RELEASE                                                       

Tuesday January 17, 2017

Chief to Trudeau: Commit now to clean our poisoned river

Toronto – The Chief of Grassy Narrows First Nation is speaking out today after Prime Minister Trudeau committed last night, through a spokesperson, to take action on the mercury crisis in Grassy Narrows and the English-Wabigoon River watershed.  The statement said that the federal government “will continue working closely with the Province of Ontario and the First Nations to get to the bottom of the science, and the next steps necessary to deal with this issue once and for all.”

“I am pleased to see Trudeau finally stepping up and accepting his responsibility to solve the ongoing mercury crisis that my people have endured for three generations,” said Chief Simon Fobister of Grassy Narrows.  “We have seen many politicians and their promises come and go, and still our river is poisoned with mercury.  I call on Trudeau to clearly commit in writing to clean our river until our fish are safe to eat.  Trudeau must commit to a short timeline and a sufficient budget to make our dream of a healthy river a reality.  Our youth yearn to see our river cleaned soon.  Trudeau must not frustrate their hope.”

“I Invite Trudeau to come stand with me in Grassy Narrows and pledge together to clean the river that is our lifeblood so that our children may have a bright future again,” said Chief Fobister.

Earlier this year the federal government denied responsibility for the mercury problem in Grassy Narrows, saying that the mill was not on federal lands.

The Chief is also calling for immediate access to the mill site for Grassy Narrows’ experts to investigate, and he is calling for the Wynne and Trudeau governments 

to clean up any mercury contamination that is found. 

Mercury is a potent neuro-toxin that damages the brain and nervous system leading to loss of vision, touch, balance, and coordination as well as learning disabilities with lifelong impacts.

“I am shocked to hear that mercury contaminated soil has been found behind the mill after Ontario assured us that the hidden mercury dump reported by Kas Glowacki did not exist,” said Grassy Narrows Chief Simon Fobister.  “We need an immediate investigation into mercury at the whole Dryden mill site by our trusted experts to tell us whether we are in danger from mercury dumps and leaks.  We live downstream from that area and we rely on the fish from the river.”

The Chief wrote on Friday to Minister Glen Murray, and Domtar CEO John D. Williams requesting that they grant access to the Dryden mill site for Grassy Narrows’ experts to conduct a thorough investigation into improper mercury disposal. 

In the letter Chief Simon Fobister writes “This site and surrounding areas need to be tested immediately so that we can locate any ongoing sources of mercury and assess the extent of the contamination. It is critical that our First Nation lead those studies so that we may trust in the results… We demand that the site and surrounding areas remain undisturbed until our experts have an opportunity to conduct the necessary tests. This is an urgent concern for us.”

Yesterday Domtar, the current owner of the Dryden mill property, responded to the Chief but did not grant access for Grassy Narrows’ experts to search for Glowacki’s toxic barrels on the property where mercury contaminated soil has now been found.  Previously, in an August 9 letter, Domtar explicitly denied Grassy Narrows’ earlier request for access to the mill property to search for the barrels.

“Domtar does not consent to provide access to the Dryden mill property to grassy Narrows or its representatives for environmental testing or survey work,” wrote David Struhs, Domtar Vice President for Corporate Services and Sustainability on August 9, 2016.

Volunteers from Earthroots, an environmental group, recently found highly contaminated soil in the area where Kas Glowacki, a former mill worker, says he buried 50 barrels of mercury and salt haphazardly in a pit behind the mill in 1972. 

Three generations of Grassy Narrows families bear the terrible burden of mercury poisoning on their bodies and brains.  Fishing is a central part of Grassy Narrows’ culture which has provided sustenance and livelihood for countless generations of Grassy Narrows people. The collapse of fishing as a result of mercury poisoning created massive unemployment and poverty in the community which persists to this day. Social services are underfunded and youth suicides are on the rise in this formerly self-sufficient and healthy Indigenous nation.

“The government has always told us that since 1970 the mercury at the mill was safely disposed of and our river was healing.  It appears that this is not the case.  We need a clear, written commitment from Premier Wynne and Prime Minster Trudeau to clean our river, including making sure that the Dryden mill site is not leaking mercury,” said Chief Simon Fobister.  “Every day that the Wynne and Trudeau governments delay there is a risk that more Grassy Narrows babies will be born into a lifetime of hardship caused by mercury.”

An expert report released last May found that Grassy Narrows’ Wabigoon River is still highly contaminated more than four decades after controls on mercury releases were put in place, indicating that there is an ongoing, but unidentified, source of mercury.  The scientists concluded that the river can and must be cleaned up safely.

Grassy Narrows first learned about the barrels in August of 2015 in a letter from Kas Glowacki, a former mill worker who reports that he was part of a crew that filled, dumped, and buried fifty toxic barrels behind the mill in 1972. Glowacki wrote “[t]he drums were dropped not placed into the pit… I can attest to the fact that there was several Hundred (sic) pounds [of liquid mercury] buried up on the hill above the river.”

Former Grassy Narrows Chief Roger Fobister Sr. forwarded Glowacki’s letter to the government.  On November 12, 2015, MOECC officials responded to the chief saying that “The Dryden pulp mill is not a source of mercury.”  

In June of this year, after a Toronto Star investigation exposed the government’s failure to act on Glowacki’s tip, a spokesperson for the MOECC told the Star that the ministry is doing “everything in its power” to find the site.  The government searched for the barrels this summer using geophysical sensors but concluded there was no evidence of the barrels. But it appears that they searched in the wrong place.

On November 23^rd the Wynne government told the legislature that “We have completed very extensive tests all across the site… and found there are no barrels buried and there is no source [of mercury].”  That same day Minister Murray told the legislature “I will promise that we will… get the cleanup [of the English-Wabigoon River] to the satisfaction of the chief and the health of the people of Grassy Narrows.” 

Grassy Narrows’ Chief Simon Fobister responded saying “I invite the Premier to put this historic commitment in writing and sign it alongside me in proper ceremony so that we can know it is real.  We have borne 54 years of poison and inaction – we need a firm timeline and a realistic budget to get this cleanup done as soon as humanly possible.  We will not rest until our fish are safe to eat again.”

However, the following day Premier Wynne back tracked and refused to commit to cleaning the English-Wabigoon River claiming that it would risk releasing old mercury. 

The Toronto Star reported that, when asked, her government provided no evidence of risk associated with the clean-up methods recommended by the expert report.  Dr. David Schindler, founder of the Experimental Lakes Area, wrote to Premier Wynne saying that “this fear is needless” and urged the Premier to proceed with the reclamation of the river.

A recent report by Japanese mercury experts found mercury poisoning symptoms in 90% of people tested in Grassy Narrows First Nation and Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in 2014, including younger people.  Another expert report by Canadian mercury expert Dr. Mergler found that between 1978 and 1992 many babies were born in Grassy Narrows with umbilical cord blood mercury levels high enough to cause permanent brain development impacts.

 

Contact:  Chief Simon Fobister 807-407-0170

For copies of the letters, and for Broll, contact:  riverrun2010@gmail.com