Latest news with #waterprotection
CTV News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
On National Indigenous Peoples Day, Tsuut'ina Minor Chief expands on comments to U.S. President Donald Trump at G7
Saturday, Tsuut'ina Minor Chief Steven Crowchild expanded upon his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump that took place last Sunday on the tarmac at Calgary International Airport. Crowchild welcomed the American president to Treaty 7 territory wearing a feathered headdress while Trump wore a white baseball cap with 'Make America Great Again' on it. Saturday at a media event on the Tsuut'ina Nation, Crowchild emphasized the inter-connectedness between water and peace. 'Where water is polluted or privatized, conflict brews,' he said. 'Where peace is broken, water systems collapse. 'If we truly want peace, we must protect water,' he said. 'If we truly want security, we must act on climate change and environmental justice now. Steven Crowchild U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Calgary International Airport, greeting Indigenous leader Steven Crowchild, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Calgary, Canada, ahead of the G7 Summit. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Crowchild also called on all world governments including Canada and the United States 'to put the protection, dignity, respect and love for all our children and future generations at the centre of decision making -- and recognize access to clean water as a universal human right. 'And protect it in all national and international policies,' he added. 'Uphold Indigenous sovereignty and support Indigenous-led water protection and climate solutions. Fund global efforts to restore rivers, wetlands, and natural water systems as part climate adaptation and peace building. 'And ban the use of water as a weapon in conflict zones,' he said, 'and hold violators accountable under international law -- and above all, prioritize diplomacy and peaceful resolution over military escalation and arms spending.' As for his Sunday night meet-and-greet on the tarmac with the American president, Crowchild said it was brief. 'It was a simple conversation,' he said about the encounter, which received global attention when Crowchild described himself as 'filled with rage' while speaking with Trump. Steven Crowchild Tsuut'ina Minor Chief Steven Crowchild wearing the medal he showed President Trump at the G7 welcoming last Sunday night at Calgary International Airport (Tyler Barrow, CTV Calgary) 'After sitting with my quote unquote rage and praying, I was reminded that my rage came from a place of grief and love – love for my people, all humanity, and love for this beautiful planet that we share," he said. 'And grief for those in the world suffering from the actions, words and inactions of a certain individual,' he said, 'and many others who have the ability to bring peace to the world. 'Our conversation was short,' he said, continuing, 'I introduced myself in my language and said 'this is native land'. '(Then) I introduced myself in English and my nation,' he said. 'I showed him this treaty medal here and told him that it's older than Canada itself. Canada Trump G7 Summit Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with President Donald Trump after a group photo at the G7 Summit, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) 'I said welcome to treaty, native land – and I wish you safe travels home. 'I told him that I speak for my babies, elders and future generations and to be a good leader and protect water for future generations.' 'All he said in response was something along the lines of 'Yeah. Yeah. We can do that.'' 'So hopefully they can do that,' he said. 'Because our collective survival depends on it.' With files from CTV's Tyler Barrow
CTV News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
On National Indigenous Peoples Day, Tsuut'ina Minor Chief Steven Crowchild expands on conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump at G7
Saturday, Tsuut'ina Minor Chief Steven Crowchild expanded upon his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump that took place last Sunday on the tarmac at Calgary International Airport. Crowchild welcomed the American president to Treaty 7 territory wearing a feathered headdress while Trump wore a white baseball cap with 'Make America Great Again' on it. In a preamble to his explanation of his conversation with Trump, Crowchild emphasized the inter-connectedness between water and peace. 'Where water is polluted or privatized, conflict brews,' he said. 'Where peace is broken, water systems collapse. 'If we truly want peace, we must protect water,' he said. 'If we truly want security, we must act on climate change and environmental justice now. Steven Crowchild U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Calgary International Airport, greeting Indigenous leader Steven Crowchild, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Calgary, Canada, ahead of the G7 Summit. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Crowchild said he was calling on all world governments including Canada and the United States 'to put the protection, dignity, respect and love for all our children and future generations at the centre of decision-making -- and recognize access to clean water as a universal human right. 