Ste. Marie is the perfect location for the headquarters of the soon-to-be-created Canada Water Agency and a city task force is preparing to make its final pitch for the project. The federal government announced during its previous mandate that it wanted to create the agency intended to improve freshwater management across Canada. That promise was solidified in the government’s most recent Speech from the Throne. The city of Sault Ste. Marie put together a task force to explore the possibility of bringing that new agency to the city.
Since 2014, over 65 Canadian municipalities have launched partnerships with Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC) to give their residents access to affordable service repair plans for common plumbing emergencies. SLWC is the trusted source of utility line protection programs in Ontario as recognized by the Local Authority Services, part of the Association of Municipalities on Ontario (AMO).
Rebecca Zagozewski, executive director of the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, said she has seen contractors save on costs when building water treatment plants on reserves by using obsolete parts and failing to include maintenance manuals, ventilation or chemical rooms, and bathrooms. “Engineering companies will put in their bids obviously as low as they can go,” said Zagozewski.
The first Indigenous owned and operated water utility in Canada developed by way of public-private-community partnership is a step closer to reality in the North Okanagan. A formal agreement has been signed between the Okanagan Indian Band Group of Companies, EPCOR and Enterprise Canada. The companies will identify commercial opportunities in utilities-related infrastructure, including water, wastewater and irrigation management, to provide quality drinking water and ensure adequate firefighting supply to serve the OKIB reserve lands.
