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.
The head of a federal infrastructure agency says a new set of investing orders from the Liberal government should make it simpler to deploy more funding in the coming months. The recent federal budget added to the Canada Infrastructure Bank's plate by requiring it to now spend public dollars on private sector-led projects like small modular reactors, clean fuel production, and carbon capture and storage.
The federal government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador have announced $5.4 million in joint funding for seven water and wastewater projects in communities on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. In Holyrood, new funding will support the installation of a 500,000-gallon water storage tank as well as a new control system and watermains, stated a Jan. 14 release. There will also be watermain and related infrastructure improvements for the towns of Branch, Colliers, Ferryland, Harbour Main-Chapel’s Cove-Lakeview, and St. Mary’s. There will be storm and sewer pipe installation in Ferryland, as well as road upgrades where project work is being completed. As well, the town of Placentia will be served by a lift station and new sewage treatment unit.