'And protect it in all national and international policies,' he added. 'Uphold Indigenous sovereignty and support Indigenous-led water protection and climate solutions. Fund global efforts to restore rivers, wetlands, and natural water systems as part climate adaptation and peace building. 'And ban the use of water as a weapon in conflict zones,' he said, 'and hold violators accountable under international law -- and above all, prioritize diplomacy and peaceful resolution over military escalation and arms spending.' As for his Sunday night meet-and-greet on the tarmac with the American president, Crowchild said it was brief. "It was a simple conversation," he said about the encounter, which received global attention when Crowchild described himself as 'filled with rage' while speaking with Trump. Steven Crowchild Tsuut'ina Minor Chief Steven Crowchild wearing the medal he showed President Trump at the G7 welcoming last Sunday night at Calgary International Airport (Tyler Barrow, CTV Calgary) 'After sitting with my quote unquote rage and praying, I was reminded that my rage came from a place of grief and love – love for my people, all humanity, and love for this beautiful planet that we share," he said. 'And grief for those in the world suffering from the actions, words and inactions of a certain individual,' he said, 'and many others who have the ability to bring peace to the world. 'Our conversation was short,' he said, continuing. 'I introduced myself in my language and said 'this is native land'. '(Then) I introduced myself in English and my nation,' he said. 'I showed him this treaty medal here and told him that it's older than Canada itself. Canada Trump G7 Summit Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with President Donald Trump after a group photo at the G7 Summit, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) 'I said welcome to treaty, native land – and I wish you safe travels home. 'I told him that I speak for my babies, elders and future generations and to be a good leader and protect water for future generations.' 'All he said in response was something along the lines of 'Yeah. Yeah. We can do that.'' 'And then, that was the end of our interaction,' said Crowchild, who met the press on National Indigenous Peoples Day. 'So hopefully they can do that,' he said. 'Because our collective survival depends on it.' With files from CTV's Tyler Barrow
CBC
14-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Fighting fire with forest: Saint John plants trees to safeguard drinking water supply
As wildfire risk grows with hotter, drier summers, Saint John is turning to trees to provide frontline protection for its drinking water — by cutting down trees in high-risk areas and planting more resilient native species. The goal is to prevent the spread of wildfires in the Loch Lomond watershed, said Dean Price, manager of source water protection for the City of Saint John. "It's more than just the water, we want to have a healthy forest that surrounds those lakes," Price said. The watershed supplies clean water for most Saint John residents and businesses. Some areas around the Loch Lomond water supply are at a higher risk of wildfires during the often dry and scorching summer months. As a proactive measure, the city has been planting more trees in high-risk areas to protect the water supply from possible contamination. After a wildfire, the debris from burned trees and erosion caused by the damage contaminates the water and makes it harder to treat. "We're doing restorative forestry," Price said. "So we're actually cutting down trees in high-risk areas, and then we're going to be replanting with a better mix of trees." The trees they are cutting away are dry and more susceptible to fire. Price said that the goal is to replace the old trees, primarily balsam firs, with a variety of other species, such as oak, red spruce and maple. "Ideally, you want to have a forest that's a mixture of hardwoods and softwoods. It's more resilient, better for biodiversity and also for the overall health of the forest." Price said his department has been working with ACAP Saint John to plant the new trees in the Loch Lomond area. Roxanne MacKinnon, ACAP's executive director, said the species of trees being planted are all native to the area, which means their survival rates will be better. "We've been doing water-quality monitoring," MacKinnon said, "to also get a sense of what the water quality is looking like in-flowing into the lake." The City of Saint John looks after the water-quality tests in the Loch Lomond lakes, but ACAP uses them to monitor the tributaries to the water supply. MacKinnon said this process ensures there's nothing "coming off the land" that could impact water quality. Forest health refers to the diversity of species occupying certain areas of the forest. Keeping a forest healthy also requires future planning to maintain and preserve the vegetation, MacKinnon said. She said ACAP will be tracking which trees do well in a changing climate to preserve the lifespan of the forest and protect the watershed.
