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.
An Indigenous group has raised a large traditional tent on the lawn of Parliament Hill to celebrate a program that places agents known as “guardians” across Canada to care for lands and waters. The communal tent, known as a shaputuan in the Innu language, was organized by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, a group that advocates for the guardian program nationally and promotes Indigenous-led conservation efforts.
Kawartha Conservation is encouraging local landowners to continue to help Bring Back the Fish through the restoration of stream banks and efforts to reduce erosion. “Increased development of urban areas can lead to additional strain and cause challenges for fish habitat and water quality, which is why it is essential that we work with local landowners and municipal partners to protect local species,” stated Kawartha Conservation’s landowner and community support officer Danielle Marcoux-Hunter, noting the outstanding support the agency has received from community members in the past has been extremely beneficial.
Tamara Brass lives at the Key First Nation. She told Yorkton This Week she enrolled in the course because of an interest in how people were accessing their water. On the Key First Nation Brass said about 80 per cent of residences access water through a treatment plant not unlike the one in Yorkton, only on a much smaller scale. The remaining residences have their own source of water. The Yorkton plant tour was one Brass said she found interesting in terms of the level of maintenance and testing employed to ensure water quality, adding it was good to get a look at what happens “behind the scenes” in terms of water quality.
An N.W.T. MLA is pleading with the territory's infrastructure minister to dredge the Hay River harbour. Rocky Simpson, who represents Hay River South, said the process of removing silt and mud from the bottom of bodies of water is essential for the safety and navigation of vessels — which resupply communities, ship construction materials, and carry out search and rescue missions, among other things.
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association is going to give away 30,000 litres of bottled water to support Inuit in Iqaluit during the drinking water crisis. The elderly and anyone facing additional barriers to accessing clean drinking water will get priority. The regional Inuit association is also making a $7,000 donation to support Qajuqturvik Food Bank during the crisis. Funding for this program was made available from the Indigenous Services Canada.
Rebecca Zagozewski, executive director with the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, says cisterns can pose health risks to those who rely on them. She says the structures can have cracked lids, which allows all sorts of debris to get into them — including rats, mice, drowned puppies and garbage — and they’re often not cleaned properly. On top of that, she says the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association is concerned that there is no certification program for water truck drivers. The group wants to create such a program where drivers would have to be trained in how to keep the water safe and be held accountable if things go wrong. “Because right now there’s no accountability,” she says.
Now, he works as a lecturer at UBCO, where his work is focused on Indigenous water rights and customary laws. On Jan. 26, Sam was one of the keynote speakers at a workshop designed “to bring together diverse stakeholders to discuss and improve understanding of Aboriginal water rights in British Columbia,” according to the event page. The objective of the three-hour workshop was to raise awareness around the implications of Aboriginal title and rights as they relate to water in B.C., within the Syilx People’s unceded territory.
Thunder Bay residents can now get interest-free loans from the city to help cover the costs of removing lead water service pipes. Councillors unanimously approved a $1.3-million, interest-free loan program on Monday. The loans are available now and come in five-year terms (except for those who qualify for the city's tax and water rebate programs, who can get 10-year loans).
