Report on mercury poisoning reveals awful toll of government inaction
‘The most disturbing thing about this report is that so much of this harm could have been prevented if the federal and provincial governments had listened to the community in the first place.’
Like other youth in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Rodney Bruce grew up well aware of the devastating effects of mercury poisoning on his community’s health and culture.
Almost two weeks ago, Bruce and other young people from the northwestern Ontario community were on Parliament Hill to release a detailed study of what they have always known: that the tragic social and health impacts they have faced all their lives is a result of the environmental devastation of their traditional territory, in particular, the mercury contamination of the fish that are so central to their culture and way of life.
The details of the report, the first comprehensive study of the health of youth in this community, are, quite simply, shocking. The findings include the high rate of maternal health problems during pregnancy, higher rates of chronic health problems, including learning disabilities and nervous-systems disorders, and a greater frequency of emotional and behavioural problems compared to other youth of the same age.
What’s especially critical, the report draws a direct line between these tragic statistics and the still-unaddressed impacts of massive quantities of mercury dumped into the river system a half-century ago. This includes the loss of healthy food and the erosion of cultural practices and livelihoods, as well as the impacts on pregnant mothers consuming contaminated fish.
Ultimately, however, the most disturbing thing about this report is that so much of this harm could have been prevented if the federal and provincial governments had listened to the community in the first place.
And for Bruce, the government needs to turn its ears toward the youth who are still shouldering the impacts of the environmental devastation that occurred well before their time.
“Our voice needs to be heard more,” said the 24-year-old.
Like the youth who were surveyed for this report, Bruce grew up during a time of extraordinary activism at Grassy Narrows.
Sixteen years ago, on Dec. 2, 2002, a previous generation of Grassy Narrows youth launched a blockade against clear-cut logging in their territory, which has since grown into an ongoing campaign that has brought the situation of Grassy Narrows back into the national spotlight. This campaign actually stopped industrial logging in their territory after a major corporate buyer of wood pulp sourced from Grassy Narrows concluded, under pressure from Grassy Narrows’ activism, that the community should be free to decide the future of the forests for themselves, given everything it’s faced — from residential schools to the forced relocation of their community, to the devastating impacts of mercury contamination.
Despite such breakthroughs, these last 16 years have also been marked by a litany of government denials. After setting up a meagre and restrictive compensation system in the mid-1980s, the federal and provincial governments have denied any further responsibility for the contamination of the river system. They have denied that contamination of the fish is still a problem. They denied that mercury poisoning has claimed lives and created an ongoing health crisis for the community. They denied that the river system should, and could, be cleaned up. They have denied that clear-cut logging could add to the risk by introducing more mercury into the river system.
Yet all this denial has been in the face of data and studies — available to government, but kept from the community, in many cases — that showed the need for urgent action.
Only in the last two years have the attitudes of government begun to shift. Ontario committed to clean up the river system, a promise that Premier Doug Ford has said he would honour. The federal government has promised funding for a specialized care home for mercury survivors.
All of this is positive, but it’s not enough. The latest report underlines the terrible cost of each passing day. The youth of Grassy Narrows need, and deserve, action today.
The report was written by Dr. Donna Mergler, an expert on the social and health impacts of mercury who is frequently consulted by government. Her report lists concrete recommendations for immediate action, including: ensuring access to appropriate physical and psychological therapy; specialized supports for mothers and families; and provision of emergency and long-term programs for suicide prevention.
The people of Grassy Narrows are also calling for compensation for the entire community for the harms they have suffered. Currently, 94 per cent of Grassy Narrows people get no compensation for this multi-generational crisis.
The federal and provincial governments should urgently commit to implementing these recommendations. Quite simply, they owe it to the people of Grassy Narrows.