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

take action

From freak weather to our water supply to optimism and action. Here are answers to your climate questions

From freak weather to our water supply to optimism and action. Here are answers to your climate questions

Over the last four months, you've sent us over 300 climate questions as part of the Great Lakes Climate Change Project. We've researched the most commonly asked questions and given you answers about extreme weather, our water supply, and how you can both take action and stay optimistic in the face of the climate crisis. Before we jump in, some general takeaways from your questions. Most readers did want to hear about the many ways climate change impacts our lives, but also wanted a focus on solutions. A lot of questions were concerned less with what's new and more on breaking down the long-term processes that have brought us to this point. That's what we'll be focusing on here. 

Students at the Queen Elizabeth School raise awareness and funds for clean drinking water

Students at the Queen Elizabeth School raise awareness and funds for clean drinking water

Students at the Queen Elizabeth School are taking a stand to raise awareness and funds for clean drinking water for Indigenous communities. After learning about Anishinaabe Indigenous rights advocate Autumn Peltier and her mission to secure safe drinking water on all Canadian reserves, the school’s Grade 2/3 class was inspired to take action. The class wanted to contribute to the efforts of educating others about the struggles families on reserves face with unsafe drinking water and the importance of clean water for all.

How one Alberta teacher helps kids manage their climate anxiety

How one Alberta teacher helps kids manage their climate anxiety

When 10-year-old Kade Steiger grows up, he wants to have a family. But climate change worries him a little. "What's their daily lives going to be, what's their children's daily lives going to be like for generations to come?" he said during an interview with What On Earth host Laura Lynch. Kade (above photo, right) is a Grade 5 student at Dr. Ken Sauer School in Medicine Hat, Alta., and his worries aren't unusual. Recent research shows that nearly 80 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 25 say climate change impacts their overall mental health. 

The UN just recognized access to a healthy environment is a universal human right. It’s time for Canada to take action

The UN just recognized access to a healthy environment is a universal human right. It’s time for Canada to take action

The authors are all professors at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. David Boyd is also the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. The world’s future became a little bit brighter recently. On July 28, for the first time in history, the United Nations General Assembly recognized that everyone, everywhere, has a right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Now it’s time for Canada to step up and take action to ensure that right for all its citizens.

Plastic predicament: Federal group urges action on packaging legislation in Canada

Plastic predicament: Federal group urges action on packaging legislation in Canada

Amid growing concerns over plastic waste, Oceana Canada is urging the government to take action against the growing plastic pollution crisis. Oceana Canada says the federal government must “continue efforts to reduce the amount of harmful single-use plastics flooding our oceans and devastating marine life.” Earlier this month, the organization called for strict recycled content laws that increase the availability of refillable and reusable packaging choices and stop the burning of plastic waste. Burning plastic is known to release harmful emissions into air, water and soil.

City of Toronto frozen pipes public education campaign encourages residents to take action during extreme cold temperatures

City of Toronto frozen pipes public education campaign encourages residents to take action during extreme cold temperatures

Tips to avoid frozen water pipes in the home: Know where to find the main water shut-off valve and how it works (in case your pipes burst) and ensure areas that contain indoor water pipes are kept above eight (8) degrees Celsius, especially near the water meter. Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage. Outdoor faucets are the first to freeze. Unscrew any hoses, turn off the outdoor water supply and let the taps drain. Insulate pipes most prone to freezing, especially near outside walls and in crawl spaces, the attic and garage. This can be done with foam pipe covers available from building supply or home improvement stores.

Opinion: Time to address Saskatchewan’s water quality woes

Opinion: Time to address Saskatchewan’s water quality woes

With everyone back to work and school, the water quality in Saskatchewan lakes and rivers may not be front of mind for many right now. But World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) makes this the perfect time to think about, and take action for, all those freshwater places that are near and dear to us. WWMD is an international outreach program held annually between Sept. 18 and Oct. 18. By engaging communities in monitoring the condition of local water bodies, it helps increase awareness of the importance of good water quality to life, livelihoods and personal enjoyment.

Pemberton Drinking Water System report flags elevated manganese

Pemberton Drinking Water System report flags elevated manganese

Village of Pemberton council received its 2020 Drinking Water System annual report during its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 15. While the summary of water quality results for the most part showed levels of chemicals, mercury, and “elements by atomic spectroscopy” well within required limits, there was a concern about manganese levels. On Feb. 26, 2020 at Well No. 2 manganese levels were recorded at 78.8 ug/L and, on the same day at Well No. 3, they were recorded at 20.1 ug/L. Both were flagged on the report as exceeding “1 criteria policy/ level.”

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

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.

Municipal Affairs and Environment Minister Graham Letto says communities should notify residents and take action to correct water quality issues

Municipal Affairs and Environment Minister Graham Letto says communities should notify residents and take action to correct water quality issues

“If you are above the Health Canada standards (which have been the same since 2006), by God you should be informing your residents that is the case,” said the minister. “For liability and accountability purposes, you should be doing that and municipalities have to take some responsibility in that.”

Follow us