“We’re asking for a Mercury Home. Economic opportunities are needed badly. Grassy Narrows First Nations chief hails more funding for mercury treatment centre. Nor are Grassy Narrows residents alone in seeking access to the wealth and opportunities that surround them. “We will not rest until our fish are safe to eat again.” A medical centre provides basic health care to residents and open Monday to Friday. Randy Fobister has been elected as the new chief at Grassy Narrows. For almost 50 years, the river system—a foundational element of the Grassy Narrows culture—-that the community relies on for food and water has been contaminated with mercury as a result of industrial pollution. [22] Thus, it is because the government entities do not wish to pollute the Wabigoon River system furthermore that the lack of cleanup is strategic rather than malicious. The people of Grassy Narrows, who have been on the road since December 3, say they will stay as long as it takes. Grassy Narrows, ON, is the common name for both a reserve and an Ojibwe First Nation. The winters were spent trapping for the Hudson's Bay Company, the summer gardening and harvesting wild blueberries which together with skins were sold for supplies. March 2, 2016 NDP critic for Aboriginal Affairs, France Gélinas, says it is time for the provincial government to act on promises to clean up mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon River in Grassy Narrows and provide the community 100 kilometres north of Kenora with safe drinking water. 1840-1877 Sandy Bar Cree/Saulteaux community established at Sandy Bar/Grassy Narrows. Finally, helped by Olthuis, a lawyer and researcher, the community received roughly $7 million in 1985 for compensation, job creation and economic development. 1870 + Decline of the fur Trade. The English River is 615 kilometers long with a drainage basin of 52,300 square kilometers. 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. Potatoes were grown on a community plot. [21][14] In particular, it is because the walleye are roughly 40-90 times the advisable mercury intake limit for pregnant women, children and women who hope to bear offspring that the walleye is predominately hazardous. The implicit lesson seems to be that the students’ future is linked to insistence on a new approach to the forest, one not centered around trucks hauling the opportunities of their homeland away while they sit in classrooms preparing for jobs that may not exist. Grassy Narrows First Nation, or the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation, is a small First Nations community in northwestern Ontario. And no timeline has been given for the next phase of design or construction. The community fears mass logging will lead to damage to local habitat.[27]. The community of about 1,200 members had been without clean drinking water for about seven years, before boil water advisories were lifted recently. Grassy Narrows declared a state of emergency over its unsafe drinking water in 2015, after a boil-water advisory had already been in place for nearly two years, as … Lands and resources that once sustained them now sustain corporations far away, and the forest is harmed in the process. The next day I join Fobister as he drives to a clearcut in an area where his parents took him when he was young. [5] From 1876 to 1969 schooling was at McIntosh Indian Residential School, a residential school in McIntosh, Ontario. [29] Later released documents, after freedom of information requests, revealed concerns by local biologists that were never followed up on.[30]. Story continues below advertisement. On August 17, 2011, First Nation supporters won a victory in court, when "Ontario's Superior Court ruled that the province cannot authorize timber and logging if the operations infringe on federal treaty promises protecting aboriginal rights to traditional hunting and trapping." The lodge is sheltered and remote. Treaties, trees and sharing: A frontline report, March 2003. Police say runaway Hong Kong politician probed for security crime . “I can’t describe the feeling,” he says. The fur trade shifted this practice toward trapping smaller animals and trading their furs. ... Chief David Rundle petitions to relocate to Grassy Narrows/Sandy Bar to farm. Grassy Narrows timeline. The Ontario government says it’s ‘ending duplication’ by removing logging activities from the Environmental Assessment Act. 14 May 1875 Minister of Interior approves relocation to Grassy Narrows. No timeline yet for completion of Clarion repairs. In the fall, wild rice was harvested from the margins of the rivers and finished for storage. The reserve is also part of the provincial riding of Kenora-Rainy River and federal riding of Kenora. Only time will tell how this David and Goliath tale will unfold and whether treaties can be made to work for both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people. 