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 local health unit will begin its beach water quality testing starting June 12. Samples from the local area beaches will be taken every Monday by public health inspectors and result will be made public on Wednesday afternoons. Some extra quick tips to stay safe at the beach...to keep in mind are to read and obey the signs posted, don't go swimming if the water is rough, cloudy, or green, and if you think you may have become ill from beach water, consult your health care provider.
“The work we do is proactive, science-based, and essential to keeping your water, food, land, air and facilities safe,” explained Lisa Fortuna, Director, Health Protection with Durham Region Health Department, and the current president of the Ontario Branch of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. “Public health inspectors play an active and key role to ensure that food we eat is safe, checking that water is safe to drink and use, providing infection prevention and control guidance, and case and contact management for many diseases. Our work often goes unnoticed as many times we are behind the scenes working to keep the public safe.”
