THUNDER BAY – For 16-year-old Paris Meekis, her first experience with political activism took place this past June 2019. On June 20, 2019, members of Grassy Narrows First Nation marched through downtown Toronto demanding that the Canadian government uphold their promise to clean up the mercury contaminating the Wabigoon River. Also available in French and Mandarin. If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Advocates have pleaded for the construction of a local facility to help community members access medical treatments for debilitating symptoms that include problems with cognitive function, speech and vision. ... Campaigning against mercury poisoning. Under the Indian Act electoral system, Grassy Narrows First Nation elects a council for a two-year term, consisting of one chief and four councillors (see also Reserves in Ontario: Politics). Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. On June 20, 2019, members of Grassy Narrows First Nation and their supporters took to the streets of Toronto to protest their suffering at the 2019 River Run event—a march and protest organized by Grassy Narrows community members and their supporters. “This is a big step forward for our people, and I honour all of our youth, elders and community members who worked to make this happen,” Grassy Narrows Chief Rudy Turtle said Friday. This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. Sadly, the Trudeau government is continuing this injustice with their failure to fulfill their promise to the community of Grassy Narrows I'm a print subscriber, link to my account, Read more about following topics and authors. Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted. “This historic framework agreement is the beginning of an important turning point," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said. It’s been half a century since a pulp and paper mill in Dryden, Ont. She traveled 1700 kilometers from her home in the Grassy Narrows Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation in Ontario, Canada, to Toronto. dumped 10 tonnes of mercury into the English and Wabigoon river systems, poisoning aquatic life downstream along with two communities, including Grassy Narrows, who relied on fish to survive. Since 2012, the youth of Grassy Narrows have held an annual rally for mercury justice. Fishing is central to their culture, traditions and economy. We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner. Grassy Narrows hopes to break ground on mercury treatment centre in spring, 2019 'Christmas came early': Ottawa commits to Grassy Narrows mercury treatment centre Audio We did longitudinal and case-control analyses with data for individuals of the Grassy Narrows First Nation community. Sign up today. We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate. My grandkids have mercury poisoning,” Grassy Narrows elder Bill Fobister said in December 2019. 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Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. The hope is the centre will offer treatment in the community rather than having people seek help in cities such as Thunder Bay. Check out these links to John Gillespies Waters and Woods Show 2019 versions. © Copyright 2020 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved. Since the 1970s, the people of Grassy Narrows have suffered from the effects of industrial pollution in their river system—mercury poisoning. The youth of Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) First Nation are demanding the Canadian government keep its promises to finally address the mercury crisis in their community. Grassy Narrows First Nation, Ontario – Please be advised that the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Indigenous Services, alongside Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows First Nation, will sign a Memorandum of Agreement outlining a path forward to meet the long-term health needs of the community which has been impacted by exposure to mercury. Full Disclaimer. Young people from the Grassy Narrows First Nation in northwest Ontario are fighting for a healthy future for themselves and their community. Building a mercury treatment centre in the community is an absolute priority for this government and that is why the previous Minister visited Grassy Narrows in May 2019. Thus, it was not signed. Between 1962 and 1970, a paper mill upstream from Grassy Narrows dumped 20,000 pounds of mercury into the river, and it’s estimated that today 90% of the community of Grassy Narrows … Generations of Activism: The Grassy Narrows First Nation’s Fight for Clean Water. The Indigenous community of Grassy Narrows, Canada, has been devastated by mercury poisoning. 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. For decades they have been living with mercury contamination in their water. Due to the upcoming federal election, it is crucial to ensure that the government takes action on this promise, and that mission was a significant point of concern during the events of River Run. Audio for this article is not available at this time. Canada. 351 King Street East, Suite 1600, Toronto, ON Canada, M5A 0N1, Just $1.99 per week for the first 24 weeks, var select={root:".js-sub-pencil",control:".js-sub-pencil-control",open:"o-sub-pencil--open",closed:"o-sub-pencil--closed"},dom={},allowExpand=!0;function pencilInit(o){var e=arguments.length>1&&void 0!==arguments[1]&&arguments[1];select.root=o,dom.root=document.querySelector(select.root),dom.root&&(dom.control=document.querySelector(select.control),dom.control.addEventListener("click",onToggleClicked),setPanelState(e),window.addEventListener("scroll",onWindowScroll),dom.root.removeAttribute("hidden"))}function isPanelOpen(){return dom.root.classList.contains(select.open)}function setPanelState(o){dom.root.classList[o?"add":"remove"](select.open),dom.root.classList[o? Indigenous Services Canada said it will provide $19.5-million toward the construction of the mercury care home as the community envisioned it. Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NWSuite #615Washington, DC 20036(202) 332-0982contact@pulitzercenter.org, Jeff Barruspress@pulitzercenter.org(202) 460-4710, “We will illuminate dark places and, with a deep sense of responsibility, interpret these troubled times.”. Click here to subscribe. The Grassy Narrows people have a special relationship to the river. Grassy Narrows people with higher long-term mercury exposure were far more likely to die early according to an authoritative new study published Monday evening … Aware of the issue facing the community, the current Canadian government promised to build the community a “mercury home,” where victims of mercury poisoning could receive care and treatment, but little has been done to make this happen. