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.
People in Sanirajak, Nunavut, are asked to keep their water at a rolling boil for at least one minute before using it. That's because total coliform bacteria has been found in the water system, and people could get sick from drinking tap water, according to the territory's Department of Health. People should boil any water used for drinking; preparing infant formulas, ice, juice, or meals; brushing teeth; and washing fruit and vegetables.
Bottled water will be made available to "vulnerable populations" in Wheatley and Tilbury this week as a boil water advisory for the municipality stretches on following a fire last week. In a release, the municipality said the water will be distributed for free through the Wheatley Resource Centre and Tilbury Food Bank.
The provincial government has issued a precautionary boil water advisory for Georgetown. The Department of Health said Georgetown is reactivating its water system Monday. As a precautionary measure, residents are asked to bring their water to a rolling boil for two minutes before drinking or cooking. Residents are advised there may be some water discoloration. If that is the case, they should let the water run for a few minutes before using it.
Over the last five months, Isabelle Couture has become accustomed to boiling pots of water on her stove, buying 18-litre jugs, and brushing her teeth with a water bottle. "I haven't felt very safe to drink it, because I don't know exactly what's going on," she said. She doesn't know what harmful substances have been detected — or when it will be safe to consume water again directly from the tap.
Across Canada, 29 Indigenous communities remain under a boil water advisory. Before residents in those communities can brush their teeth, drink a glass of water, cook food, or have a shower, they have to put water in a pot, bring it to a rolling boil, and let it cool — just so they don’t get sick performing many of these everyday activities. Under a commitment by the federal government to permanently eliminate all boil water advisories, 132 have been lifted in the last seven years. But until every Canadian has access to clean, potable drinking water, there is still much work to do, said Steph Romaniuk, faculty in the School of Environmental Studies at Canadore College in North Bay.
Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s vast far northern territory of Nunavut, lifted a city-wide boil water advisory March 4 that had been in place since the beginning of the month. In an earlier news release, authorities stated, “The City recommends that all water used for consumption and dental hygiene is brought to a rolling boil for a minimum of one full minute.”
Iqaluit is under a city-wide boil water advisory again, and will likely remain so for several days, according to the municipal government. The advisory stems from repairs city workers were doing Tuesday to a water valve, which led to a water line losing pressure. Though precautionary, this is the latest in a series of water issues in the Nunavut capital over the past six months. A previous city-wide advisory in January lasted for more than a week; residents also spent nearly two months in 2021 under a do-not-consume order due to concerns about fuel contamination in the city's water supply.
After more than a month of dealing with a boil water advisory, Campbellton Mayor Ian Comeau says the city still has no idea when it could be lifted. The advisory has been in place since Sept. 24 because of high turbidity in the drinking water, meaning the water is too cloudy to safely drink. Residents have been told to keep water at a rolling boil for at least one minute if it's being used for drinking, cooking, or brushing teeth. The city also advised residents to sponge wash young children to ensure they don't ingest the water.
