The Problem
The Grassy Narrows water crisis began in 1962, when Dryden Chemical used mercury-based chemicals to produce bleaching agents for the nearby paper mill (McGrath, 2016). The 12 tons of untreated methyl mercury waste was then dumped into the Wabigoon river (PSAC-AFPC, 2016). From 1969 to 1970, the Canadian government discovered high levels of mercury in water and fish, from Dryden Chemical’s 20,000 pounds of mercury dumped into the river (McGrath, 2016). This contamination and water pollution have caused water quality and water scarcity issues for the Grassy Narrows First Nations community, spanning generations.
The impacts of mercury in the water system are evident today, with experts in mercury poisoning reporting that 90% of the Grassy Narrows First Nations show exposure to the mercury (McGrath, 2016). According to a research study, people without mercury poisoning have 20bbp, and Indigenous peoples with mercury poisoning have up to 60bbp (2013).
The mercury enters the body from fish, specifically walleye, which bioaccumulates (Snydeer, 2019). It is passed on through childbirth, and impossible to get out of the body. This is devastating for Indigenous peoples, as “fishing and fish consumption have been traditional and cultural practices of the people of Grassy Narrows for hundreds, if not thousands, of years” (Kenoten, 2018). Mercury poisoning symptoms include loss of muscle coordination, tunnel vision, (Bruser, 2017) difficulty balancing, (Snyder, 2019) cancers, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s (PSAC-AFPC, 2016).
For decades, Grassy Narrows has been asking the government to help treat ill residents, as they are forced to leave the community to get healthcare treatment in far cities. In 2017, Jane Philpott, Federal Minister of indigenous Services promised to “support them in the development, planning, design, and construction of the treatment center in Grassy Narrows” (Bruser, 2017). This statement was received very positively by Grassy Narrows residents. Simon Forbister, Chief of Grassy Narrows, said that the promise “means a lot to our people… it means people with disabilities can stay in this residence, can stay with their families”, and Judy Da Silva, a community activist, described the promise as “surreal” (Bruser, 2019). The $4.5 million care home is to include rooms for 8 residents, an exam room, showers, tubs, palliative care physiotherapy, counselling, and traditional healing (Bruser, 2017).
While this promise is long overdue and extremely necessary, the promise to create the mercury treatment plant has not yet been fulfilled by the Canadian government. A year after this promise was made, a the Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek Community Health Assessment Report was published, which confirmed the need for this treatment plant. The report is based on a 170-question survey, which was completed by 350 Grassy Narrows youth (Ketonen, 2018). It was realized that “youth in Grassy Narrows are demonstrating a higher prevalence of the chronic conditions and emotional and behavioural issues that are associated with maternal fish consumption during pregnancy”, compared to other First Nations communities (Ketonen, 2018). The report connects the consumption of fish to chronic health conditions. For example, women who ate 1 fish meal/day during pregnancy were twice as likely to have maternal health problems (such as high blood pressure) during pregnancy(Ketonen, 2018). This statistic shows how the bioaccumulation of mercury impacts generations of First Nations peoples.
The report also makes recommendations to solve these complicated problems. The recommendations from this report match the promises the government previously made but never followed through on. This shows how important the mercury treatment center is, and how many different groups of people think so. The report also recommends emergency and crisis counselling therapy for youth, neuropsychological and medical assessment, and increase in health care professionals (Ketonen, 2018).
The mercury levels in the water are expected to stay the same, until the $85 million promised by the Ontario provincial government to clean the river system (Bruser, 2017). However, the human health impacts will become deadlier and more frequent, as the bioaccumulating mercury will be passed on for generations. In addition, the chronic diseases, found in an alarming number of the Grassy Narrows populations, will continue to impact more people. Diseases such as ADD, ADHD, eczema, dermatitis, and anemia will only continue to become more common until the water supply is decontaminated. ​
