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.
Residents near Boisé and Leo lanes in Ottawa's east end are busy filling sandbags and operating sump pumps for the third time in seven years as the Ottawa River once again floods the area. One of the snowiest winters on record in Ottawa contributed to flooding along that river that started last month. Water levels are surging again during a very rainy week. In Cumberland, located about 30 kilometres east of downtown Ottawa, longtime resident Glen Roberts is no stranger to flooding.
Environmental studies have been taking place at Pringle Creek over the past two decades to determine the extend and risks of chemical contamination to the Whitby, Ont., waterfront. Leanne Lumb-Collett, environmental program manager for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), said the source of contamination has been traced to a building adjacent from Pringle Creek, and started decades ago.
A major infilling project is proposed for Dartmouth Cove and the municipal councillor and area residents aren't happy about it. An area of water spanning more than three football fields would be filled with rock over a period of six years if the proposed project, which requires federal approval, is allowed to proceed. Coun. Sam Austin, the councillor for Dartmouth Centre, says residents are afraid their community will become a dumping ground.
A new art installation is taking aim at Canadians’ reliance on single-use plastics that end up in the world’s water systems. Canadian artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong created the three-storey tall tap. The installation is out front of Ripley’s Aquarium and will spew plastic all over the building’s entrance from May 10 to June 9. This isn’t the tap’s first public appearance. It was on display at the UN’s Nairobi headquarters and was initially commissioned by the Canadian Embassy in Paris.
Private home project approved for waterfront The setback changes a private developer wants to build a home on the waterfront next to the Leland Hotel was approved by council at its February 28 meeting. Jeff and Halee Fried want to build a one-storey, mid-century-style wood- and glass-fronted private home facing the lake on the downtown property, located on 4th Avenue across from the historic hotel. They asked to be allowed to reduce the setback along a side alley to 1.5 metres for a garage, and to reduce the setback for the side of the house facing the Leland to five metres from six.
Despite a wetter-than-average December, water levels on Lake Superior are nearly 30 centimetres lower than a year ago, according to an organization that monitors lake levels. The International Lake Superior Board of Control said Lake Superior water levels in January are 28 centimetres below levels recorded a year ago, and seven centimetres lower than the long-term average between 1918 and 2020.
