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

water crisis

Health Department’s 3rd-party review of water crisis uncertain

Health Department’s 3rd-party review of water crisis uncertain

The CGS review pegs the start of the emergency at Oct. 12, 2021. It does not concern itself with the City of Iqaluit’s response to the initial reports of fuel-tainted water. DPRA reached out to 35 people to take part in the review. Nineteen responded. Of 13 current and former city officials who were asked to participate, five took part. The report does not identify who did or did not participate. It describes broken equipment and disagreements between the city and GN leading to delays in handling the crisis.

TIFF 2023 'Boil Alert': Urgency of North America's water crisis exposed though a journey of identity

TIFF 2023 'Boil Alert': Urgency of North America's water crisis exposed though a journey of identity

"You're going to see the injustice with the water, you're going to feel it without us having to sit down with David Suzuki and tell you how it happened, or why. ... You're going to figure that out by the human interaction between these people telling you their stories, and Layla learned about her own story."

'Boil Alert' doc examines most 'egregious' examples of water crisis in North America

'Boil Alert' doc examines most 'egregious' examples of water crisis in North America

When documentarian James Burns and Apache guitarist Stevie Salas set out to create a film that examined the ongoing impacts of the water crisis in Indigenous communities, the two knew they wanted the final piece to be an exploration of identity and how it's tied to Earth's most abundant natural resource. The result is an ambitious 104-minute documentary that blends unscripted real-life moments with scripted vignettes to go beyond the template of using statistics and experts to put the spotlight on an issue that transcends geographical boundaries.

Thames Water Crisis Fragments Industry's $60 Billion Bond Market

Thames Water Crisis Fragments Industry's $60 Billion Bond Market

The crisis at Thames Water Ltd. has left the $60 billion market for UK water utility bonds deeply divided. A measure of the dispersion in spreads in the sector has surged over the past few weeks as investors try to separate companies they see as well run, with manageable debt loads, from those that face the most operational and balance sheet issues. The standard deviation almost tripled after reports of a possible temporary nationalization of Thames Water, before settling at around double typical levels, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Tijuana, reliant on the Colorado River, faces a water crisis

Tijuana, reliant on the Colorado River, faces a water crisis

Luis Ramirez leapt onto the roof of his bright blue water truck to fill the plastic tank that by day’s end would empty into an assortment of buckets, barrels and cisterns in 100 homes. It was barely 11 a.m. and Ramirez had many more stops to make on the hilly, grey fringes of Tijuana, a sprawling, industrial border city in northwestern Mexico where trucks or “pipas” like Ramirez’s provide the only drinking water for many people.

AFN regional chief calls for safe drinking water at UN Water Conference

AFN regional chief calls for safe drinking water at UN Water Conference

AFN Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse spoke at the United Nations Water Conference recently in New York to highlight the rights of First Nations when it comes to safe drinking water. Woodhouse talked about water governance and the need for intensified action to realize the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation for all indigenous peoples. Some 10,000 participants gathered at UN Headquarters and online from March 22-24 to address the water crisis and “ensure equitable access to water for all.”

Will the Sunshine Coast face another water crisis? Here are the factors at play

Will the Sunshine Coast face another water crisis? Here are the factors at play

Regional district staff detailed 2023 Chapman water system scenarios based on repeats of 2021 or 2022 weather conditions at an April 6 committee meeting. Both revealed Church Road well supply, to be added when Stage 2 restrictions come into force, should allow the time at Stage 3 restrictions (if called) to be extended, with less time at Stage 4 (if needed).

First of 2 reviews into Iqaluit’s water crisis has begun

First of 2 reviews into Iqaluit’s water crisis has begun

A third-party review into the emergency response to Iqaluit’s 2021 water crisis has started. It’s one of two reviews expected to stem from the fuel crisis that led to a public order not to consume Iqaluit’s water for a two-month period between October and December 2021. The Department of Community and Government Services has contracted consultation firm DPRA Canada Inc. to conduct the review. DPRA began its work in mid-December, according to the department.

Rainmaker Worldwide Inc. Strengthens Global Operations With Key Resource Additions

Rainmaker Worldwide Inc. Strengthens Global Operations With Key Resource Additions

Rainmaker Worldwide Inc. (OTC: RAKR) (“Rainmaker” or “Company” or “RAKR”), a global leader in water solutions, has announced the addition of key resources to its global operations team. Viva Industries, an investment company owned by entrepreneurs Michael Skinner, John Gillis, and Ryan Moore, will acquire a controlling interest in the Canadian subsidiary of Rainmaker Worldwide Inc., and will re-name it Rainmaker Canada & Caribbean Inc. (“RCCI”). This acquisition will allow Rainmaker to focus on the growth of its global business while the Viva Industries team drives the growth of the Canadian and Caribbean markets.

No timeline for Iqaluit water crisis review, but minister commits to public release

No timeline for Iqaluit water crisis review, but minister commits to public release

Nunavut's health minister says one of the primary goals of a third-party review of the Iqaluit water crisis is to restore the public's confidence in the government. In an interview with CBC News, John Main committed to releasing as much information to the public as possible when the review is complete — although there's still no timeline for when such a review will even begin.

