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 Yukon government is directing the owners of the Minto Mine to brace for a heavy spring melt, and to take some needed measures now to avoid a tailings pond spill into the environment. The territory is experiencing its fourth consecutive year of above-average snow pack, and that's raised concerns about whether the melt might overwhelm the mine's water storage capacity. The mine site is about 40 kilometres from the community of Pelly Crossing, Yukon.
