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

territorial government

Disagreements between city, territory slowed Iqaluit water crisis response: report

Disagreements between city, territory slowed Iqaluit water crisis response: report

A bypass system that allowed people in Iqaluit to drink the city's tap water again after it was contaminated with fuel could have come online earlier, according to a report from a third-party review of the 2021 water crisis. The report prepared by Toronto-based consulting firm DPRA for Nunavut's Department of Community and Government Services (CGS) details how disagreements between the city and territorial government affected the response to the crisis. The report was issued in May and recently provided to CBC News by CGS.

Victoria Gold fined $95K for violating mining licences in Yukon

Victoria Gold fined $95K for violating mining licences in Yukon

The Victoria Gold Corp. has been fined $95,000 after pleading guilty to violating some of its licence conditions at the Eagle gold mine near Mayo, Yukon. The company was charged by the territorial government in June. The company was accused of failing to maintain minimum water storage requirements at the mine site. The government alleged Victoria Gold stored more water in its heap leach facility than its licence allows. It also said Victoria Gold failed to report the amount of water it transferred every month.

Nunavut declares state of emergency to help restore water services in Kinngait

Nunavut declares state of emergency to help restore water services in Kinngait

The Nunavut government has declared a state of emergency in Kinngait to help restore water services in the hamlet. The territory says an electrical issue at the community's water pumphouse is limiting its ability to distribute treated water.

People in Arviat, Nunavut, push back on proposed site for fuel tank farm

People in Arviat, Nunavut, push back on proposed site for fuel tank farm

Nooks Lindell was sitting in his home, having tea with his cousin, two summers ago when he saw a group of people working out on the land outside his home. He later learned the people were surveyors looking at the land as the potential site of Arviat's new fuel tank farm. "I was shocked. I was pretty upset," Lindell said of finding out about the potential tank farm location. Lindell lives in the home where he grew up in Arviat. He and his partner are raising their two young children there. "I spent the last two years at home being a stay at home ataata (father) … so I've spent a lot of time looking out the window right where they're going to put that tank farm," he said. 

Diavik 'misunderstood' requirement to report February groundwater spill: N.W.T. inspectors

Diavik 'misunderstood' requirement to report February groundwater spill: N.W.T. inspectors

An N.W.T. diamond mine "misunderstood" its reporting requirements earlier this year when it failed to flag a massive groundwater spill, according to the territorial government.  A broken pipeline leaked 450,000 cubic metres of groundwater — enough to fill 180 Olympic-sized swimming pools — and was first spotted at the Diavik mine on Feb. 7, the N.W.T.'s lands department (now the Department of Environment and Climate Change) said in March. 

Can you put a price on the impact of Yellowknife's Giant Mine?

Can you put a price on the impact of Yellowknife's Giant Mine?

Last week, the federal government revealed that cleaning up Yellowknife's Giant Mine is now projected to cost $4.38 billion instead of $1 billion. This is, by one measure, greater than the mine's total estimated revenues during its operation. Quantifying, in dollar terms, the impact of the mine on the local economy, the environment, and the people who live on and use the area's land and water is complicated, if not impossible.

Délı̨nę’s second boil water advisory of October is lifted

Délı̨nę’s second boil water advisory of October is lifted

Délı̨nę’s second boil water advisory of the month was lifted on Monday evening, the territorial government said. The precautionary advisory was put in place on October 18, just a day after the first boil water advisory of the fall was lifted. Both advisories were put in place due to higher-than-normal level of muddiness in Délı̨nę’s water. Now that the muddiness has declined, the water is now safe to drink.

Cost to recover from Hay River's flood expected to top $174 million

Cost to recover from Hay River's flood expected to top $174 million

The N.W.T. government says it expects flood recovery for Hay River and the Kátł'odeeche Fırst Nation to cost more than $174 million. That figure comes from a report tabled last week in the Legislative Assembly. The report shows the government expects to spend $112.4 million by the end of this fiscal year, and an additional $61.7 million over the next fiscal year, to cover damages and losses from the flood that swept through those communities this past spring. The town, along with surrounding First Nations, experienced historic flooding in May that forced residents to evacuate. Floodwaters damaged roads, homes and key infrastructure — like water treatment plant lines and the landfill.

Nunavut water shortage shows lack of infrastructure funding: researcher

Nunavut water shortage shows lack of infrastructure funding: researcher

A water shortage in Nunavut has prompted the region's territorial government to declare a state of emergency, leading experts to re-evaluate water infrastructure in areas they say lack necessary funding. "Families are frustrated. Businesses are frustrated," MP Lori Idlout told CTV News Channel. "Water is such an essential human right." Iqaluit, which reported a water shortage last week, is now working on getting regulatory approval to pump in water from a nearby lake.

