Mercury Disability Board

Throughout the 1960's a pulp and paper mill in Dryden, ON, discharged 10 tonnes of mercury & other pollutants into the English & Wabigoon River system, thereby contaminating the water eco system which sustains the communities of Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong Independant Nations upstream. After ongoing efforts of community members over many decades, a compensation scheme was initially designed in the 1980's as part of a settlement, acknowledged in 1985 by the mill owners, Canada and the province of Ontario. This compensation scheme underwent rigorous review by an expert panel of professionals from across Canada and the United States, and in February, 2021 the Final Report called for teams of health professionals to support the process by providing comprehensive and culturally sensitive assessments, thereby creating a more adequate level of compensation for these community members due to the devastating harm and loss experienced as a result of mercury contamination.