On Wednesday, September 18, the annual Grassy Narrows First Nation River Run will be taking place in Toronto.
For years now, the River Run has been held to raise awareness of the poisoning of the Ojibwe people of Grassy Narrows in Northern Ontario.
The intentional poisoning of Grassy Narrows and the fight for justice is far older than the run though, and stretches back decades.
Between 1962 and 1970 the Dryden paper mill dumped 10 tons of mercury into the Wabigoon River 100 kilometers upstream from the Grassy Narrows community, also known as Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek.
The mercury poisoning has had a catastrophic impact on the Grassy Narrows community and has led to increased rates of birth defects, heart and lung issues, and a mental health crisis in the community.
A study released last summer found that 90 per cent of the residents of the Grassy Narrows community suffer from the effects of mercury poisoning.
The River Run will begin from Grange Park in Toronto near the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Rally at Ontario legislature
On the same day as the River Run, a rally will also take place at Ontario’s legislature at Queen’s Park.
Organizers of the rally are expecting thousands to be on hand for the march, including Grassy Narrows residents who will have travelled over 1,900 kilometers from their community in northern Ontario to be there.
A statement from the rally’s organizers reads:
“A shocking recent report revealed that for decades the government has allowed the Dryden pulp mill to discharge effluent that doubles mercury levels in Grassy Narrows’ fish by fueling the process that creates the most toxic form of mercury – methylmercury. Ontario and Canada allowed Grassy Narrows’ life-giving river to be poisoned and for over half a century neglected to clean it, instead authorizing industrial activities that further damage the ecosystem and exacerbate the harm.”
READ MORE: Environmental racism underlies Grassy Narrows’ crises
The health of the environment and that of the residents of Grassy Narrows continues to be under threat from industrial activities in the region, including from a pulp mill, gold mining operations upstream from the community, and a proposed nuclear waste storage site.
Grassy Narrows taking province to court over Mining Act
Earlier this summer, Grassy Narrows took the province of Ontario to court over the Mining Act to ensure that their local environment and the health of their residents are protected from further industrial pollution.
Grassy Narrows alleges in their lawsuit that the province allowed the river to be poisoned and failed to ensure that it was remediated. The suit further alleges that the province continues to fail to protect the environment and health of those living in their community.
This is the first time that a First Nation community has taken the province to court over the Mining Act.
“We’re frustrated and sad it has come to this, but after 54 years of efforts the government has left us with no choice but to sue in order to protect our people and our Territory from more harm. We need the government to meaningfully redress the harms we have suffered so that we can finally restore our community’s health and wellbeing and secure a bright future for our children,” said Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows First Nation in a statement.
In an interview with rabble.ca, Turtle called on members of the public to come out to the events on Wednesday to show their support.
“Mercury poisoning continues to impact us,” he said. “We need every sort of support from people to get justice.”
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Nick Seebruch, editor