Boil-water advisory lifted for South Slave communities

Boil-water advisory lifted for South Slave communities

The advisory was first issued for the communities on May 12 as flooding in Hay River has affected operation of the town’s water treatment plan and resulted in higher than normal turbidity or muddy water. In a public notice on Tuesday, the territorial government announced residents in the four South Slave communities would no longer have to boil their drinking water as turbidity levels had dropped to acceptable levels in water from the water plant and other operational issues had been addressed.

N.W.T. premier 'heartbroken' after witnessing aftermath of Hay River flooding

N.W.T. premier 'heartbroken' after witnessing aftermath of Hay River flooding

After visiting Hay River, N.W.T., Premier Caroline Cochrane said she felt "heartbroken" witnessing the destruction caused by the flooding. The community of nearly 4,000 was evacuated in mid-May as flood waters rose, causing widespread damage. Residents have been returning over the past week to discover the condition of their homes. "Some of the homes and properties are fine. Other properties, minimal damage. But some properties were devastated. They're totally gone. And the water lines up to above their windows," said Cochrane.

Délı̨nę boil-water advisory ends after six days

Délı̨nę boil-water advisory ends after six days

Residents of Délı̨nę no longer need to boil their water before consuming it, the territorial government said on Monday afternoon. The boil-water advisory had been in place since May 10 after unusually high murkiness was reported in the Sahtu community’s drinking water. On Monday, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services said the advisory had ended and no associated illnesses had been reported.

Public problem, private solution: Warehouse biomass project reduces N.W.T. carbon footprint

Public problem, private solution: Warehouse biomass project reduces N.W.T. carbon footprint

A wood pellet heating system that warms four buildings in Yellowknife has, after a year of operation, helped its biggest client — the territorial government — cut oil-use by 92 per cent. J&R Mechanical, a local plumbing and heating contractor, turned the 390-kilowatt system on in mid-March last year. It heats two of the business's buildings and a vet clinic. But half of its capacity goes into heating one structure: the territorial government's central warehouse on Byrne Road.

Yukon government mapping all flood prone areas, minister says

Yukon government mapping all flood prone areas, minister says

The Yukon government is mapping areas that were hit hard by record-setting floods last year, according to officials. "We're doing flood mapping in every Yukon community," Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn said in the Legislative Assembly yesterday. "That's not something that we've done before, and we're going to continue to work to ensure our communities are safe, just like we did last year." Last summer, rapid snowmelt caused serious flooding, eventually spurring the territorial government to declare a state of emergency for the Southern Lakes and Lake Laberge areas. Some Yukoners were forced from their homes and the Canadian military was posted in the territory for months to help shore up lakefront properties.

Calls mount for public inquiry into Iqaluit water crisis as Nunavut government changes tune

Calls mount for public inquiry into Iqaluit water crisis as Nunavut government changes tune

Calls are mounting in Nunavut for the territorial government to call a public inquiry into the Iqaluit water crisis. The city of nearly 8,000 went for two months without clean tap water last fall after hydrocarbons were detected in the water and ultimately traced to the city's water treatment plant. The do not consume order was lifted in December, after a bypass had been set up at the plant, only to result in a boil water advisory that lasted nine days earlier this month, as residents again reported the smell of fuel in the water.

Prepare for spring flooding, GNWT warns residents

Prepare for spring flooding, GNWT warns residents

In a news release on Tuesday, the GNWT said current data shows water flowing fast on the Slave, Tazin, and Taltson rivers, while water levels in Great Slave Lake are high for the time of year – conditions that lend themselves to flooding. The territory stressed it is difficult to predict the likely impact come springtime. Factors include how much precipitation arrives in the coming weeks, the thickness of the ice, and when – and how quickly – that ice thaws.

Yukon pushed to develop protections for irreplaceable wetlands threatened by mining

Yukon pushed to develop protections for irreplaceable wetlands threatened by mining

An independent panel is urging the Yukon government to develop a wetlands policy to protect unique streams, bogs, fens and peatland from mining because there are no known ways to fully restore these sensitive ecosystems once disturbed. Wetlands filter water, provide habitat to species and sequester carbon but are quickly being lost to development worldwide — an issue drawing attention on World Wetlands Day Feb. 2.

Smith's Landing First Nation asks N.W.T. to speak out against northern Alberta mine

Smith's Landing First Nation asks N.W.T. to speak out against northern Alberta mine

The chief of Smith's Landing First Nation near Fort Smith, N.W.T, is calling on the territorial government to speak out against a northern Alberta mining project. "The government of the Northwest Territories is strangely silent … on the oil sands projects," Chief Gerry Cheezie said. Cheezie said that N.W.T. Premier Caroline Cochrane should be hosting meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to make sure the Indigenous communities living within the Mackenzie water system will not be affected by the controversial $20.6 billion Teck Frontier mining project that is proposed for a site 110 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta. 

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