Caravan from Grassy Narrows First Nation makes stops to educate about mercury poisoning ahead of Toronto rally

Warning: This story contains references to suicide.

Annie Sneaky says the loss of her two sisters to suicide is what drives her to defend the lands and waters of Grassy Narrows First Nation.

"My twin sister and I did a lot of this work since losing our younger sister in 2016. She was only 11 years old," said Sneaky.

"Last year, July 2023, I lost my twin sister to suicide, so that's two sisters I've lost, and I know that it shouldn't be this way and I should have never lost them."

Sneaky is part of a caravan of more than a dozen people travelling from northwestern Ontario to Toronto to raise awareness about the impact of mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows, also known as Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek. They'll be picking up more people, including a busload of 50 others, along the way.

Mercury contamination on Grassy Narrows dates back to the 1960s and '70s, when the Dryden Paper Mill dumped about nine tonnes of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system. Recent research out of the University of Western Ontario suggests the contamination is being made worse by ongoing industrial pollution from the mill.

Last summer, a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found youth from Grassy Narrows are three times more likely to attempt suicide than those from other First Nations in Canada.

"The poisoning has to do a lot with it, but a lot of young people don't know that and don't understand it," said Sneaky.

The caravan is expected to arrive in Toronto on Monday, and join supporters from across the province at an event Wednesday called River Run 2024: Walk with Grassy Narrows for Mercury Justice.

The rally starts at Grange Park and heads to Queen's Park. There, participants will call for compensation for everyone in Grassy Narrows who's been affected by mercury poisoning, and respect for the First Nation's Indigenous Protected Area — land where the community has banned development.

In June, Grassy Narrows filed a lawsuit in Ontario's Superior Court of Justice against the provincial and federal governments. The lawsuit argues the governments have violated their duties under Treaty 3 by failing to protect against or remedy the effects of mercury contamination in the English-Wabigoon River system.

The caravan has already made stops in Dryden, Thunder Bay and Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, also known as Pic River First Nation, to educate people about mercury contamination. In the coming days, it will also visit Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Six Nations before arriving in Toronto.

It's estimated 90 per cent of the Grassy Narrows population — just under 1,000 people — have symptoms of mercury poisoning. Symptoms can include tremors, insomnia, memory loss, neuromuscular effects, headaches, and cognitive and motor dysfunction.

"Arthritis is a big thing that I never used to have problems with and now it's creeping up on me," said Keiyanah Bird, a member of the caravan, who says her arthritis is linked to the community's mercury contamination. "I'm only in my mid-twenties, so that's concerning."