Sudbury

Sudbury benefactors give $20K to tackle Indigenous water challenges

Sudbury benefactors give $20K to tackle Indigenous water challenges

A non-profit organization called Water First that helps to address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through training has received a $20,000 boost from Sudbury benefactors. Rotary International District 7010, which includes the Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers, has been working with Water First to facilitate donations. At the same time, the Doyle Dodge car dealership here in Sudbury has been running a charitable project, the Doyle 100 Community Campaign, as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.

Sudbury's urban Junction Creek to see first ever Water Walk ceremony

Sudbury's urban Junction Creek to see first ever Water Walk ceremony

The first ever water walk of Junction Creek in Greater Sudbury, is being planned for later this month. The urban waterway is well known for the litter and debris that collects in it regularly. But lead conductor, Tasha Beeds, says that's why they're doing it. The Indigenous ceremony of water walking calls attention to the life-giving nature water provides.

At the Water’s Edge: Water Walk for Junction Creek

At the Water’s Edge: Water Walk for Junction Creek

Starting May 5th to 9th, Plains Cree Mide-Kwe Water Walker Tasha Beeds will conduct a Ceremonial Water Walk for Nibi Nikwejiwong (Junction Creek), in Sudbury Ontario. This will be done following all COVID guidelines. Tasha Beeds was mentored under Josephine-Ba Mandamin, a highly respected Anishinaabe Grandmother and Late Water Walker who walked around the Great Lakes to bring awareness to the problems of water pollution and environmental degradation.

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

Activists in northeastern Ontario fighting for safe, clean water in First Nations communities across Canada are getting tired of broken promises. After five years and millions in spending, the Liberal government announced in early December that it would not fulfill its commitment to end all long-term water advisories on reserves by March 2021. Although some progress has been made – 97 advisories have been lifted since November 2015 – there’s still a long way to go. There are 59 active long-term water advisories in 41 communities across the country, and activists maintain that clean water should be a priority for the federal government, especially during a global pandemic. “Water is a basic human right, and nobody should have to beg for it. This is wrong, and it’s come to the point where I think it comes down to racism,” said Autumn Peltier, a teenage water-rights activist from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island.