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.
Calgary officials are monitoring the city’s water supply following a sewer pipe leak in a municipality upstream on the Bow River, but the city says its tap water remains safe to drink. Alberta issued a biological hazard advisory late Saturday, stating a main sewer line break within the Town of Cochrane was causing an overland sewage discharge into the Bow at a bridge along Highway 22.
Imagine a world without access to safe drinking water. You go to the sink, but it’s not working. The fridge, and the water cooler aren’t an option either. Where would you go if the stores can’t sell you water? How would your community respond? Every person, big or small, needs water every day to stay healthy, yet over 2 billion people worldwide don’t have access to safe drinking water. The water crisis impacts health and sanitation, our environment, climate, and our economies. Texas Water Mission works with communities to provide potable water and hygiene solutions. In this blog post we explain the global water crisis, why it’s happening, and what we can do about it.
Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler commented on the Manitoba's water management strategy. "We learned fast in regards to how we should be managing water with the drought in several parts of the province last year and how we managed those waters, so that we have a reliable source of good reliable safe water to drink and feed to our livestock as well," he said. "Critically important that we get it right. That's going to be part of our overall water management plan, which we've invested a million dollars in so far." The throne speech also stated that the Manitoba Protein Advantage Strategy will not continue to attract investment unless water is guaranteed for producers and processors.
During an emergency city council meeting on Tuesday, Iqaluit city council extended the local state of emergency in a unanimous vote. A state of emergency was declared on Oct. 12 after city staff found evidence of fuel contamination in the city's treated water supply. Residents were the water as it is unsafe to drink, even if filtered or boiled. During Tuesday's meeting, Coun. Kyle Sheppard told residents there is enough safe drinking water for all.
The City of Barrie could soon let some funding flow into Indigenous communities in need of safe, clean water. Council passed a motion Oct. 4 that will start the ball rolling on a plan to dedicate 0.2 per cent of the municipality’s 2022 water and wastewater revenue to Water First. The organization works to improve water services in Indigenous communities across Canada. Under the proposal, the city will consult with the Barrie Native Friendship Centre and Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle before taking further action.
A P.E.I. woman who has been lobbying for years for free well water testing may finally get what she has been looking for as part of larger discussions around the new Water Act. Little Sands resident Lynda Kelly has been writing to various provincial officials making the case for one free water test a year. Kelly said it is an important public health issue, and the $40 cost of the test may be enough to put some people off.
Shoal Lake 40 First Nation has been under a drinking-water advisory since 1997. The community’s new water treatment plant, due to come online in the summer, will finally provide safe water. The Trudeau government promised to eliminate all long-term advisories on reserves by March, but dozens still lack access to safe drinking water.
Bonnyville residents will be drinking Cold Lake water this week after a supply agreement was signed between the Cold Lake Regional Utility Services Commission and the Bonnyville Regional Water Commission on Jan.26. The agreement details the pricing, as well as the distribution framework, with Cold Lake RUSC being the supplier of the water to the BRWSC.
Activists in northeastern Ontario fighting for safe, clean water in First Nations communities across Canada are getting tired of broken promises. After five years and millions in spending, the Liberal government announced in early December that it would not fulfill its commitment to end all long-term water advisories on reserves by March 2021. Although some progress has been made – 97 advisories have been lifted since November 2015 – there’s still a long way to go. There are 59 active long-term water advisories in 41 communities across the country, and activists maintain that clean water should be a priority for the federal government, especially during a global pandemic. “Water is a basic human right, and nobody should have to beg for it. This is wrong, and it’s come to the point where I think it comes down to racism,” said Autumn Peltier, a teenage water-rights activist from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island.
Canadian Rangers were expected to arrive in Neskantaga First Nation on Friday to help the remote community in northern Ontario as it grapples with a water crisis. Much of the First Nation was evacuated earlier in the month after high levels of hydrocarbons -- chemical compounds found in crude oil and coal -- were discovered in the water supply, forcing officials to turn off the pipes.
Ottawa says they’re on track to make their commitment of lifting every long-term drinking water advisory on reserves by March of next year. Since November of 2015, the federal government has lifted 87 advisories. Here in Saskatchewan, there are currently seven long-term drinking water advisories including one on the Little Pine First Nation located approximately 70 kilometres northwest of North Battleford. Two months ago, the drinking water advisory in that community became long-term after being in place for more than 12 months.
WSP won for its work in developing an innovative solution for safe water in remote communities. Like many remote communities, the people of the Tl’azt’en Nation in northern B.C. had no access to clean drinking water. Because conventional water treatment technology was unfeasible, WSP Canada and the RES’EAU-WaterNET partnered to develop a treatment system for organic material. The project delivered a full-scale plant that allowed a 14-year boil water advisory to be lifted. The system uses natural biological processes, is low in consumables, reduces chemical requirements, produces little waste and is simple for operators to use.
