A Sermon Preached by Our Deacon, The Rev. Lorna May, at Prince of Peace, Wasaga Beach, abd St Luke's, Creemore, on Sunday, Sept 13th, the Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost.
The world we know it is changing irreversibly with unbearable heat, flash floods and forest fires. For many this has developed into deep grief and anxiety as we are concerned for our future. Our Diocese is acknowledging the season of creation, where we are asked to consider the the Living Water. We are reminded that water binds all things.
I am going to share with you what I have learned, through reading, and speaking with Elders about their home in Grassy Narrows.
First the mink and the otters started to disappear. Then the local people began noticing the odd way the vultures and eagles were flying. One man watched his kitten salivating and walking in circles and convulsing. These were early warning signs around 1970 that something sinister was happening in Grassy Narrows along side the English-Wabagoon rivers in norther western Ontario.
Grassy Narrows is a small Anishanaabe First Nation band 80 km north of Kenora with traditional roots in Northwestern Ontario who continue celebrating and preserving traditions in Indigenous culture and living. Their land is part of the boreal forest where the land sustains them both physically and spiritually and they are committed to protecting it guided by the wisdom of their elders, the strength of their youth, and the teaching of their culture as they work together to build a healthier , stronger future for all. They continue to support each other in healing, growth and cultural pride. Situated on the English-Wabagoon River system, there are over 1600 registered members, with about 1000 living on the reserve.
For decades the people of Grassy Narrows have lived with mercury contamination in their river system. Between 1962 and 1970 The Dryden paper mill released 9 thousand kilograms of mercury used in the bleaching process into their river system. Through the 70’s, they continued generating airborne mercury emissions until late into the 80’s. In 1986 the Ontario Ministry of the Environment released an assessment that advised against dredging the water system thus relying on the natural process of the river cleaning itself over the next decades.
This community depended on the fish for food and their thriving commercial fishing industry. The people of Grassy Narrows relied on that river for generations, consumed the fish and suffered the consequences. So what happened? Not surprising livelihoods disappeared, and the community entered a cycle of harm that has never been resolved.
I was recently part of a webinar that heard from Sandra, a young woman from Grassy. She spoke about the ongoing efforts to seek accountability and justice. She described the familiar pattern: land contamination, poisoned water and the slow generational harm that follows. Growing up Sandra recalls her mother going to the river to haul water, and melting snow in the water because clean drinking water was not always available. At the time she did not fully understand. Today some can afford bottled or filtration systems but many cannot. Later, she learned that mercury had entered her own body through the land and food systems. Moose, fish and other animals were all affected by the industrial contamination . She says “ no one ever talks about disabilities being connected to the land”. Environmental harm is often described vaguely, as if it is only in the air, disconnected from peoples bodies. But for Indigenous communities, the land, water and body are inseparable. When the land is poisoned, people are poisoned. Elders in the community remember when the water was safe, when people could fish and swim and live according to the teachings passed down from generations. They have also witnessed what happens when those ways of life are disrupted. Loss of livelihood , declining health, increased mental health issues are not isolated circumstances, but have rippled through the community. It has been confirmed that 90 per cent of the people in Grassy have mental health, addictions, or physical limitations such as tremors, numbness, impaired vision, neurological damage and chronic pain, ADHD, anxiety, and shorter life spans all due to the mercury in their systems. The entire community is sick. Can we even imagine what that would be like to live in day in and day out?
When children started having difficulties as infants they were taken to the hospital where doctors told them it could not possibly be mercury poisoning. They blamed it on it was their life choices, intergenerational marriages, neurologists told parents that there children simply had birth defects. It wasn’t until 1975 when a Dr. From Japan diagnosed Minamata disease which is severe methyl mercury poisoning. Scientists have continued their research with follow up visits. What is shocking is the fact that Canadian scientists have not investigated the human health effects of the poisoning. There has not been any long term tracking are what now understood to be life long effects of ingested mercury. In 2010 Canadian science did disclose that “ there should have been extensive examinations and followups”. Should have. .. Of course if we think about it , nursing students were taught never to touch a thermometer if it had been dropped and broken during to contact with mercury due to the serious health risks. Doctors now understand that methyl mercury passes through the placenta to the fetus, causing irreversible central nervous system damage, and severe cognitive defects, even if the mother showed now symptoms herself.
It’s important to understand that the impacts of the poisoning go far beyond the physical illness. When land and water are no longer safe entire social systems unravel. Families struggle to care for their children. Substance use, violence and suicide increase. Child welfare systems intervenes. Employment opportunities disappear,, and all of this from environmental harm.
When I was speaking with Judy this week she told me that in the early 80’s some youth from Grassy Narrows moved to Kenora to try and find work. They were not welcomed. The word on the street was “ let those Indians stay numb, we don’t want immigrants here”. Shameful. For some families whose youth ventured away this brought up the pain and horror of residential schools which then , increased the use of drugs and alcohol for the families trying to cope. Judy herself went to a residential school, and it was very difficult for her to speak to me about this last week.
Through all this the Elders see hope in how people have refused to remain silent about Grassy Narrows. The community has spent years challenging governments and industries , asserting treaty rights and demanding accountability . They are passionate about forcing systems to recognize and admit formally, that economic gain cannot come and the cost of human life. Every human has the right to dignified living conditions. It means acknowledging wrong doing, compensating communities that have been harmed, and ensuring that future generations are protected.
Water is sacred, and it is what keeps our planet sustainable. The people of Grassy Narrows challenge faith groups to see environmental justice as a responsibility and to listen to Indigenous voices , especially Elders and people living with disabilities caused by environmental disruption.
What kind of world will be left four or five generations from now if these harms continue unchecked? Justice continues with listening and acting before it is too late.
So how are things today in Grassy NarrowS? Well, the heavy metal continues to contaminate the water. Every day mining, logging and the combustion of fossil fuels release more waste into the river to continue the dangerous ascent into the food chain. The interest for scientists has faded. Government monitoring has tapered off and the hand bound research reports now gather dust in libraries.
Have you noticed that there are certain natural disasters, situations that headline the news each day. There are positive things happening all around us for sure. As Christians we gather week by week to give thanks for this land we call home, to encourage either other, and to continue our calling to go into the world that God loves. We do it in small ways, any way we can to make our part of the world a better place. It may not make the news but its often what matters the most.
On Wednesday September 23rd I will be participating in the River Run: Walk with Grassy Narrows for Justice. The people of Grassy have the longest running blockade in Canadian history which has helped foster Indigenous resistance across Turtle Island and has saved 15 million trees from being cut. They will speak out and ask why the Care Home originally promised by the Government for 2017 is being completed by 2027. They will ask that community members be compensated fairly for the mercury crisis. They will ask that the Dryden mill be stopped to end the nuclear waste that threatens Grassy. They will ask for support to restore their community and way of life from the damage that mercury has done while proposals for new mines and a nuclear waste disposal site threaten to make things worse.
My hope is that we can all in our own lives be aware of how we can respect the clean water that we have. Research if you don’t know how to properly dispose of hazardous materials, reduce chemical use, minimize the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and clean up pet waste so that bacteria does not wash into lakes and streams during storms. Learn more about the Government of Canada Clean Water Plan. Because we are privileged.
The people of Grassy Narrow have for over 50 years struggled with basic human rights over the poisoning of the English-Wabagoon rivers.
I pray that as members of this Diocese that we will stand with Grassy Narrows until the water runs clean and the people are heard. I speak in the name of the living and loving God.
Amen .
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