grassynarrows

WARNING: This story contains sensitive subject matter, including suicide and self-harm, that could be triggering for some readers.

Guest: Sheila Wang, investigative reporter

A new study has revealed that tons of mercury dumped as industrial waste upstream of Grassy Narrows First Nations decades ago has contributed to the community’s youth attempting suicide at a rate three times higher than that of other First Nations in Canada. Residents of the community have long reported tremors, slurred speech, impaired hearing, tunnel vision and lost muscle co-ordination, but this is the first time a direct connection has been made between mercury contamination and the deteriorating mental health of the younger generation. We take a look at this new information and its significance.

Audio sources: Star files, Global News, APTN News

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Sean Pattendon.

If you are thinking of suicide or know someone who is, there is help. Resources are available online at crisisservicescanada.ca or you can connect to the national suicide prevention helpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.

It’s 2021 and many people in Canada’s First Nations still do not have clean drinking water. The startling fact is laid bare in “Clean Water, Broken Promises,” an extensive report from Concordia University’s Institute of Investigative Journalism which brought together 70 students from 10 universities, professional journalists from six news outlets across Canada for two years of extensive reporting in a collaborative investigation. Two of the key members of the investigative team join “This Matters” to discuss the toll of the water crisis on generations of First Nations communities. Guests: Annie Burns-Pieper, former managing editor of the Institute of Investigative Journalism (IIJ) at Concordia University and Brittany Hobson, reporter at APTN News.