Members of Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek First Nation (Grassy Narrows) are once again preparing to travel 1900 km to Toronto to call for mercury justice. The people of Grassy Narrows, led by mothers and youth, have been demanding government action for decades since a pulp and paper mill dumped tons of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system in the 1960s. For decades, the provincial government claimed that remediation of the watershed was impossible. The community has continued to advocate relentlessly and has finally begun to win. The Ontario government, in 2017, promised to clean the river and committed $85 million in funding. In 2020, the provincial and federal governments committed to financing a Mercury Care Home to provide medical and nursing care to people affected by mercury poisoning. Change is coming, slowly. The river cleanup is still at the stage of feasibility studies. Construction on the Mercury Care Home has just begun.
So much more is needed to repair the damage of generations of mercury poisoning, which currently affects over 90% of the community. Brown Eagle, also called Darwin, a young leader from Grassy Narrows, has shared publicly, “I have a lot of health conditions that I shouldn’t be dealing with at my age…Mercury poisoning attacks the nervous system. Many people suffer from learning disabilities, numbness, coordination problems, speech problems and loss of vision…The youth of Grassy should be living very different lives.”
The youth of Grassy Narrows should not have to wait another generation for effective action to heal the land, waters and people. In addition to the river cleanup and Mercury Care Home, the community is calling for compensation for all Grassy Narrows members and a government commitment to protect the lands and waters of Grassy Narrows’ traditional territory from further harmful industrial activities.
Let us pray for healing for the people of Grassy Narrows and other affected communities.
Let us pray for courage and hope for the youth of Grassy Narrows, who have been waiting for justice their whole lives and yet find strength in continuing to advocate for their community.
Let us pray for strength and support for the mothers, grandmothers, and all caregivers of Grassy Narrows who carry the community.
Let us pray for the protection and restoration of the English-Wabigoon River watershed.
Let us pray for the empowerment of movements that prioritize future generations over short-term gains.
