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.
With global water demand set to outstrip supply by 40 per cent by 2030, achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 (“ensure access to water and sanitation for all”) requires a call for urgent action to resolve the chronic supply-demand imbalance for freshwater resources, particularly as climate change, robust population growth and rising geopolitical tensions work against us in the fight for global water security.
