Mercury Poisoning in Grassy Narrows

The industrial poisoning of the Grassy Narrows and nearby Wabaseemoong First Nations communities in northern Ontario is a horrible saga that began over a century ago with the opening of the Dryden pulp and paper mill in 1913. Each chapter of the story reveals a provincial and federal government complicit in industrial pollution and neglectful of its consequences, thus amounting to a clear-cut case of environmental racism.

A 1969 provincial report confirmed that pollution from the mill was common knowledge and “a continuous source of concern for area residents, government agencies and conservationists”¹. This pollution climaxed in 1970 with the public revelation that Dryden Chemicals Limited, a nearby chlor-alkali plant, had dumped ten tonnes of mercury into the Wabigoon River between 1962 and 1970, just upstream of the Indigenous community¹.

Although the plant was ordered to halt its mercury dumping, for generations since, the mercury has persisted in the river and in its fish, causing an array of severe health problems and birth defects². Shamefully, governments have known about the problem since the beginning, but have yet to initiate any river remediation efforts, instead paying out meagre benefits to individuals adversely affected². Meanwhile, the Dryden mill, still in operation today under different ownership, continues to pollute the Wabigoon in such a way as to enhance the toxicity of the existing mercury, as reported in a study published in May 2024³. On the heels of this revelation, Grassy Narrows has launched a lawsuit against the Canadian and Ontario governments⁴. The First Nation claims that by allowing the river to be polluted and neglecting to remediate it, the two governments are violating their treaty obligations. Those obligations include protecting the First Nation’s right to safely fish which provides a dietary staple and a means of earning a livelihood. The litigation seeks to compensate the First Nation for the collective harm they have experienced⁵.

If it was Toronto’s water that was contaminated with mercury, is there any doubt that the situation would have been addressed and rectified immediately? Instead, successive Ontario governments have behaved with indifference towards Grassy Narrows. They have ignored recommendations that the river be cleaned back in 1983 and instead chose to let the river clean itself naturally⁶. Finally in 2017, after decades of Indigenous activism, the provincial government pledged $85 million to clean up the river⁶. However, this initiative has stalled with the current government, and remains in the research phase⁴.

Moreover, if it was a Toronto company that was responsible for the pollution, would it not be required to rapidly make the necessary equipment modifications to prevent toxic effluence if it wanted to continue its operations? Instead, in 1985, the Ontario government indemnified the mill’s owners for environmental damage they caused and assumed responsibility for paying compensation to people sickened by mercury⁷. Why have politicians sought to protect this industry at the expense of the Indigenous community? Probably because it’s an important local employer in a region of the province where there are few alternatives for economic development⁷. Going forward, it is unlikely that policymakers will do anything to put the jobs of Dryden mill at risk. According to Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford, Ontario’s “world-class resource development sector is matched only by their compliance to the highest environmental protection out there, and we enforce it⁴.” A century-long history of industrial pollution and government inaction would argue otherwise.

History shows that the Ontario government appears to respond differently to environmental damage depending on the identity of the affected community⁸. The legitimate demands of the poor, Indigenous, or other racially marginalized communities are often disregarded, as there is a sense that they don’t have the power to fight back¹. It is therefore not simply a case of neglect, or even willful neglect, but rather one of environmental racism⁸. This racism also occurs in the choice by polluting industries, hoping to encounter the least resistance, of where to locate their operations, leading to a situation in which marginalized communities are essentially selected to become exposed to environmental hazard.¹ ⁸. It is a terrible injustice, but Grassy Narrows is indeed fighting back as their recent lawsuit shows. They have been fighting continuously for decades not only on the mercury front, but also on several other fronts including mining, logging, and nuclear waste storage on their territory⁶ ⁹. We at Toronto350 strongly support their fight and we encourage you to do the same.

JOIN US IN SUPPORTING THE 2024 GRASSY NARROWS RIVER RUN

On September 18th, 2024 at 12pm we invite you to walk with Grassy Narrows youth and community members to show that we are with them on their path to achieve mercury justice and freedom! RSVP here.

DONATE TO FREEGRASSY.NET

FreeGrassy.net is currently fundraising to support bringing down Grassy Narrows community members to the River Run. If you are able to make any contribution it is appreciated! You can donate by e-transfer below:

Please send to [email protected]
Please Include “River Run” in the comments section of the transfer.