mercury nightmare at grassy narrows

The First Nation occupies a land area of 4145 ha referred to as the English River 21 Indian Reserve. Another former Grassy Narrows chief, Steve Fobister, died last year at the age of 66. William Olscamp, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services, said the department believes it is making progress toward an agreement on the treatment centre. The announcement follows a meeting between If you don't see it please check your junk folder. Two First Nations communities devastated by mercury poisoning nearly 50 years ago are still feeling the impacts from the metal toxins in one of their key water supplies, a world-renowned expert suggested. For almost 50 years, the river system—a foundational element of the Grassy Narrows culture—-that the community relies on for food and water has been contaminated with mercury as a result of industrial pollution. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Art- Fathers Day Art. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. The younger generation at Grassy Narrows continue to have symptoms of mercury poisoning. “What we found out quite quickly was that there was no trust between Grassy Narrows and the government of Canada, and in some senses, rightly so,” he said. Based on a federally funded study, Grassy Narrows leaders are seeking a $19.5-million, 22-bed treatment centre, along with a trust fund to ensure that its operating costs are covered. Transportation costs are high, and it can be difficult for their families to visit. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. No mercury was detected in the drinking water in Grassy Narrows during monitoring, Health Canada said. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Many die in faraway hospitals in cities such as Thunder Bay, where Mr. Fobister died, about 550 kilometres from his home. At the ceremony, community elder John Fobister praised the former chief for his tireless work in securing compensation payments for some of the mercury victims. The fiscal update said the funding, set to start flowing in fiscal 2021-22, would allow community members from both Wabaseemong and Grassy Narrows, also known as Asubpeeschoseewagong, to stay close to home while receiving treatment. The protesters were escorted out, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sarcastically thanked them for their “donation.” He later apologized, acknowledging that his response had “lacked respect.”. After six decades of suffering the effects of a mercury contamination in the English-Wabigoon River in northwest Ontario, Grassy Narrows is hoping more funding for a … Residents of Grassy Narrows First Nation, about 100 kilometres northeast of Kenora, Ont., have grappled with long-standing mental and physical health issues due to toxic mercury levels in the nearby English-Wabigoon River.So have many in Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, also known as Whitedog First Nation, about 130 kilometres away. Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. OTTAWA — The federal government has signed an agreement with Grassy Narrows First Nation that will see a long-promised treatment centre for residents with mercury poisoning finally built in the community. The below is a research paper I authored while attending engineering at the U of M. I am posting it for the general public to have access to information on Grassy Narrows all in one place. Your support today will help us continue our fight to protect our rights and the water, air, land and creatures that we all depend on. More than 400,000 letters of support from around the world called for justice for Grassy Narrows and contributed to the successful signing of an agreement to build a mercury care home. Chief Rudy Turtle wants $89-million to build a mercury treatment facility for his people in Grassy Narrows. So have many in Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, also known as Whitedog First Nation, about 130 kilometres away. We learned that the Grassy Narrows economy, recently based in commercial fishing Without the treatment centre, the victims of mercury poisoning are forced to leave their community for medical treatment or hospice care. For nearly 50 years, Grassy Narrows has been urging the Ontario government to clean up the river, but the government has refused to act. He said he hopes to see both projects begin in the spring. © 2020 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. They say the government wants to cut the construction cost by nearly $10-million by offering a basic hospital-style design with smaller rooms, while providing only one-quarter of their estimate of the annual operating cost. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. Links contained in current issues of The Canadian Reader and What in the World? For years, the northern Ontario First Nation has been asking the federal government to make good on its 2017 promise to fund the home. Also available in French and Mandarin. The federal government has signed an agreement with Grassy Narrows First Nation that will see a long-promised treatment centre for residents with mercury poisoning finally built in the community. “I’m not overly confident. Researchers find 90% of Grassy Narrows residents show signs of mercury poisoning This is a direct result from Reed Paper dumping mercury upstream of the communities nearly six decades ago. The federal government committed up to $19.5 million to each community for the construction of facilities to meet the needs of residents living with methylmercury poisoning. From birth, even today, you get stuff that affects the nerves. Only a few weeks remain before the election is to be called. P.E Activities:Complete Exercise Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter . He said his community will allow construction workers to enter the community despite the fear of COVID-19. tially impossible—there is simply no way to remove that much mercury from such a large area.4 It wasn’t just humans and fish affected, of course. After his funeral service on Saturday at the Grassy Narrows church, Simon Fobister’s coffin is carried to a motorboat, which took the coffin to the island where his family plot is located. Grassy Narrows has dealt with the effects of mercury contamination for decades, after a nearby paper mill dumped it into the nearby river system in the 1960s. The discovery of mercury poisoning in 1970 was a devastating blow to Grassy Narrows. Special Holiday Offers for Online Subscriptions! This article was published more than 1 year ago. Opposition critics said they will wait to see it take concrete shape before offering praise. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. “We recognize that the community of Grassy Narrows has been affected by mercury in the English-Wabigoon river system and suffers health issues to this day,” he told The Globe in a written statement. I'm a print subscriber, link to my account, Read more about following topics and authors. When the fish are healthy, the land is healthy, and maybe, maybe then the youth, 50 years from now, they'll have good health. Star reporters and volunteers from Earthroots took soil samples from behind an old paper mill, 100 kilometres upstream from Grassy Narrows, which revealed significantly elevated levels of mercury. Penson: you talk about Trudeau having compassion are you delusional? Grassy Narrows … Mr. Fobister died last week at the age of 63. Lab-grown meat was approved for sale for the first time this month. As recently as 2010, a Japanese scientist found that 59 per cent of residents who were examined in Grassy Narrows and the nearby Whitedog First Nation showed signs of mercury poisoning, and only a small fraction were receiving any compensation payments. “I thank the grassroots people of Grassy Narrows, and our supporters who have been tireless in their work to gain justice for mercury survivors at long last.” -- Grassy Narrows Chief Simon Fobister The province of Ontario has just made a public commitment to clean up the river system on which the people of Grassy Narrows depend. He died without knowing whether his community will succeed in persuading the federal government to accept his vision for a treatment centre to provide specialized treatment and palliative care for some of the hundreds of Grassy Narrows people who are believed to suffer from mercury poisoning. Avoid the use of toxic and offensive language. 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