Irish Times
07-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Ireland's plan to weaken legal protections for waterways will push many of them beyond recovery
If I went to my doctor with a cancerous tumour that was treatable and curable, and he shrugged it off and told me to accept it – knowing that without treatment, it would eventually kill me – I'd think he had lost his mind. Yet this is how the Irish State plans to treat some of our most treasured rivers, lakes and estuaries. According to a proposal from the Department of Housing , certain iconic stretches of waters on the likes of the Shannon, Boyne and Blackwater rivers will no longer be viewed as needing restoration. Instead, they will face a future as engineered channels. In the 1980s and '90s, Europeans began to recognise that their rivers were in severe decline due to decades of neglect. Naturally meandering waterways were straightened, drained and dammed; chemicals, pesticides and untreated sewage poured into them unchecked. The problem was cross-border: the Danube, which flows through 10 countries, became saturated with pollution. In 1986, a fire at a chemical warehouse near Basle, Switzerland, caused the Rhine river to turn red with mercury and dyes, as vast amounts of toxic waste flowed hundreds of kilometres downstream into Germany and the Netherlands. Drinking water supplies were shut off, and aquatic life, such as European eels, was decimated. What was clear was that Europe needed a unified, legally binding approach to water protection that set out common rules, clear responsibilities and shared goals. By 2000, a plan was in place that aimed to safeguard waterways not only for aquatic life but also as a source of drinking water, transport and leisure for humans. This law, known as the Water Framework Directive, has a clear objective: to ensure all waterbodies reach at least 'good status', meaning they are clean, healthy and safe for swimming and drinking. Built into the plan is a legal recognition that some waterbodies, especially in highly industrialised countries such as Germany, have been altered so extensively that returning them to their natural state would be impossible or potentially harmful to human interests and security. These are placed in a special category, called 'heavily modified water bodies', and are legally exempt from the requirement to achieve 'good' status. They include reservoirs supplying drinking water, canals designed for navigation or drainage, urban rivers confined within concrete channels or culverts, ports, harbours and rivers drained for agricultural use. READ MORE While they cannot be used as dumping grounds for pollutants, the law accepts that these waters will never be restored or naturalised. For that reason, the principle guiding 'heavily modified' designation should be balanced and factor in whether it serves the widest possible interest: their number should be kept to a minimum, and where ongoing engineering and management is necessary – for example, in a reservoir or port – they must deliver significant benefit to the public. Ireland has 33 heavily modified water bodies, including Poulaphouca reservoir, which provides drinking water to Dublin; Cork Harbour for industrial activity; and New Ross Port in Wexford, run by the council as a transport route. But under the department's proposal, released in March, this number will increase by 1,312 per cent. It includes 122 waterbodies that run through some of Ireland's unique natural areas. It includes stretches of the Nore, Brosna, Maigue, Liffey, Fergus, Mulkear and Carrowbeg rivers; lakes such as Lough Corrib and Lough Derg; and estuaries like Lower Suir. [ Pollution on the Liffey: Algal blooms at Blessington a threat to Dublin's drinking water Opens in new window ] Why does the State want to all but give up on these waters? The problem stems from a law dating back to 1945, the Arterial Drainage Act, which gives the State sweeping powers to carry out large-scale drainage works, such as deepening, widening, dredging and straightening. Eighty years ago – when we knew nothing about climate warming – the law was viewed as progressive; today it clashes with the Water Framework Directive because this extent of drainage causes severe damage, irreversibly stripping rivers of their natural life and course. Ireland cannot abide by one law with the other. As long as these waters are drained, they will never meet the standards set by EU water law. Reservoirs, ports, canals and harbours must be operational, and as such, designating them as 'heavily modified' is in the public interest, as their functional demands cannot be fulfilled while simultaneously attempting restoration. But in the future, who'll benefit from the continual dredging of the Clare river in Galway, once one of our most natural rivers and now, in many parts, a canalised channel? Or the river Brosna, whose waters followed a meandering course through Offaly before its curves were straightened and its channel deepened? And how is it justified in the public interest, given that drainage makes our towns and cities more – not less – vulnerable to flash flooding? Instead of reshaping drainage policy so that it's fit for the critical challenges we face – not least, the chaotic mix of water shortages and drought, extreme weather events and rapidly warming waters – what's proposed is simply remove these waters from any hope of being restored to full health. Never before have our waterways needed climate and nature-proofed policies more. Our waters are warming at levels never seen before – for example, in Lough Feeagh in Mayo, the heat in the water has been above the long-term average (recorded since 1960) since January. Sea temperatures have soared. This is the future for which we need to rapidly prepare. Under the Nature Restoration Law, we're required to restore at least 20 per cent of our land and sea areas by 2030, increasing to 90 per cent by 2050. That includes rewetting organic soils, like those at the headwaters of the river Boyne, which are currently drained. Instead of giving up on our waters and relegating them to a lower standard – all for the sake of an outdated, 80-year-old law – now is the time to put energy into nature-based solutions, which are proven to be effective and cheap as a way to reduce flood risk, improve soil health and meet climate, nature and water goals without abandoning the land. We can't ignore the facts: our waterways are facing immense pressure, and some are already critically ill. Even if our only concern was water security, the urgent need for restoration is clear. This proposal to weaken their legal protections will only speed up their deterioration. Across Ireland, communities are volunteering to revive the life in their local waters. If this legal loophole is allowed, their efforts will be in vain. In effect, the State would be like a doctor unfit to practice – turning its back on the patient instead of providing care. As a result, many of our most treasured rivers and lakes will, without question, slip beyond recovery.
