SIMILARITIES BETWEEN GRASSY NARROWS & UNIROYAL CHEMICAL IN ONTARIO

There is Mercury contamination in the local river/creek. The Ontario government through their Ministry of Environment are ultimately responsible. The closest inhabitants to the contamination are primarily viewed by the province and senior politicians as having very little influence or public support. Monitoring, testing, polite words are used by the government while prevaricating to the local citizens. Cleanup is often talked about but rarely occurs. Local politicians have run interference between the upset citizens and those responsible for the contamination.

There are differences. Here in Elmira we also have Dioxins/Furans, P.C.B.s and DDT above federal criteria in our creek sediments, benthic organisms and fish; all in the Canagagigue Creek. While pulp and paper mills have a reputation for discharging chlorinated dioxins as part of their bleaching process I am not aware as to this having occurred in the English-Wabigoon River system of which Grassy Narrows is a part. Here we have had pretend "public consultation" for the last couple of decades plus. I'm doubtful that the residents of Grassy Narrows would waste their time talking forever to the professional liars running the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Our local polluter Uniroyal/Chemtura have spent big sums of money on consultants and studies that were not necessary in order to clean up their discharges. Here the responsible (ie. guilty) party has played the game very well. They and their partners in pollution, the M.O.E., have worked together to accomplish what my friend Richard Clausi loves to quote: "When all is said and done, more was said than was done.".

The latest article in the Waterloo Region Record is titled "More mercury testing at Grassy Narrows" and was published last Tuesday.