GRASSY NARROWS - YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF "DELAY, DENY WATCH THEM DIE"

Last Tuesday here in the Advocate I posted about how our governments routinely avoid addressing issues with the full knowledge that their disinterest and apathy costs lives. That day (Nov. 9/21) there was an article in the Waterloo Region Record describing the effects of government delays on our military veterans. I also listed a few other obvious examples of similar government inaction done to discourage applications (WCB) as well as to wait out environmental issues as both victims died and contamination migrated and was diluted. The fairly clear plan was to reduce the cleanup costs as well as to reduce any payouts to those whose health was damaged. Once they're gone so are their health care costs. ................................................................................................................. The November 6/21 newspaper (K-W Record) carried an article giving us an update on the status of the Grassy Narrows"cleanup". Yes that is the same "cleanup" that our provincial politicians of all stripes have been talking about since the late 1960s. It seems that the Reed paper mill dumped several tons of toxic mercury into the English-Wabigoon river system back then. That mercury is till in the sediments and the fish in the river as well as having been consumed by local indigenous inhabitants. Vaguely similar to Elmira, Ontario where the most affected residents are Old Order Mennonites not keen on using the courts to settle problems/disputes; our native Canadians do not appear to be very high on any politician's priority list. Promises of health centres and compensation to residents has been ongoing for decades. Some funding for actual cleanup has been set aside but once again it is much cheaper to "study" the problem than to actually fix it. Consultants and various experts have made suggestions but according to the author of this article (Darshan Maharaja), as of the last report handed out to the public (March 31, 2020) implementation of remediation plans has yet not started. .............................................................................................................. Think about that. The illegal dumping occurred in the 1960s and "cleanup" to date has not removed a single ounce of mercury from the river. What a province we live in if you are wealthy and influential. Otherwise keep your head down and hope for the best.