Treaties, trees and sharing: A frontline report, March 2003. The people continued to live in their customary way, each clan living in log cabins in small clearings; often it was 1⁄2 mi (0.80 km) to the nearest neighbour. Treaty Three Police Service provides policing for the reserve, Places adjacent to Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation, (ORDER IN COUNCIL SETTING UP COMMISSION FOR TREATY 3), CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (, Portal:Indigenous peoples of the Americas, 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, "Census Profile, 2016 Census English River 21, Indian reserve [Census subdivision], Ontario and Kenora, District [Census division], Ontario", Registered Population Official Name Grassy Narrows First Nation 149, "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", "Passing on Ojibway Lifeways in a Contemporary Environment", "Grassy Narrows residents eating fish with highest mercury levels in province", "Ontario knew about Grassy Narrows mercury site for decades, but kept it secret", "The interwoven history of mercury poisoning in Ontario and Japan", "Province ignores information about possible mercury dumping ground: Star Investigation", "Former Dryden, Ont. “Minister Seamus … “I can’t even imagine what it used to be like,” surveying the naked hillside. 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. She … Treaties, trees and sharing: A frontline report, March 2003. 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. That’s little comfort to Fobister, who says decision making power lies elsewhere. “$19.5 million is just for the building itself, but we are in the process of securing another, I think, $68 million and that still has to go to cabinet for approval,” said Turtle, who talked to APTN News from his Grassy Narrows home. That’s hard to do in a clearcut. site has delayed the work timeline, the spokesperson said, adding the government will share its “approach” with Grassy Narrows and … ← The 1990s: CPJ in the eye of several storms. That's up from about $166,000 in 2008-2009, according to documents obtained by CBC News. In … “When they look at the forest,” he says of Abitibi, “all they see is money.” In 2002, Abitibi revenues topped $5.1 billion. Hornepayne First Nation recently joined the Grassy Narrows blockade and in February, Aroland First Nation began blocking Highway 43. The community of about 1,200 members had been without clean drinking water for about seven years, before boil water advisories were lifted recently. The only access to the reserve was by canoe or plane. The coloured blotches, Billard explains, are areas already cut or slated for cutting. 3 (1873) (“Treaty 3”), thus limiting First Nation harvesting rights. A medical centre provides basic health care to residents and open Monday to Friday. CPJ member Will Braun is on sabbatical from his work with Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. Don’t destroy it! According to Manager Jimmy Koo, they still have no timeline for completion. Alcoholic beverages were strictly forbidden. Several lakes are accessable to you from our camp. Youth are central to the blockade. Miller pegged the timeline to finish the buildings at between 18 and 36 months. 1869 Hudson Bay Company transfer of Rupert’s Land to the Crown. 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. Grassy Narrows, ON, is the common name for both a reserve and an Ojibwe First Nation. Although the Asubpeeschoseewagong people themselves say that they have always lived along the Wabigoon-English River northeast of Lake of the Woods, most historians believe that the ancestors of the Northern Ojibway were first encountered by Europeans near what is now Sault Ste. “New Democrats have repeatedly raised in this chamber […] Grassy Narrows First Nation leaders want a commitment in writing from the province to cleanup a nearby river that is contaminated with mercury. The Ontario government says it’s ‘ending duplication’ by removing logging activities from the Environmental Assessment Act. In the fall, wild rice was harvested from the margins of the rivers and finished for storage. Current minister of Indigenous Affairs visited Grassy Narrows in March to sign an agreement with the community to build the Care Centre but no agreement was signed. 1840-1877 Sandy Bar Cree/Saulteaux community established at Sandy Bar/Grassy Narrows. The lodge is sheltered and remote. 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 … 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. “What they’re doing is wrong.”, Billard started out expecting to work co-operatively with Abitibi. Protection of boreal forests, which constitute a majority of the world’s remaining intact forest, are seen as critical in maintaining carbon balance and averting climate crisis. Be careful with Abitibi!”, the final word revised by forest advocates. The ultimate goal of the blockaders is Asubpeeschoseewagong jurisdiction over their customary lands, giving them the ability to protect their boreal homeland and access its wealth and opportunity. [21] Walleye remains dangerous for those with long-term exposure to the consumption of the fish as walleye contains approximately 13-15 times the recommended levels of mercury. “We will not rest until our fish are safe to eat again.” And no timeline has been given for the next phase of design or construction. Muskrat were plentiful and trapped for pelts and food. FISHER RIVER CREE NATION HISTORICAL TIMELINE (Selected) 1837 Norway House established as Hudson Bay Company Administrative Centre. Trailers at the main blockade serve as makeshift high school classrooms. [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. Jobs vanished and welfare dependency increased. The people of Grassy Narrows have suffered from symptoms of mercury poisoning for more than four decades and scientists had been saying … “Minister Seamus O’Regan came to Grassy Narrows but he came to Grassy Narrows offering an assisted living home, that’s not what we’re asking for,” said Chief Rudy Turtle. As many as 1,000 people showed symptoms of the dreaded “Minamata disease” in the 1960s and 1970s. The band said the construction timeline of two to three years is “achievable” as long as “Canada cooperates.” Grassy Narrows residents first began to … All Rights Reserved. [11] However, time has not lowered the levels of mercury in the Wabigoon River system as the paper and pulp industry in Dryden and the Canadian government had originally told the residents. Ontario Minamata disease is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning.It occurred in the Canadian province of Ontario, in 1970, and severely affected two First Nation communities in Northwestern Ontario following consumption of local fish contaminated with mercury, and one First Nation in Southern Ontario due to illegal disposal of industrial chemical waste. Grassy Narrows unveils mercury treatment centre design but wonders whether government is committed to building it. On the way back we cross the Wabigoon River. Environment Minister Glen Murray announced in Jun 2017 article, CBC news: Ontario will spend $85 million to clean up industrial mercury contamination that is poisoning the people at Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations in NW Ont 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." [5] From 1876 to 1969 schooling was at McIntosh Indian Residential School, a residential school in McIntosh, Ontario. “We’re asking for a Mercury Home. Abitibi-Consolidated has been harvesting trees in the area. 