1840 Methodist Mission established in Norway House. As many as 1,000 people showed symptoms of the dreaded “Minamata disease” in the 1960s and 1970s. Youth are central to the blockade. Their landbase is the 4,145 ha (10,240 acres) English River 21 Indian Reserve. In exchange a spacious tract of land, as much as a square mile of land for each family, in a favourable location on the Wabigoon-English River system was reserved for the use of the tribe. Grassy Narrows received over $530,000 from that program in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, federal officials said. 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. She returned to the community in August with her two younger children, Gabrielle, 3, … On the way back we cross the Wabigoon River. ““I didn’t do that last night. Jobs vanished and welfare dependency increased. “It’s like my heart being pulled out of my chest every time I drive into a clearcut.”. Rudy Turtle, chief of Grassy Narrows, hopes he keeps that promise. June … 1962 to 1970: A pulp and paper mill owned by Reed Inc., and later Great Lakes Forest Products Ltd., dumps mercury-contaminated effluent into the Wabigoon River. [7][24], Ultimately, while the socioeconomic status of the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation people partially explains why the First Nation group still consumes the mercury-infested fish, the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation culture also contributes to the ingestion of fish by the Indigenous group. Pristine wilderness, canoeing, and fishing are readily accessible. Previously he worked with Mennonite Central Committee. Grassy Narrows timeline. [7] Additionally, the chemical waste from the industry in Dryden has impacted the health of the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation peoples, as well as the Wabaseemoong First Nation community (Wabaseemoong Independent Nations) further downstream. In some regions of Africa, like Malawi, climate change can also lead to landslides, hailstorms, and mudslides. 3 (1873) (“Treaty 3”), thus limiting First Nation harvesting rights. [3], In 1871, Grassy Narrows First Nation, together with other Ojibway tribes, made a treaty with the Canadian government, The Crown, in the person of Queen Victoria, giving up aboriginal title to a large tract of land in northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba, Treaty 3 between Her Majesty the Queen and the Saulteaux Tribe of the Ojibbeway Indians at the Northwest Angle on the Lake of the Woods with Adhesions. All Rights Reserved. [18][19] Moreover, in June 2017, the Ontario government pledged $85 million to clean up the industrial mercury contamination. Each parcel was selected for access to fishing and hunting grounds and for suitability for gardening. With international attention shifting from decimated rainforests to the “emerald halo” of boreal forest atop the globe, forestry practices in Canada will face greater scrutiny. Grassy Narrows is asking for $88.7 million be put into a trust to cover construction and maintenance costs over the next 30 years. Meanwhile, Fobister said he fears his community will bear the consequences of the mercury contamination until the river is cleaned up, noting such a process could prolong the ordeal for several more generations of Grassy Narrows residents. [16], Grassy Narrows First Nation received a settlement in 1985 from the Government of Canada and the Reed Paper Company that bought-out the Dryden Pulp and Paper Company and its sister-company Dryden Chemical Company. Finally, helped by Olthuis, a lawyer and researcher, the community received roughly $7 million in 1985 for compensation, job creation and economic development. In 1871, Grassy Narrows First Nation, together with other Ojibway tribes, made a treaty with the Canadian government, The Crown, in the person of Queen Victoria, giving up aboriginal title to a large tract of land in northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba, Treaty 3 between Her Majesty the Queen and the Saulteaux Tribe of the Ojibbeway Indians at the Northwest Angle on the Lake of the Woods with Adhesions. Muskrat were plentiful and trapped for pelts and food. Community member Judy DaSilva says of the blockade, ‘It was the last thing we could do because everything around us was disappearing. That’s hard to do in a clearcut. But fish ingest neuro-toxins dumped into the river by a pulp mill upstream in the 1960s and 1970s. “We’re not shying away from our responsibility,” Osborne says, noting ongoing communication with Grassy Narrows. Grassy Narrows First Nations chief hails