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.
For a day and a half, Susan Holita lived with the prospect of having her water shut off — through no fault of her own. She was stressed and wasn't exactly sure when the water would stop. Not knowing when it would happen was almost as stressful as the prospect of living without running water. Holita has been living in the one-bedroom condo on Golding Street, near St. Joseph's Hospital, since she moved to Saint John, N.B., in 2018 and has always paid her rent, which includes water.
Castor town council discussed increasing water bills with the goal of helping their water department break even. The discussion was held during the Nov. 8 regular meeting of council. The discussion began when Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Christopher Robblee gave the regular gas/water report. The CAO stated the water balance was still high for September but there was some good news for councillors: the water loss in October was only 900 metres cubed, which was down “substantially” from the month before.
London has been officially recognized as a “Blue Community” for its commitment to safe drinking water. The Council of Canadians presented a certificate to Mayor Ed Holder and the city’s water department during a ceremony in front of City Hall Wednesday. The Blue Community Project requires the adoption of the following framework: recognizing water and sanitation as a human right, banning the sale of bottled water at municipal facilities and events, supporting publicly owned and operated water and wastewater services.
