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.
Regina's executive committee has voted to receive updates on the city's efforts to remove lead water connections every two years rather than annually. The decision was a compromise between some councillors that wanted to continue receiving yearly updates and others who say receiving the reports on annual basis is an inefficient use of council's time.
Water is essential to life and common to everything that lives. It is our most precious resource and, therefore, needs our protection. This is precisely what Maude Barlow, Canada’s renowned water advocate, has argued for years. In her most recent book, Whose Water Is It Anyway?, she states that a water secure and a water-just future depends upon our adoption of four principles: “1. Water is a human right and an issue of justice and charity; “2. water is a common heritage and public trust and, therefore, access to water must not be allowed to be decided by private, for profit interests; “3. water has rights beyond its service to humans and must be respected and protected for the ecosystem and other living beings; and “4. rather than being a source of conflict and division, water can be nature’s gift to teach us how we might learn to live more lightly on the planet and in harmony with one another.”
The daughter of a famous Anishnaabe water advocate from Wiikwemkoong said she is moved that a school in Pickering will be named in honour of her mother. Sir John A Macdonald Public School will soon be renamed the Biidassige Mandaamin Public School. From 2003 to 2017, Josephine Mandamin walked around the Great Lakes, bringing awareness to water and environmental issues – especially those in First Nations.