more funding for mercury treatment centre. The reserve is connected to areas beyond by local roads connecting with Highway 671. The Trudeau administration committed to building the centre when Chief Simon Fobister and Jane Philpott, minister of Indigenous Services, met in 2017. mill worker recalls dumping barrels of mercury in plastic-lined pit", "Neurological and birth defects haunt Wabaseemoong First Nation, decades after mercury dumping", "Return to grassy narrows: a poisoned community tells its 40-year-old story", "90% of Grassy Narrows residents show mercury poisoning signs: researchers", "Free Grassy » Canada's Grassy Narrows First Nation demands government action after 50 years of mercury poisoning", "Report on mercury poisoning never shared, Grassy Narrows leaders say", "Ontario announces $85M to clean up mercury near Grassy Narrows, Wabaseemoong First Nations", "Mercury poisoning effects continue at Grassy Narrows: Mercury dumping halted in 1970 but symptoms persist", "Fact Sheet: Mercury Poisoning of the Grassy Narrows and White Dog Communities", "Celebrating Canada's Indigenous Peoples Through Song and Dance: Music Alive Program Teacher's Guide", "ONTARIO ENTERS INTO FORESTRY DISCUSSIONS WITH GRASSY NARROWS", "First Nation wins legal battle over clear-cutting", "Ontario gives green light to clear-cutting at Grassy Narrows", "Ontario's biologists called clear-cut logging plan 'big step backwards, "Grassy Narrows First Nation, Grassy Narrows Medical Centre, Medical Centre", "Passing Ojibway Lifeways in a Contemporary Environment", Anishinabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council, Animakee Wa Zhing 37 (Northwest Angle 37), Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Advisory Services, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asubpeeschoseewagong_First_Nation&oldid=991818936, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown, All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 December 2020, at 00:03. Joe Fobister is one of those around the fire. [7][23] Consumption of fish continues in the area, particularly pickerel (walleye), the local favourite, but it is high on the food chain and therefore contains high levels of mercury. Grassy Narrows First Nations youth are renowned for their activism, art, and leadership in spite of mercury burden Today Grassy Narrows released a ground-breaking new report by renowned mercury expert Dr. Donna Mergler. FISHER RIVER CREE NATION HISTORICAL TIMELINE (Selected) 1837 Norway House established as Hudson Bay Company Administrative Centre. The fur trade economy transformed Ojibwe social organization and resource use. [8], Conversely, the mercury contamination by the pulp and paper industry may be defined as environmental racism. Grassy Narrows First Nations youth are renowned for their activism, art, and leadership in spite of mercury burden Today Grassy Narrows released a ground-breaking new report by renowned mercury expert Dr. Donna Mergler. According to Manager Jimmy Koo, they still have no timeline for completion. By Citizens for Public Justice. Provincial spokesperson Shawn Stevenson says there is extensive “consultation” with Grassy Narrows on forestry planning, but when pushed on how much say Aboriginal people have, says “[Aboriginal] input on site-specific issues,” is “considered” in forest planning. Meanwhile, Fobister said he fears his community will bear the consequences of the mercury contamination until the river is cleaned up, noting such a process could prolong the ordeal for several more generations of Grassy Narrows residents. [25][7], On September 8, 2007, Ontario announced that it "had agreed to begin discussions with Grassy Narrows First Nation on forestry-related issues. Treaties, trees and sharing: A frontline report, March 2003. That’s why it’s so significant that last week, in two separate statements, the United Nation’s top expert advisers on the right to health and on the human rights impacts of toxic contamination both called out Canada’s failure to ensure justice for the people of Grassy Narrows. [6], The First Nations people experienced mercury poisoning from Dryden Chemical Company, a chloralkali process plant, located in Dryden that supplied both sodium hydroxide and chlorine used in large amounts for bleaching paper during production for the Dryden Pulp and Paper Company. Tired of watching logging trucks haul away the bounty of their 2,500 square mile Traditional Land Use Area, the people of Grassy Narrows are inserting themselves into decision-making in their homeland. It flows west and joins the Winnipeg River. This is part of Fobister’s vision of what Aboriginal access to resources through treaty rights might look like. 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