CBC
03-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Pictou County council votes to ask province to pause uranium plans
The issue of uranium exploration landed in the laps of the Municipality of Pictou County council on Monday night. Members were faced with two motions suggested by a member of the public related to the province's recent push for uranium exploration. One motion called for council to request that the provincial government pause before granting any leases for uranium exploration, in order to give council and residents time to learn more about the potential impacts. The other was for council to begin a process to protect the River John watershed and to ask the province not to permit any activities that would not be allowed in a protected water area. Both motions passed, the first by a vote of 11-1 and the second by a 7-5 vote. River John resident Barbara Harris brought the motions to council. "Watersheds are not being protected adequately," she told councillors. "What does this mean for rural communities all across the province if we don't protect our water? "And how does that impact all sorts of things — how does it impact agriculture, fishing, commercial fisheries, property values, all sorts of things? There's a lot we need to learn, and the next few weeks is not enough." In a letter Harris wrote to council, she outlines concerns that uranium exploration can release radioactive matter that can harm the environment, including drinking water and living organisms. Push for development The Nova Scotia government has been prioritizing the development of natural resources in recent months, overturning a long-standing ban on uranium exploration and mining, lifting a moratorium on fracking and adding to its critical minerals list. Last month, the province issued a request for proposals from companies interested in exploring for uranium in three designated areas of Nova Scotia — Louisville in Pictou County, East Dalhousie in Annapolis County and the Vaughan area in Hants County. Many municipal politicians and property owners were surprised to learn that their areas were chosen. A letter from the Natural Resources Department to the warden of the Municipality of Pictou County dated May 27 characterizes the potential for exploration in Louisville as "likely to take place." 'It doesn't hurt to ask' At the meeting on Monday night, Pictou County councillors voted on the motions as an emergency resolution, since the council's following meeting isn't scheduled to take place until July 7, which is the date the province expects to announce successful exploration bids. "There's not the time to fool around with this. This has got to be stopped," said Coun. Chester Dewar. In an interview with CBC News on Tuesday, Coun. Ronald Baillie, who represents the Louisville area, said although he supported both motions, he's not confident they will actually slow the province down in its push for exploration. "I think they have made a decision that they're going to move ahead with it regardless of what. But anyway, it doesn't hurt to ask," Baillie said. Coun. Andy Thompson voted against both motions, noting that he didn't feel he had enough information. "I think we need to hear both sides of the story. I don't think one side of the story is how you make decisions, so I can't support this motion," Thompson said. Watershed protection is not without precedence in Nova Scotia. In 2022, the province approved a request from the Municipality of the County of Colchester to designate the French River watershed as a protected water area after the community and council raised concerns about mining exploration. The designation means the municipality can ban activities that could affect water quality, such as new garbage dumps or mines. Next steps Harris said in an interview with CBC on Tuesday that she is pleased with council's support. "The ban that we've had for 44 years was arrived at through a very broad and painstaking public consultation and evaluation of the risks, and the ban was repealed without either of those things," she said. "To me, a pause is the only responsible next step for the government to take, and having the backing of our council for that is really helpful." Community members have planned a public meeting on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the fire hall in River John. The province has set a June 11 deadline for companies to submit exploration proposals. The government will evaluate the bids, and if there is a successful applicant, that will be announced on July 7. Exploration licences could be issued as soon as July 11.
