Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

The governments of Canada and Quebec invest in stormwater upgrades in Laval

The governments of Canada and Quebec invest in stormwater upgrades in Laval

Today, Annie Koutrakis, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for Vimy, and Christopher Skeete, Minister for the Economy, Minister responsible for the Fight against Racism, Minister responsible for the Laval region and Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Sainte-Rose, on behalf of Andrée Laforest, Minister of Municipal Affairs, announced a joint investment of more than $24 million to support a new stormwater network in Laval. This project aims to control recurring sewer backups in the vicinity of Monty and Cyrano streets. In particular, the funding will be used to separate the sewer networks by adding new storm pipes and to put in place new measures for the treatment of the quality of rainwater.

Bathurst hospital faced 3 days without air conditioning after legionella bacteria detected

Bathurst hospital faced 3 days without air conditioning after legionella bacteria detected

It confirmed this week that legionella had been detected in three cooling towers at the building, and the air-conditioning system was shut down Wednesday. Tests came back negative after the system was shock-cleaned with chlorine, said a followup note to staff Friday, also obtained by Radio-Canada. The temperatures on the three days when the air conditioning was off ranged from about 27 C to 32 C in Bathurst, according to Environment Canada. Drinking water at the hospital also tested negative, according to the second message to hospital staff.

B.C. residents told to be ‘very careful’ conserving water during wildfire season drought

B.C. residents told to be ‘very careful’ conserving water during wildfire season drought

British Columbia’s wildfire season is flaring up, with more than 300 active fires burning throughout the province. As Neetu Garcha explains, on top of evacuations and alerts, severe drought has the government asking residents to cut back on their water usage.

The Anthropocene: Canadian lake mud 'symbolic of human changes to Earth'

The Anthropocene: Canadian lake mud 'symbolic of human changes to Earth'

Scientists are trying to define a new geological time period to recognise the changes we've made to the planet, and Crawford is their model example. Its sediments have captured fallout from intense fossil fuel burning, and even the plutonium from bomb tests. The muds would be symbolic of the onset of a proposed Anthropocene Epoch.

9 Blue Flag Beaches In Canada Where You Can Take A Dip In Crystal Clear, Clean Water

9 Blue Flag Beaches In Canada Where You Can Take A Dip In Crystal Clear, Clean Water

Several beaches in Canada have been designated as Blue Flag beaches for 2023, meaning their water quality and health and safety standards meet strict criteria. According to Swim Drink Fish, which works closely with Blue Flag International, Blue Flag beaches meet 33 criteria across four categories: environmental education and information; water quality; environmental management; and safety and services. But it's not just cleanliness and safety that the status looks for — it also ensures that the beaches "provide the facilities and services that tourists are looking for around the world."

Upcoming Festival du Loup over the moon to be low-waste event

Upcoming Festival du Loup over the moon to be low-waste event

Tiny was also the first Blue Community in Ontario and third in Canada, as a municipality that recognizes water as a human right, bans the sale of bottled water in civic spaces, and supports the public ownership of water utilities. “In order to support this commitment and thanks to capital funding received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation 15 accessible and touchless water fill stations will be installed in the fall 2023 at 12 municipal parks (five beach parks and seven inland parks), including Lafontaine Park," Desroches told MidlandToday through email. However, without those water refill stations installed prior to the festival, Petitpas shared that La Meute worked to find a solution. “Getting water refill stations was a bit of a conundrum since no local company rents mobile water fill stations,” said Petitpas. “We got creative and will have big five-gallon water jugs with pumps (filled with municipal water).” Reusable water bottles with festival logos will also be sold at the all-day event.

Declaration by Olivia Chow to the Office of the Mayor of Toronto

Declaration by Olivia Chow to the Office of the Mayor of Toronto

Elder Garry and Grandmother Tina Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation will explain the significance of water that was shared at the morning’s Indigenous Welcoming Ceremony, contained in the silver teapot displayed in the Chamber. The teapot is symbolic of the City’s commitment to its Reconciliation Action Plan.

'Heartless': Edmonton's removal of two public water fountains during heat wave harmful, says advocate

'Heartless': Edmonton's removal of two public water fountains during heat wave harmful, says advocate

Two recently-installed public water stations Downtown have been quietly and suddenly disconnected, a move one advocate called a “heartless” decision by the city amid temperatures so hot it prompted a heat warning in Edmonton this past weekend. The City of Edmonton in May announced plans to install up to 20 temporary bottle-filling stations attached to fire hydrants this summer so the public can have access to safe drinking water and avoid dehydration. There were 17 locations with six in or around Downtown as of mid-June. Postmedia visited the six stations previously announced in the city’s core and found two disconnected by Monday — the station next to Bissell Centre West at 96 Street and 105A Avenue, and outside Stanley A. Milner Library at 100 Street and 102 Avenue. Four other stations in the core were still working.

Evacuations continue as Eabametoong First Nation remains without running water

Evacuations continue as Eabametoong First Nation remains without running water

Eabametoong First Nation remains in a state of emergency as the northwestern Ontario community marks more than a week without access to running water. The remote Ojibway First Nation of about 1,600 people is approximately 360 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont. It has been in a state of emergency since a fire broke out at the Eabametoong First Nation Water Treatment Plant last Wednesday.

