People boat on the Wabigoon River in northwestern Ontario. Mercury poisoning in the river has affected most people who live in Grassy Narrows First Nation.
Grassy Narrows First Nation files lawsuit against Ontario, federal governments over mercury contamination
It argues the governments have violated their duties under Treaty 3 by failing to protect against or remedy the effects of mercury contamination in the English-Wabigoon River system.Generations of people have consumed fish from the river. Now, about 90 per cent of the community of roughly 1,000 people, including Chief Rudy Turtle, experience symptoms of mercury poisoning.
"The government has egregiously violated its obligations to Grassy Narrows by failing to ensure that Grassy Narrows people could safely practise their right to fish — a cornerstone of Grassy Narrows' sustenance and Indigenous way of life," says a statement from the First Nation that was also issued Tuesday.
People are seen boating on the Wabigoon River in northwestern Ontario. Contamination of the river system dates back to the 1960s and '70s when Dryden's paper mill in northwestern Ontario dumped an estimated nine tonnes of mercury into the water. Mercury poisoning near Grassy Narrows First Nation worsened by ongoing industrial pollution, study suggestsAbout seven years later, the river remains toxic. Construction on the Mercury Care Home is expected to start this summer and take two to three years to complete.
Sandy Shaw, MPP for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas and NDP environment, conservation and parks critic, called that answer "disappointing."
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