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. On the streets of Toronto, Grassy Narrows fought for justice. Write For Rights 2019. Shelby Gilson is a recent graduate of Flagler College where she earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science with a minor in English. The First Nation is also a member of the Bimose Tribal Council and the Grand Council Treaty 3. A mercury treatment centre and care home was set to open in Grassy Narrows next month, based on a commitment made by former federal minister of Indigenous services Jane Philpott two years ago. In 2002, tired of watching logging companies deplete their traditional lands, the community of Grassy Narrows First Nation decided to blockade the logging road running through their reserve land. Grassy Narrows said Friday it will continue to seek long-term funding for the facility’s services. Protestors hold a sign outside the Liberal party Laurier Club event in Toronto on March 27, 2019. update Article was updated May. The provincial government recently participated in a sweeping review of the board and then retroactively indexed payments to inflation. Grassy Narrows people with higher long-term mercury exposure were far more likely to die early according to an authoritative new study published Monday evening … Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation (also known as Grassy Narrows First Nation or the Asabiinyashkosiwagong Nitam-Anishinaabeg in the Ojibwe language) is an Ojibwe First Nations band government who inhabit northern Kenora in Ontario, Canada.Their landbase is the 4,145 ha (10,240 acres) English River 21 Indian Reserve. Grassy Narrows is a symbol of injustice. What I really want to say about the community of Grassy Narrows is about their fierce, stubborn, vibrant resilience. 29, 2019 The federal government has finally agreed to give to the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation results of … Crime Jul 11, 2019 In 2019, Grassy Narrows chief Rudy Turtle ran for the federal New Democratic Party in the Kenorariding. In June 2019, over 40 members of the Grassy Narrows community travelled 1,700km from their home to demand that the government make good on its promise to build a care centre for survivors of mercury poisoning. "We will see that the mercury care home is built well, built quickly and meets the care needs of our people.”. In May 2019, O’Regan visited Grassy Narrows to sign an agreement on the construction and operation of a health facility in the community. In a statement, Grassy Narrows said it has secured a signed contract to provide the full funding required to build a mercury care home in the community. We did longitudinal and case-control analyses with data for individuals of the Grassy Narrows First Nation community. This article was published more than 6 months ago. The push for a treatment facility was an issue in the 2019 federal election, with the chief running as an NDP candidate. Two forest-product companies are on the hook for looking after a mercury-contaminated site near Ontario's Grassy Narrows First Nation, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled. Grassy Narrows elder: ‘When you have mercury you have it for life’ – Dec 3, 2019 Bowater, which eventually became Resolute, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. It has had a devastating impact on the community. That means: If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by our moderation team and may appear shortly. Grassy Narrows has received national attention for its continuing struggle with the effects of mercury contamination of the English and Wabigoon rivers in the 1960s. Environment Minister Glen Murray announced in Jun 2017 article, CBC news: Ontario will spend $85 million to clean up industrial mercury contamination that is poisoning the people at Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations in NW Ont On June 20, 2019, members of Grassy Narrows First Nation and their supporters took to the streets of Toronto to protest their suffering at the 2019 River Run event—a march and protest organized by Grassy Narrows community members and their supporters. The community said it sees the agreement as an important step in implementing promises made by the federal government since 2017 on the construction of the facility. Follow topics and authors relevant to your reading interests. Some information in it may no longer be current. Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. It has a registered population of 1,595 as of October 2019, of which … Ottawa and Grassy Narrows First Nation have reached a $19.5-million agreement for a long-promised treatment facility for members of the Northern Ontario community suffering from mercury contamination. OPP say they were called to assist a man who had been allegedly assaulted on a road in Grassy Narrows First Nation in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Read our. Videos. Since then, progress has been made and discussions with the Chief and Council have continued. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter . If you are looking to give feedback on our new site, please send it along to, To view this site properly, enable cookies in your browser. A large drum that greets visitors to the community of Grassy Narrows First Nation is seen in an Aug. 29, 2019, file photo. Grassy Narrows chief calls for end to delays on mercury treatment centre December 4, 2019 Community members urge Ottawa to honour pledge to build mercury treatment facility for Grassy Narrows Avoid the use of toxic and offensive language. Water bottles are seen at the local water supply site on the Grassy Narrows First Nation, in northwestern Ontario, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. We hope to have this fixed soon. 50 years on, the community’s youth are determined to get justice. ... Dec. 06, 2019. The crew had so much great muskie fishing action they made 2 programs featuring Grassy Narrows Lodge and one of our long time guests, NBA Basketball star Christian Laettner. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. My kids have mercury poisoning. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. donate now to support more stories like this! So have many in Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, also known as Whitedog First Nation, about 130 kilometres away. A Grassy Narrows First Nation source told the Star the care facility was expected to cost about $17 million to build with operating costs of about $70 million for 30 years. Burgeoning Courage and Power: Faces of Youth Activism in Grassy Narrows, ‘My Ears Keep Ringing All the Time’: Mercury Poisoning Among Grassy Narrows First Nation, The Bitter Legacy of Canada's Forced-Assimilation Boarding Schools. Apr 03, 2019 . (Grassy NarrowsFirst Nation) Myriam Fillion Université TÉLUQ Aline Philibert CINBIOSE, Université du Québec à Montréal First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Forum Ottawa, November 5 2019 The legacyof mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows First Nation Grassy narrows youth. Thank you for your patience. Grassy Narrows First Nation fears further mercury poisoning as Ford government ends assessments for clear-cut logging. In 2019, the community obtained their historical Hg biomarker data from a government surveillance programme, which was then shared with the authors. Amnesty International UK. The agreement proposed by O’Regan was not legally binding and Grassy Narrows community members were dissatisfied with the proposed agreement, finding it to be an unreliable promise. In 2019, the community obtained their historical Hg biomarker data from a government surveillance programme, which was then shared with the authors. 18 May 2020, 05:59pm. In Toronto, she was joined by hundreds of supporters calling on the government of Canada to address the long-standing … The federal government had pushed for a design that was more like an assisted-living home, while Grassy Narrows had drawn up its own blueprint for a facility that gave specialized care to mercury poisoning patients. Please log in to listen to this story. Methods. 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