Then and Now

Hi Friends
With the recent uproar over the body bags being delivered to reserves, as expected there were the usual outcries from the uninformed.

Here's a history lesson from the 1960's ( the age of Aquarius, peace, love and understanding, the brotherhood of man).
Have you ever heard of Minamata disease? The people of Grassy Narrows and White Dog reserves did. They lived it; and the effects are still felt in their communities to this day.
In the fifties their water supply showed signs of mercury pollution. The contamination forced these reserves to close their fisheries. Still the government reaction was slow, even in the face of devastating health problems in the two communities. The First Nations involved eventually invited Japanese scientist from Minamata Japan where a similar thing had happened into their communities to assess what was going on.The scientists confirmed "Minamata Disease," a motor and nervous disorder caused by mercury poisoning. The culprit turned out to be the unrestricted dumping of methyl mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system by a pulp and paper mill. Amid the scandal a new agreement was signed for a new mill in 1976 with safe guards put into place.
The communities now must restrict their in take of fish,and though the contaminations levels have slowly gone down, a recent case of Minamata Diease in a three year old girl has illustrated this is still not a safe community to live and raise children in.
But that was then...right...

Now on to Sarnia Ontario, Canada's chemical valley. Aamjiwnaang First Nation reserve near Sarnia Ontario has a disproportionate numbers of female births, in fact the highest in the world. This reserve is ground zero for the heaviest load of air pollution in Canada. Sixty percent of the 5.7 kilograms of toxic air releases recorded in 2005 were released within a five kilometer radius of the reserve. In 2005, 131 million kilograms of pollutants were released from 46 plants in Sarinia's Chemical Valley. These pollutants are known to cause cancer and or developmental and reproductive disorders among humans.
Sarnia's Mayor has criticized Health Canada and the government for trying to exclude the First Nation and the local occupational health clinic from on going talks about developing a comprehensive health survey for Chemical Valley.
But that was then...right...

. So here goes...with the history of bad behavior perpetrated by the Canadian governments against our people why would you think this was anything but a kick in the groin to the communities in question?
These reserves were hit hardest in the spring outbreak of the H1N1 virus, yet this Government failed to act in a caring and responsible manner then, by refusing to send hand sanitizer. Their reasoning? The sanitizer contained alcohol and it might be abused. Most reserves are dry by order of the Indian Act and to send alcohol into the community could result in fines and /or jail time for the person or persons caught doing such.
So body bags I guess were the next obvious choice.
But that was ... to be continued...
Right ???