Sponsored content: Tips for fighting environmental decline
Carson Arthur with our partners at Craftsman Tools shares how to fight environmental decline in your own backyard.
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CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Province provides $95K to improve water quality in Oak Lake
A blue-green algae bloom is pictured floating on water in an undated image. (File photo) The Manitoba government is providing a $95,000 grant to help improve the water quality in Oak Lake, located approximately 260 kilometres west of Winnipeg. The funds will assist the Souris River Watershed District in installing an aeration system to improve the water's oxygen levels, which will help reduce algae blooms and support fish populations. According to a media release, the province said the lake currently struggles with algae blooms in the summer months. 'Supporting watershed districts is an important part of protecting our environment and improving the quality of life for rural Manitobans,' said Premier Wab Kinew in a media release. 'Whether it's improving the water quality for swimming or improving the habitat conditions for fish, projects such as this one focus on the long-term sustainability of our lakes and rivers that protect both wildlife and humans.' The province said water aeration is a common water management practice that involves increasing oxygen levels to address issues such as low winter oxygen levels—which can disrupt the food chain—or excessive summer algal growth. The Manitoba government previously announced on Tuesday a $19.7 million investment to rehabilitate Oak Lake Dam, including reconstruction of the dam spillway and the stabilization and protection of its embankments.
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
Peche Island's largest waterway dries up
Kayakers upset with changes on Peche Island and want the city to do something about it. CTV Windsor's Bob Bellacicco explains. Peche Island is a popular escape from the city, but some visitors are not happy with what they are seeing. The water no longer flows beneath a legacy bridge creating a pseudo beach at the edge of the island along the Detroit River near the mouth of Lake St. Clair. 'It hurts me a lot to see that it's being damaged a lot,' said Howard Weeks, who started a Facebook group a few days ago and has a couple of hundred followers. Many would like to see the water flowing once again because that part of the island is suffocating from a lack thereof. 'There's no water flow and basically, the island is being choked,' Weeks said. He and many others enjoy kayaking to the island. He has heard comments, such as people saying kayakers are being selfish because creating a new flow could benefit their experience at the island like before. 'I don't know if you'd call it selfish to be concerned about the wildlife and the environment, and damage to the environment, as you can see it, with your own eyes,' Weeks noted. He points out there are waterways elsewhere on the island, so while it would be nice to continue to kayak through the area at the south end, he's more interested in the bigger cause. 'I don't know about you, but I like little animals, I like fish, I like birds and swans and all kinds of things.' The city completed work on and around the bridge in 2021, which many feel led to the water cut off. 'In water there's always added layers, like I said, to different agencies, both regional and provincial and federal that are involved so we made sure everything was done properly,' said James Chacko, executive director of Parks. ERCA CAO Tim Byrne says lake levels have played a factor and explains natural lake processes have pushed material like small polished round cobble into canals and other areas. 'It's a little canal into the island and there's no upstream drainage area to have water force its way through or push its way through to erode out this material that's been pushed in naturally by the lake,' Byrne said. 'It's not actually a river. The water that's pushed in there by the lake, the only reason it flows back out is when wind events on the lake are favorable to allow flow to occur.' Byrne says nothing can be done now because federal authorities would never allow a major disruption during fish habitat season. 'Fish habitat is not just fish,' Byrne explains. 'It's amphibians, frogs, it's the benthic environment. It's the whole picture. It's mussels. It's all of those things. And so then you have to do those assessments before you do this type of work.' He says he'll be reaching out to senior levels of government to assess the current situation and then contact city administration to determine next steps.
CTV News
8 hours ago
- CTV News
Debate rages over COVID-19 era reservation system at Kits pool in Vancouver
On a hot day, it's hard to beat the Kitsilano outdoor pool as a way to cool down. But how you get into the water is becoming a major talking point – with broadcaster Jody Vance leading a push online to end the online booking system, a system that was initially brought in during the COVID-19 pandemic as a safety measure. While you can still technically go into the water on a drop-in basis, only 20 per cent of pool spots are left for those wanting to go for a dip on a whim. 'To not be able to access it spontaneously, I think, is a travesty for families – and there are people who are going to miss out on the experiences I was lucky enough to have,' Vance told CTV News at the pool on Friday. Vance has been one of the most vocal critics of the park board's online system, posting about it regularly to her online followers. Another high-profile critic is former Vancouver city councillor George Affleck, who has similarly been advocating for a return to the old system in regular social media posts. Beyond the booking system itself, another criticism has been the changeover period – in which the pool sits empty for half an hour multiple times a day – sometimes at prime-time slots like from 11:30 a.m. to noon. 'That's two full hours a day that people could be using this community amenity,' Vance said of the 30-minute windows between swimming slots. But the park board insists many swimmers appreciate the certainty of specific time slots, especially on a hot day. 'People standing in line in the heat for a long amount of time,' Park Board Chair Laura Christensen told CTV News when asked about some of the drawbacks of the old system. 'That can result in people becoming ill, people getting heat stress from standing in the heat. People paying for parking to go to a pool they may not be able to get into.' Christensen said that while it's true the reservation system was brought in during the pandemic, staff had started to explore the idea before COVID-19. She also defended the changeover system – explaining that while the pool is empty as people change – many of those people are still in the change rooms before the new group comes in. 'If you think about when you finish swimming, you need to shower, you need to get dressed. If you've got kids with you, that can take time to get everybody ready and dressed,' said Christensen. 'We have that time period to let everybody get out of the pool.' Swimmers CTV News spoke with on Friday at the pool had a range of opinions. Some shared Vance's view that a day at the pool should be spontaneous, while others liked the fact that if they planned ahead, they could show up knowing they would get in for sure at their time slot. Ultimately, the debate will continue, and the park board says it is listening – pointing to its moves to lengthen early morning swims and public swims after hearing feedback from the public.
