Efforts to restore Sudbury's Junction Creek continue
Junction creek is 52 km long and runs through the heart of downtown Sudbury.
On Sunday a small group of volunteers had the dirty job of cleaning litter from the waterway.
From shopping carts, to needles, and a lot of plastic, it's all part of an effort to restore the creek that has been badly damaged by pollution and often used as a dumping ground.
Dressed in hip waders, Miranda Virtanen was in the middle of the creek pulling out garage.
"I have got a net full of stuff that I have collected here as you can see the Styrofoam is the most. Plastic bags, some water bottles as well, little tiny pieces of plastic fragments. Some lighters, yah you name it. it's in here there are some shoes that we found, pop cans," said Miranda Virtanen, the executive director of the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee.
Several needles were also found floating in the water.
"In different areas of the creek it's more of a hazard than others and because they float when there is the log jams, they tend to accumulate in those areas," said Virtanen.
This summer the Committee is running a free youth program called Empowering Youth for Junction Creek for teens ages 13-18.
"We have a guided hike with a wildlife naturalist who is going to teach us a little bit about the history of the creek and some of the ecology," said Lindsay Potts a Wildlife Naturalist with the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee.
"We have in stream water sampling with a water technician. Youth are going to get to participate in cross cultural teachings and learnings."
The motto of the committee is ‘creating hope through environmental restoration.
"Part of the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee's efforts is restoring the creek so that it is a healthy ecosystem and we bring back that biodiversity because Greater Sudbury in it's entirety has suffered a lot of damage through historic logging and mining," said Virtanen.
Volunteers out Sunday said it feels good to do something green.
"Sometimes environmental issues can feel very overwhelming but the best place to start is really in your own backyard and so one piece of trash at a time," said Potts.
In the past 20 years, the committee said over 84,000 kilograms of garbage has been cleaned out of the waterway and it's hopeful one day trash booms will be installed in sections of the creek.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.