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.
Canada should be exploiting its enormous water resources to be both a sustainable food powerhouse and a global water research superpower, says a new paper from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. Yet the country’s water policies, management and research efforts are underdeveloped and unco-ordinated, leaving water resources and challenges largely unaddressed. That’s something that a national plan should fix, says the report written by Tyler McCann, Angele Poirier and Nicolas Mesly.
The Water Use Efficiency stream provides funding for projects that help reduce the amount of water used by agri-processors in production and sanitation processes, treatment of wastewater prior to being disposed or returned to the municipal system or to the recovery of nutrients from wastewater. This funding aligns with the Manitoba government’s Water Management Strategy, which guides future actions, decisions and investments to protect the province’s water resources and ecosystems while sustainably growing the economy and communities. Funding is available for up to 50 per cent of the project cost, up to a maximum of $250,000 per project.
“After two years of severe drought, it is more critical than ever that we utilize our water resources as wisely as possible,” said board chair Leonard Lee in a press release. “The installation of water meters will help our community better understand their own consumption and will allow the SCRD to make efficiencies to further secure water supply for the region.” The leak detection and user water consumption benefits were highlighted in the release. "It is common for communities to realize a reduction in water consumption by 20% to 30%."
The Manitoba government is advancing protection and support for water resources through a number of initiatives including enhancing the Lake Friendly Initiative and expanding watershed districts, Environment and Climate Minister Kevin Klein announced today to kick off the week leading up to Earth Day on April 22. “Water is a precious resource and we all need to work together to ensure we make every drop count,” said Klein. “We are making investments in initiatives that enhance protections for Lake Winnipeg and our watersheds, helping ensure the sustainable management of our valuable water resources, now and for future generations.”
French President Emmanuel Macron sought to rally citizens around a plan to save water on Thursday and stressed that protests will not stop reforms, in a nod to both climate change and an unpopular pension bill. The water-saving plan includes 50 measures, such as fixing leaking pipes, adapting the way farmers and the nuclear industry use water and making water more expensive for those who use it in excess of basic needs.
The government is using Budget 2023-2024 to diversify and consolidate its environmental measures. Initiatives totalling $1 billion over five years will make it possible to protect biodiversity and our water resources and to promote good environmental practices. In addition, for a second consecutive year, the government has substantial additional revenues from the carbon market. These revenues will be used, among other things, to enhance the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy. Today, Budget 2023-2024 confirmed that the 2023-2028 implementation plan will benefit from an additional $1.4 billion.
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority would like to give you some money. The NPCA is seeking applications for its restoration and water well decommissioning grant programs for projects in 2023. Selected projects will help improve water quality and wildlife habitat as part of ongoing efforts to restore and preserve the Niagara Peninsula watershed’s natural heritage and water resources.
Colin McCarter has been named Canada Research Chair in Climate and Environmental Change and the recipient of $600,000 in funding. McCarter is an assistant professor cross-appointed in the Department of Geography and the Department of Biology and Chemistry in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Nipissing University. The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced an investment of more than $139 million to support 176 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs across Canada.
The federal government will spend $43.5 million over five years to establish a Canada water agency that will co-ordinate the more than 20 federal groups, departments and agencies that currently help to regulate freshwater in the country. It will also put in another $8.7 million in ongoing funding. The funding was announced in the Liberals’ 2022 budget and is just some of the money being put into water resources.
Water competition and conflict was the topic the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs dove into during its online session Thursday. Heading up the discussion was Dr. Dena McMartin, an environmental and agricultural engineer, faculty member and vice-president (research) at the University of Lethbridge, discussing the challenges, constraints and competing interests that are making water management increasingly difficult and important for southern Alberta.
Following the release of a federal report assessing the impact of climate change on Canadian communities, a local climate change specialist says the effects have been felt across Windsor-Essex. "We know that climate change is threatening some of the vital ecosystem services we have here and negatively impacting our Great Lakes and water resources as well," said Claire Sanders, a climate change specialist with Essex Region Conservation Authority.
A Durham man is the first recipient of the Walkerton Clean Water Legacy Award. Connor Maxwell, who will be entering his second year in environmental engineering at the University of Guelph, received a $1,000 scholarship. Maxwell’s “deep interest in water and environmental issues and involvement with them from a young age” impressed the judges, the release said. In his studies he’s “learning design skills to minimize and prevent the impact of human activities on water, soil and air systems.” He’ll be working for the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority in water resources management this summer.
Indigenous people in Manitoba are highlighting the significant role clean water plays in society today — practically and culturally — in honour of World Water Day. The United Nations declared March 22 as World Water Day since 1993. It's a day to focus on the importance of fresh water, and advocating for sustainable development and bringing clean drinking water to more people.
“Through the Canada Water Agency, our government is looking to strengthen collaboration between the federal government, the provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples and other partners to find the best ways to safeguard our freshwater consultations are an important part of this process and I look forward to input from Canadians,” Terry Duguid said in a statement. Mr. Duguid is Parliamentary Secretary to Minister Wilkinson and has been key in the development process. The discussion paper, ‘Toward the Creation of a Canada Water Agency,’ presents key issues and provides an overview of the federal government’s existing activities to enhance freshwater management, and a virtual national freshwater policy forum is planned for January 27 and 28. A series of regional forums will be held in February that will provide additional opportunities to participate in consultations. The discussion paper and additional information can be found at placespeak.ca. Comments can be submitted until March 1.
Opposition Green MLA Lynne Lund has asked the province to commit to an interim moratorium on large holding ponds used for irrigation. Lund raised the issue in the legislature Tuesday, saying she'd become aware of a new water holding pond for agriculture being built in Queens County. She said she's been told the pond will require several wells to fill it, arguing it will have the same effect as a high capacity well.
Help could be on the way to update the North End Sewage Treatment Plant and fight pollution in Lake Winnipeg. The Lake Winnipeg Foundation, an environmental non-governmental organization, said the city is the single largest contributor of phosphorus in the lake, at around five per cent. Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and climate change, told 680 CJOB the federal government is willing to do its part to tackle the problem, but the North End plant only serves as a starting point.
Ontario is proposing to extend a moratorium on water bottling permits for nine months to give the government more time to consider the science behind it. Over the past year, the government reviewed the state of water resources in key areas of the province and the effect that taking water out of the ground has on those resources, a spokesman for Environment Minister Jeff Yurek said.
Damage to Earth’s oceans and glaciers from climate change is outpacing the ability of governments to protect them, a new report from an international scientific panel concludes. “The capacity of governance systems in polar and ocean regions to respond to climate change impacts has strengthened recently,” says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “But this development is not sufficiently rapid or robust to adequately address the scale of increasing projected risks.”
Ontario's government is working to protect what matters most by identifying priorities for action to help protect the water quality and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and other waterways as part of its commitment in the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. Today, Rod Phillips, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Grand Council Chief Glen Hare co-chaired the Great Lakes Guardian Council, which includes leaders from across Ontario including municipalities, First Nations and Métis communities, environmental organizations, and the science community, to discuss challenges and opportunities around the Great Lakes.
