‘Mercury justice’ comes to Grassy Narrows First Nation

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$82 million care home named for chief who died of mercury poisoning.

Steve Fobister Sr. fought for the health of his community until his last breath.

The former chief of Grassy Narrows First Nation in northwestern Ontario died of mercury poisoning in 2018.

He was 66.

“See that? That’s his computer,” said his daughter Sherry Fobister pointing to a photo of her father in his hospital bed with a laptop nearby.

“He only had one good hand but he was still writing emails to the government and doing interviews.”

Fobister wanted the Ontario and federal governments to acknowledge his Anishinaabe community was poisoned by a paper mill upstream on the English-Wabigoon River system.

Daily, the mill dumped 2–4.5 kilograms of mercury effluent – totalling more than 10 tonnes – into the water between 1962 and 1970. The impact sickened generations.

“He was a hunter, fisher, trapper,” said Emily. “The poison is in the water, in the fish and in the game that we eat.”

Steve also lobbied politicians to build a medical and long-term care home in Grassy Narrows, which is located 60 kilometres north of Kenora, Ont. and just east of the Manitoba border. In 2020, a deal was signed with Canada to make the mercury treatment centre a reality.

On Wednesday, the sisters were beaming as ground was broken for the hard-won Paapiiwaaniimaan Mercury Care Home. Paapiiwaaniimaan was their dad’s traditional name that means “little twister” in Anishinaabowemin.

“He was a whirlwind” of activity and “activisim”, said Sherry.

“The government didn’t admit that it was mercury poisoning and he just wanted politicians to admit that it was … His doctor gave him all kinds of diagnoses from Lou Gehrigs’ (ALS) to you name it.”

Experts say mercury poisoning is difficult to diagnose with symptoms that mimic other body-wasting diseases. But the family and community are resolute that Steve and others like him died of the condition before governments would act.

“This is the culmination of years and years and years of advocacy,” said Judy Da Silva, who spent her life campaigning for “mercury justice”.

Construction of the $82-million facility is scheduled to begin in April, said a spokesperson for the project, noting the site has been cleared and preparatory work is underway. The federal government is picking up the tab, along with $68.9-million for 30 years of operational costs.

Paapiiwaaniimaan should open in about three years.

Da Silva, a mercury sufferer, says the building will stand as a testament to the community’s wins and losses.

“Today, I remember all those people that did those treks to go protest,” she told the ground-breaking ceremony attended by Indigenous Service Canada Minister Patty Hajdu. “To go fight for these things that we’re getting today, especially the mercury home.”

Da Silva called for a moment of silence to remember all of the warriors who died in the battle so far.

“Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said.

Meanwhile, among his daughters’ photos is one of Steve welcoming the future generation he fought for – his first great-grandchild.

“That was his wish,” said Emily in an interview. “His dying wish was to see her before he died.”

https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/m ... st-nation/