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.
Halifax Water says it has diverted untreated and unscreened sewage from entering the Northwest Arm, but it's still advising people to not swim or participate in activities that require contact with the water. In an update after 6 p.m., the water utility said the water is now being treated but that repair work is still underway.
As evacuation orders remain for hundreds of properties in southwest B.C., following catastrophic flooding that swept away houses and caused a municipality's wastewater system to fail — forcing its 7,000 residents to flee — experts say it's more important than ever to make homes flood resilient. This means exploring ways to mitigate property damage and better protect flood-vulnerable spaces in homes.
City officials have launched Toronto's largest and most significant storm water management program — the Don River and Central Waterfront and Connected Project — which will halt the flow of sewage into Lake Ontario and clean up waterways. The first phase of the five-phase project — the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel — will see a 10.5 kilometre long and 6.3 metre wide tunnel built at a cost of $400 million. The overall project is expected to cost $3 billion.
SHOAL LAKE, ONT. — A joint venture (JV) involving Shoal Lake 40 Contractors LP and Sigfusson Northern Ltd. has been named the winning bidder in a competition to earn the right to construct a new water and wastewater system for Shoal Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario. Indigenous Services Canada is contributing $33 million for the project, which includes construction of a water treatment plant, reservoir, raw water intake structure and lift station as well as the installation of watermain connections and fire hydrants, stated a Sept. 6 release.