Water in heart-shaped pool at Toronto's Love Park turns green

Water in heart-shaped pool at Toronto's Love Park turns green

They say true love conquers all — except maybe a mechanical issue in a heart-shaped pond. On Monday, visitors to Toronto's Love Park experienced that first hand, when the pond's water turned bright green. The strange sight at the park, which opened late last month, is happening because of a mechanical malfunction, a city spokesperson said in an email. "City staff are working alongside both Waterfront Toronto and the contractor to address the issue and ensure the pond returns to working order as soon as possible," Bradlee Bomberry said.

Powering Ontario’s Growth

Powering Ontario’s Growth

In April 2022, the Minister of Energy announced that Ontario is advancing work to develop the Niagara Hydrogen Centre, led by Atura Power. This project would increase the amount of low-carbon hydrogen produced in Ontario by eight times by using excess water at Niagara Falls that would otherwise be sent over the falls to generate clean electricity for low-carbon hydrogen production. This low-carbon hydrogen could then be sold to fuel transportation or industry or injected into a natural gas generating station to lower its carbon intensity.

Engineer in Kitchener, Ont., hopes to unclog toilets by changing Canada's plumbing code

Engineer in Kitchener, Ont., hopes to unclog toilets by changing Canada's plumbing code

"It's a huge problem," Robinson, founder of Norton Engineering, said in an interview on CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition. "We get blockages in sewers, we get fatbergs, pump stations shut down and all that material ends up at the sewage treatment plant." Robinson, who used to work for the City of Kitchener, said people have been known to flush things down the toilet because of a lack of immediate access to a trash can.

Saving nature: WWF study highlights the best places for ecological restoration in Canada

Saving nature: WWF study highlights the best places for ecological restoration in Canada

Snider says that means that restoring those areas have direct benefits for people, such as protecting water supplies, providing clean air and preventing floods. "It's not only those people that live directly adjacent to those areas that benefit from having those natural areas, but more broadly the people that live, you know, throughout the region," Snider said.

Spinach and sheep are showing us that solar farms aren't solely for green energy

Spinach and sheep are showing us that solar farms aren't solely for green energy

Research was conducted in a growth chamber that compared the growth of spinach in three conditions: under a thin solar panel, under a thick solar panel, and uncovered. Spinach plants under solar panels consumed up to 17 per cent less water — and though their growth was slower, the plant's overall health wasn't affected. And while they grew, the plants kept the area underneath the panels cool, which improved the solar panels' efficiency.

3 swimming spots in Saint John, Quispamsis reopen following elevated E. coli levels

3 swimming spots in Saint John, Quispamsis reopen following elevated E. coli levels

Three popular swimming spots in the greater Saint John area have reopened after being shut down last week because of elevated E. coli levels. Lily Lake and Tucker Park in Saint John and Gondola Point Beach in Quispamsis, N.B., all reopened for swimming Monday after subsequent testing indicated "water quality has returned to normal levels," said Department of Health spokesperson Sean Hatchard. CBC News asked what the elevated readings were and how they compare to set guidelines, but Hatchard did not respond.

Emergency exit from Upper Tantallon through N.S. Power land isn't possible, councillor says

Emergency exit from Upper Tantallon through N.S. Power land isn't possible, councillor says

Her protection plan made a number of recommendations, including creating a gated emergency road to Wright Lake Run, installing dry fire hydrants since there are none, and creating a community buffer of thinned trees around the subdivision. Dry hydrants are connected to a water supply such as a lake where there is no municipal system available.

UW researchers say a simple biofilter can clean up water in wildfire areas well enough to drink

UW researchers say a simple biofilter can clean up water in wildfire areas well enough to drink

Smoke is a major health concern during a wildfire - but the fires can also have an impact on drinking water. Now, University of Waterloo researchers have helped discover a way to clean up drinking water quickly and inexpensively - which could be a game-changer in remote communities that find themselves without drinkable water.

Dropping mosquito-repellant into London storm drains is keeping the pest population down

Dropping mosquito-repellant into London storm drains is keeping the pest population down

He said they do this across the city and surrounding counties three times a year starting in mid-June, and will target nearly 37,000 storm drains each time. "The larvicide looks almost like hamster food. They only use .7 grams of it and it's strictly put in contained catch basins," he said, adding it doesn't pose a risk to public heath.

Blue-green algae bloom found near Souris: CPHO advisory

Blue-green algae bloom found near Souris: CPHO advisory

P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Office issued a public advisory Monday afternoon warning about the presence of blue-green algae in Black Pond, near Souris. Also known as cyanobacteria, blue-green algae are clusters of microscopic organisms that can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals.

The North is key to Canada’s critical mineral rush. Will its environment be protected this time?

The North is key to Canada’s critical mineral rush. Will its environment be protected this time?

In the wilderness north of Great Slave Lake, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, mining companies are eyeing a potential treasure trove of critical minerals as demand for lithium, nickel, graphite and copper has risen sharply to meet the needs of the burgeoning electric vehicle and solar power industries.

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