Grassy Narrows demands provincial compensation for mercury crisis
Several hundred people marched through downtown Toronto to the legislature Wednesday as part of the River Run Rally protest organized by Grassy Narrows First Nation. Participants demanded the province pay an unspecified amount to the First Nation to compensate it for the decades-old mercury contamination of its river.
Once in front of the legislature, participants unfurled a massive hand-painted banner reading “Justice for Grassy Narrows” while chanting “compensation now.”
“We are still asking both governments, Ontario and Canada, to clean up the river and compensate Grassy Narrows. It’s time to do your job,” declared Grassy Narrows Chief Rudy Turtle in front of a cheering crowd. “Mr. Ford, it’s time you did something for Grassy Narrows.”
In addition to compensation, Grassy has issued two other formal demands:
- an end to “industrial threats to Grassy Narrows” by banning mining, logging and nuclear waste disposal in their area; and
- provincial “support” for the reserve community to restore its “way of life and wellness from the damage that mercury has done.”
Grassy Narrows representatives told Queen’s Park Today their grievances against the province are spelled out in a June lawsuit accusing the Government of Ontario of knowingly allowing effluent from Dryden Fibre Mill to run into their river.
In his own speech to the protesters yesterday, activist Desmond Cole said compensation would not have been necessary had the province done its job to prevent mercury contamination.
“We want them to receive compensation. But what would be even better is if we didn’t put people today and future generations in the situation where they needed those things to begin with,” said Cole.
Although Turtle and other participants talked about the need to clean up mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows, provincial research shows that completely removing all of the heavy metal from the river is impossible.
Ontario regional chief not present
Although the procession was led by members of that community — several of whom were in wheelchairs due to medical complications from mercury poisoning — the vast majority of participants were non-Indigenous supporters.
Several opposition MPPs also took part in the demonstration, including NDP Indigenous and Treaty Relations critic Sol Mamakwa and Green Party deputy leader Aislinn Clancy.
Chief Turtle commended participants for coming out to “tell the Ontario government to clean up our river,” before expressing his “disappointment that” that newly elected Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict had not participated despite being invited to.
“It’s wrong. I don’t know why [politicians like Benedict] seek these offices and then don’t come and stand with us when we are fighting for our communities,” fumed Turtle, who ran against Benedict for the position earlier this year.
“They don’t want to rock the boat anymore … because they are afraid of losing their funding if they speak out really hard.”
Benedict was elected as regional chief after promising a more strategic approach to dealing with the provincial government after Premier Doug Ford stopped meeting with his predecessor Glen Hare.