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.
Africville was known as a thriving community, with a school, a church and local stores, though homes in the area lacked sewage systems and access to clean water. It was in the late 1940s when it was designated "industrial land," leading to the development of an infectious disease hospital and a prison in the community. The city dump was also relocated near Africville in the 1950s.
