50 barrels of toxic waste

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Published on Friday, 24 June 2016 15:00

Written by editor

I almost spit out my coffee when I read the paper this morning.

The front-page story in the Toronto Star revealed that the Ontario government ignored a report about 50 barrels of salt and highly toxic liquid mercury buried “haphazardly” upstream from the Grassy Narrows First Nation. [1]

Last summer, a former mill worker admitted to participating in the shallow burial of the toxic waste in 1972. Unbelievably, the government told him there was nothing to worry about and didn’t even bother looking for the toxic waste dump until reporters started asking questions this month. [2]

Mercury poisoning has been taking lives in the Grassy Narrows First Nation for decades, compounding generations of abuse against Indigenous nations. The government has refused to make a firm commitment to clean up the river, claiming that it’s impossible to safely clean up the mercury. Now, it’s clear that they aren’t even trying.

More than 12,000 people have signed a petition started by FreeGrassy.net calling on the the government to finally clean up the river. Now, the story is blowing up in the media, and if we can turn up the heat while the government is deciding on their response, it could be enough to force their hand. Will you add your voice right now?

Sign the petition now

Thanks for all you do,
Amara, on behalf of the entire Leadnow.ca team

p.s. the Ontario government is in damage control mode, and if we can pile on enough pressure now, they'll have no choice but to commit to a full river clean up. Add your voice now: https://you.leadnow.ca/petitions/clean-up-the-mercury-that-s-poisoning-grassy-narrows-water?source=LNenfnB​

[1-2] Province ignores information about possible mercury dumping: Star investigation (Toronto Star). https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2016/06/20/province-ignores-information-about-possible-mercury-dumping-ground-star-investigation.html

This campaign is being run by FreeGrassy with support from Leadnow.

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