The entrance to Grassy Narrows First Nation, where members are challenging the country’s record on human rights in Geneva.

Supporters of Grassy Narrows are finding it hard to believe the province’s position. When it comes to the state of mercury contamination in the English River and Winnipeg River systems, Craig Benjamin of Amnesty International says there’s plenty of evidence to show a clean-up is needed.

“Well, this is an important opportunity for Canada’s record in respect to the rights of indigenous peoples to be scrutinized, from the perspective of international obligations,” he said.

“We have a strong global human rights framework around fundamental rights, like the right to clean water, a right to a clean environment, which Canada has been promoting around the world,” Benjamin added. 

When contacted for further information, Ontario’s Ministry for the Environment and Climate Change maintained their position.

“We would just like to reiterate that there is no evidence to suggest that mercury levels in the river system are such that any remediation, beyond continuing natural sedimentation remediation, would be warranted, but at the request of the community are supporting an ecological risk assessment on the River System to assess whether other cleanup options are  warranted,” said Kate Jordan, on behalf of the ministry.

A delegation from Grassy Narrows is visiting the UN offices in Geneva this week. They’re supported by groups, such as Amnesty International, who are challenging the country’s position on indigenous rights, which includes raising the lack of remediation at Grassy Narrows.

“There’s going to be no doubt that remediation is going to be expensive, but that shouldn’t be an overriding and determining factor. What should be the determining factor is the need to set things right. The contamination of the river system is the province’s fault. There’s an obligation to set things right. They need to live up to that obligation,” Benjamin said.

An estimate included in a report for the federal and provincial governments suggested it could cost $19 million — in 1981 dollars — to dredge the river system, in an effort to lower the mercury content. According to the Mercury Disability Board, which was set up after the 1986 settlement agreement, “it was learned that the source of contamination was Dryden Chemicals Limited. This plant had dropped over 20,000 lbs. of untreated mercury wastewater into the Wabigoon River between 1962 and 1970. The rivers and lakes downstream were contaminated for at least 250 kilometers.”

Members of the First Nation are part of a delegation to the UN in Switzerland. Members of the delegation are saying the federal and provincial governments should do more to protect the rights of indigenous people.

For more information:

Mercury Disability Board

Grassy Narrows and Islington Indian Bands Mercury Pollution Claims Settlement Act

1984 Mercury Polution Technical Report (includes remediation estimates and options)

2014 Grassy Narrows – Ontario Mercury Working Group Report (includes update on health issues)

2012 Journal of Environmental Monitoring – Long-term changes in fish mercury levels