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.
In his 1963 science fiction novel, author Walter Tevis writes about an extraterrestrial who travels to Earth in a grandiose quest to ship water back to his dying planet. If the novel was re-released today, the extraterrestrial (who, incidentally, was played by rock legend David Bowie in the 1976 movie version) would more likely take one look at our once pristine home and keep on moving in hopes of finding a more inviting celestial object.
