Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

spills

8 grandmothers from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation organize protest against mine project

8 grandmothers from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation organize protest against mine project

"It concerns us. The water, the land, the medicine on it will be destroyed. The caribou that are roaming in that area and all the mushrooms and wild rice there. All of it would be contaminated," said Elder Eileen Linklater, one of the eight grandmothers who organized the protest. "Mines usually have spills. Yes, they build reservoirs, but they overflow and it would go into water streams. Also, they will release a lot of gasses into the air." Asked to comment on the concerns being expressed by the protesters, Foran said some of the information the concerns are based on is "misleading and untrue."

‘It’s our food supply, right?:’ Shuswap land defender focuses on water

‘It’s our food supply, right?:’ Shuswap land defender focuses on water

It’s about clean water. It’s always been about clean water. Miranda Dick, Secwépemc, repeatedly emphasizes the importance of clean water when she speaks about her actions trying to stop the twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline. She said for her whole life, stemming from her mom and dad, she’s been protecting the watershed. Her mom passed away from cancer more than 18 years ago. “She always said it was in the food we eat and the water we drink – this cancer would be contaminating our human consumption. So she always said to protect clean water, protect the berries, and protect the salmon and the deer. It’s our food supply, right?” remarked Miranda. “So I always led with that, over the course of time, protection of clean water.”

Coastal GasLink reports 2 spills while tunnelling under Morice River in northern B.C.

Coastal GasLink reports 2 spills while tunnelling under Morice River in northern B.C.

The B.C. Energy Regulator (BCER) is investigating after Coastal GasLink (CGL) reported two spills of clay lubricant while it was tunnelling under the Morice River to build a natural gas pipeline through northern British Columbia. The area around the Morice River has for years been the site of conflict between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and supporters, and CGL, its workers and the RCMP.

Ontario issues order for Hamilton to improve sewage monitoring after spills into Lake Ontario

Ontario issues order for Hamilton to improve sewage monitoring after spills into Lake Ontario

Ontario's Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has issued the City of Hamilton a provincial officer's order to improve the way it inspects its sewage system, after the recent discovery of two massive spills. The two spills saw an estimated combined total of 396 million litres of wastewater flow into Lake Ontario since 1996. The order, issued on Jan. 18, isn't the audit of the entire sewage system that the province's environment minister said in late November he asked for — but the order does criticize the city's current procedures and offers a timeline for the city to review and improve how it monitors its sewage system.

Contractor fined $2.8 million for spills that killed hundreds of fish in Coquitlam, Surrey creeks

Contractor fined $2.8 million for spills that killed hundreds of fish in Coquitlam, Surrey creeks

A construction contractor has been fined $2.8 million for releasing contaminated water into salmon-bearing creeks in Coquitlam and Surrey in 2017. Michels Canada Co., a construction contractor based out of Nisku, Alta., was ordered to pay the sum on Dec. 6, after pleading guilty to two charges under the Fisheries Act. “These creeks are inhabited by salmonids year-round, and the presence of juvenile salmonids in these creeks during the summertime low flow period and hot weather emphasizes the importance of this habitat,” stated Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on Dec. 8.

From urinal mats to unicorns, cargo from major container spill is still washing up on B.C. shores

From urinal mats to unicorns, cargo from major container spill is still washing up on B.C. shores

When the Zim Kingston spill happened, much of the early public attention was focused on two missing containers that carried the hazardous chemicals potassium amyl xanthate and thiourea dioxide. Those containers have not been located. Both Hoyland and Laviolette say the amount of plastic that went into the water can be hazardous in its own way, polluting the environment and the food chain or injuring animals before eventually making landfall.

Health Canada knew about contaminated water for 2 years before Mississippi Mills residents informed

Health Canada knew about contaminated water for 2 years before Mississippi Mills residents informed

Many government agencies knew about the suspicious well water in Ramsay Meadows, a small subdivision halfway between Almonte and Carleton Place. But none of those agencies told the residents. The 49 homes stand across the street from the National Research Council’s national fire lab, which does research on firefighting. In late 2013, the lab bosses learned that their firefighting chemicals had contaminated their property’s groundwater, probably in the late 1900s.

Canada’s Indigenous pipe dream might end Trudeau’s Trans Mountain nightmare

Canada’s Indigenous pipe dream might end Trudeau’s Trans Mountain nightmare

An Indigenous-led group plans to offer to buy a majority stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline from the Canadian government this week or next, a deal that could help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mitigate election-year criticism from environmentalists. The group, called Project Reconciliation, aims to submit the $6.9 billion offer as early as Friday, managing director Stephen Mason told Reuters, and start negotiations with Ottawa two weeks later. Project Reconciliation said the investment will alleviate First Nations poverty, a watershed for Indigenous people who have historically watched Canada’s resources enrich others.

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