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.
Those looking to water their lawns up at the Resort Village of Tobin Lake this Canada Day long weekend will be unable to do so. This comes after the resort village issued a municipal order water ban. This means that anyone found irrigating (watering) their lawn will be subject to having their water turned off for the weekend. The resident will then need to make an appointment to have it turned back on, with applicable fees (fines).
Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume is asking residents to avoid using the municipality's drinking water on lawns, driveways, or to fill private pools, for at least the next two weeks. At a press conference Tuesday, he said while the territory typically sees about 100 millimetres of rain in August, only 10 millimetres have fallen so far this month. Labeaume said there is less than a month's worth of reserves left, which he called "concerning," and it's expected the current heat warning will stay in place for another few days, exacerbating the situation.
