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 Wheatley River Improvement Group (WRIG) finished 14 weeks of fieldwork, enhancing and mitigating Wheatley River. During the weeks of fieldwork, WRIG staff planted or donated more than 650 native tree and shrub species. The team also planted around 500 live cuttings from red-osier dogwood shrubs directly into stream banks in areas prone to erosion.
The Ontario government is supporting projects that help communities protect and improve the health of the Great Lakes by investing an additional $1.9 million in the Great Lakes Local Action Fund. “We all have a role to play in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, and through the Great Lakes Local Action Fund, communities and local organizations can apply for funding to take environmental action right in their own backyards,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “Following the success of our first round of funding, our government is proud to support more local projects to protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes and their watersheds for future generations.”