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. We have everyhting that you need for the perfect vacation. [16] Additionally, studies have found that the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation have experienced hypertension, stroke, as well as lung, stomach, psychiatric, orthopedic and heart diseases due to eating fish with high levels of mercury. The Grassy Narrows band began seeking compensation in 1970. The Trudeau administration committed to building the centre when Chief Simon Fobister and Jane Philpott, minister of Indigenous Services, met in 2017. Grassy Narrows First Nation, or the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation, is a small First Nations community in northwestern Ontario. Sarah Bollard was born in Grassy Narrows but sent to live with a white family in suburban Toronto. 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. Matthew Coon Come, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, showed his support at the blockade Feb.27. Pointing to a purple blotch where he shares a cabin with a Grassy Narrows trapper, he says, “If they cut here, we’ll have to pretend we’re living in a forest.” He cares about old growth forests and a way of life. [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. 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. 1870 + Decline of the fur Trade. In December 2014, a request for an individual environmental assessment into the impact of clear-cut logging was denied by the province. Previously he worked with Mennonite Central Committee. 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. In a 1998 letter, Abitibi wrote to Grassy Narrows: “We realize the way we manage the forest may be considered catastrophic, but we also believe that in the long run it is best for the forest.”. [8][9] Workers from the industry have admitted that there are a multitude of hidden mercury containers near the Wabigoon River that has caused health problems among the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation community to be a continuous issue. [16] That being said, it is due to the fact that the soil in the river and the sediment contains high levels of mercury that the fish in the Wabigoon River system may no longer be safely be ingested. 14 May 1875 Minister of Interior approves relocation to Grassy Narrows. The reserve has one school, Sakatcheway Anishinabe School, the serves students from junior kindergarten to grade 12. In some regions of Africa, like Malawi, climate change can also lead to landslides, hailstorms, and mudslides. Email me when someone replies to my comment, 334 MacLaren Street - Suite 200Ottawa ONK2P 0M6Unceded Algonquin Territory, 501-309 Cooper St, Ottawa ON K2P 0G5Unceded Algonquin Territory, Charitable registration number: 89438 3512 RR0001 (CJL Foundation). The sentiment is echoed by non-Aboriginal trapper Don Billard. There were deer and moose on the reserve which were hunted for meat and supplemented by fish. Miller pegged the timeline to finish the buildings at between 18 and 36 months. Grassy Narrows First Nations chief hails more funding for mercury treatment centre. [7] It is believed that approximately 10 tons (20,000 pounds) of mercury was dumped into the Wabigoon River system between 1962 and 1970. 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. The fur trade shifted this practice toward trapping smaller animals and trading their furs. The discovery of mercury poisoning in 1970 was a devastating blow to Grassy Narrows. [25] Given these points, the Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation community have not stopped consuming fish as fish are considered as sacred more-than-human beings who have the ability to teach valuable lessons to the future generations. [12][11] The waste from the industry upstream has not merely affected the Wabigoon River system, the mercury contamination has also infected water sources that the Wabigoon River system feeds into such as Clay Lake and Ed Wilson Landing. And no timeline has been given for the next phase of design or construction. [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. Work was available as hunting and fishing guides and cleaning tourist lodges. Each parcel was selected for access to fishing and hunting grounds and for suitability for gardening. Tribal members were allowed to hunt, fish, and trap on unused portions of their former domain; the government undertook to establish schools; and to give ammunition for hunting, twine to make nets, agricultural implements and supplies, and a small amount of money to the tribe. Mercury poisoning among the people of Grassy Narrows was first discovered in the early 1970s by Japanese researchers. “It’s a provincial matter,” he says. The issue of Aboriginal rights to customary lands outside reserves is critical for Grassy Narrows’ hopes of attaining self-reliance. [22], The amount of mercury present in fish as of 2012 was low according to Health Canada, that being said, a health advisory still remains in effect. At blockade headquarters, he pours over maps with webs of roads and networks of blotches on them. Finally, helped by Olthuis, a lawyer and researcher, the community received roughly $7 million in 1985 for compensation, job creation and economic development. Grassy Narrows First Nations chief hails more funding for mercury treatment centre. June … The reserve, legally known as English River Indian Reserve 21, is just over 41 km 2 of land located about 55 km northeast of Kenora.There are 1,594 registered members of Grassy Narrows First Nation (also known as Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek), 971 of whom live on-reserve (2019). 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