A northern Ontario First Nation is suing the governments of Ontario and Canada over ongoing mercury contamination in a river system that flows through its territory.
Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows First Nation speaks during a rally raising concerns and opposition to the Ontario provincial government’s plans to expand mining operations in the so-called Ring of Fire region in Northern Ontario in Toronto on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Grassy Narrows First Nation alleges the governments breached their obligations by failing to ensure the community could safely practise its right to fish. The lawsuit alleges the governments first allowed the English-Wabigoon river system to be contaminated, then failed to remediate it, all while authorizing industrial activities that worsened the harm.The legal action comes weeks after a study suggested discharge from a paper mill upstream of the community is exacerbating mercury contamination that dates back decades.
Researchers behind the study said that while the mill’s wastewater doesn’t contain mercury, the combination of sulphate and organic matter in it contribute to the elevated production of methylmercury – the most toxic form of the contaminant.Grassy Narrows First Nation has been plagued with mercury poisoning since the 1960s, when the mill dumped 9,000 kilograms of mercury into the river system.
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