Thousands march with Grassy Narrows
Thousands of people marched through the city core to Queen’s Park on Wednesday to demand justice for the ongoing mercury poisoning crisis plaguing Grassy Narrows First Nation.
The seventh Grassy Narrows River Run rally was organized by the First Nation and supported by more than 100 non-profits, unions and human rights groups.
The demands of the rally were for provincial and federal governments to compensate Grassy Narrows for the ongoing mercury pollution in the Wabigoon River system, end industry development on Grassy Narrows’ territories and support the restoration of their traditional way of life.
“We’re not going away,” said Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Rudy Turtle at Grange Park, just before the noon march began.
“As long as the sun shines, as long as the grass grows, as long as the river flows, we will remain in Grassy Narrows First Nation,” he said.
The initial poisoning of the Grassy Narrows people occurred when mercury was dumped in the river by a paper mill in the 1960s. The effects of such a disaster continue to be felt by residents for generations, said journalist, author and activist Desmond Cole to the crowd of approximately 8,000 people.
“Here we are … still demanding that mercury be cleaned up, still demanding compensation. We should not be in this situation today.
“The wills and the desires of industry always seem to come before the needs and the health and safety of people,” said Cole.
The march started at Grange Park, then headed east across Dundas Street, turning north on Bay Street then turning west on College Street and onwards west to Queen’s Park.
Maureen Fitzgerald, a member of Seniors for Climate Action Now (SCAN), said the action group has supported Grassy Narrows for decades, but this year’s river run rally was important because of the May 2024 study that found current sulphate emissions from the paper mill near the First Nation are exacerbating the impact of the legacy mercury in the river system. Industrial production and prospecting on Grassy Narrows land have been allowed by the province, against the First Nation’s wishes.
“All that is a plague on all our houses,” she said.
Despite officials’ repeated promises to clean up the mercury-polluted river, the neurotoxin remains in the food chain. Recent research suggests levels are worse than previously believed.
Once at the legislature, demonstrators unfurled a 1,600-squarefoot banner that read “Justice for Grassy Narrows” before speeches continued.
The River Run Rally, first held in 2010, is a recurring event that demonstrates the continued colonial oppression of Grassy Narrows by the government, said provincial NDP deputy leader Sol Mamakwa.
“The people here from Grassy, they’re the ones that pay in full with their health. They’re the ones that pay in full with their lives, as they’re dying early,” he said.