Water crisis: World to lose 26% storage by 2050 to trapped sediment, says new UN report

Water crisis: World to lose 26% storage by 2050 to trapped sediment, says new UN report

About 50,000 large dams across the world will lose 24-28 per cent water storage capacity by 2050 due to sediment trapped in them, a report by the United Nations Institute for Water, Environment and Health showed. These water reservoirs have already lost about 13-19 per cent capacity to sedimentation, the researchers mentioned. The loss will challenge many aspects of national economies, including irrigation, power generation and water supply, said Duminda Perera, who co-authored the study with UNU-INWEH Director Vladimir Smakhtin and Spencer Williams of McGill University in Montreal. 

Water Liberty Guide Reviews - The Cleanest Quality Drinking Water System?

Water Liberty Guide Reviews - The Cleanest Quality Drinking Water System?

Major catastrophes or disasters can lead to a water crisis, making people fight for drinking water for survival. Water scarcity has been reported in several parts of the world, posing a threat to humanity. It won't be long before the water problem becomes widespread. Before that time comes, we need to have ways to obtain clean and fresh water naturally.

Independent investigation into Iqaluit water crisis has not yet begun

Independent investigation into Iqaluit water crisis has not yet begun

Nunavut's health department says it has not yet begun its third party review into last year's water crisis in Iqaluit. In October 2021, the city went nearly two months without clean tap water after hydrocarbons were detected in the city's water supply and ultimately traced to the water treatment plant. A "do not consume" order from territorial health officials was lifted in December, after a bypass had been set up at the plant.

Water Crisis Poses Greatest Risk For Africa’s Food, CEO of Fertilizer Company Says

Water Crisis Poses Greatest Risk For Africa’s Food, CEO of Fertilizer Company Says

Those water issues -- driven by climate change -- will see African countries grappling with food crises for decades to come, Seelan Gobalsamy, chief executive officer of South Africa’s Omnia Holdings Ltd., said in an interview Monday. Inadequate infrastructure to move key farming products will cause further problems, he said. “When the sun shines, it’s harsher and when there’s rain, it comes down in buckets,” the CEO said in Bloomberg’s office in Johannesburg, hours before one of the heaviest summer hailstorms the city has experienced in years. “If you ask me what our biggest risk is going forward, is it Russia’s war on Ukraine, or supply chain? It’s actually climate change.”

The Climate Crisis is a Water Crisis: Monitoring for Adaptation in the Columbia Basin

The Climate Crisis is a Water Crisis: Monitoring for Adaptation in the Columbia Basin

It took until 2022, but water finally made it onto the official agenda of a UN Climate Change Conference. ‘Water Day’ was designated for November 14 at the recent COP27 climate change conference in Egypt where 190 countries had assembled to discuss climate action. Water Day discussions covered water scarcity, drought, early warning systems, and cross boundary cooperation, with one entire session devoted to the critical importance of monitoring and managing river basin systems.

Funding for USask-led water monitoring network will help understand, manage floods, drought: director

Funding for USask-led water monitoring network will help understand, manage floods, drought: director

Four research centres at the University of Saskatchewan are getting nearly $170 million in funding, and the work done at one centre is necessary for understanding and addressing a water crisis in Canada, its director says. "Water problems we are facing in Canada seems to be getting more severe. Costs of droughts and floods have reached about $40 billion since the turn of the century. It was just one or two billion before that in Canadian history," John Pomeroy, director at Global Water Futures Observatories, said in an interview.

Spaghetti Sauce Is Under Threat as Water Crisis Slams Tomatoes

Spaghetti Sauce Is Under Threat as Water Crisis Slams Tomatoes

California leads the world in production of processing tomatoes — the variety that gets canned and used in commercial kitchens to make some of the most popular foods. The problem is the worst drought in 1,200 years is forcing farmers to grapple with a water crisis that’s undermining the crop, threatening to further push up prices from salsa to spaghetti sauce.

Plastic bottles from Iqaluit water crisis bound for recycling in Montreal

Plastic bottles from Iqaluit water crisis bound for recycling in Montreal

Eight sea cans full of plastic bottles left over from Iqaluit’s water crisis last year will be sent for recycling to Montreal by the end of July. The water bottles were used in Nunavut’s capital last fall when fuel contamination in the municipal water supply prevented approximately 8,000 Iqalummiut from drinking tap water for two months.

Dry rivers compound water crisis, stressing food and energy supplies

Dry rivers compound water crisis, stressing food and energy supplies

Due to drought, which has lasted for 60 days, the source of the Po river is dry and the landscape is snowless, in Pian del Re, Crissolo, under the Monviso in the Cottian Alps. The snow melted due to high temperatures. Two people sunbathe on the dry riverbed at the confluence between the Po and Ticino rivers, next to Ponte della Becca (Becca Bridge), in Linarolo, near Pavia, northern Italy, in July. A state of emergency was declared in five northern regions amid a worsening drought, as Italy experiences an early heat wave and a lack of rainfall.

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