Grassy Narrows will receive US$68.9 million from Ottawa for Mercury Care Home
After decades of just fighting, Grassy Narrows First Nation and Ottawa reached a historic agreement that will provide $68.9 million in additional funding for a facility dedicated to caring for members of the mercury-poisoned community.
The agreement announced on Monday was reached almost 60 years after mercury From Dryden Pulp and Paper Mill It was originally dumped in the Wabigon River in the upper reaches of the aboriginal northwest of Ontario.
For decades, the residents of Grassy Narrows, about 80 kilometers north of Kenora, have been dealing with mercury pollution, which has affected the physical and mental health of approximately 1,500 people, as well as the life and culture of the community.
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Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Randy Fobister. Photo courtesy of Grand Council Treaty #3.
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Leadership of Grassy Narrows First Nation has introduced a new law to control the amount of alcohol coming into the community, with enforcement from the Treaty Three Police Service.
In a prepared release, Grassy Narrows says the Alcohol Inagonigaawin is an inherent law that establishes fines for people who bring ‘excessive’ quantities of alcohol into the community. The amount that is considered excessive was not quantified.
“Alcoholism is a colonial illness. Prior to contact, our people lived healthy lives. Today, many of our members turn to alcohol to cope with the wrongs done to them,” said Grassy Narrows Chief Randy Fobister.