Water is sacred. We are made up of water just like parts of the surface of the earth. Water is our first teaching, it sustains life. Can you imagine a place where the water is considered toxic? This is life in Aamjiwnaang.
It is important to empower ourselves as stewards of the water, as government and industry have downplayed, ignored and actively worked to repress information about water pollution in Chemical Valley. By conducting our own water testing of pollutants in our territories, we build the knowledge, skills, and resources to get answers about long standing questions about the level and nature of contamination in Aamjiwnaang. We also have strong alliances with researchers who have expressed concern about the impacts they have seen, particularly given recent research into the impacts of pollutants on women in Chemical Valley.
The money raised with this fundraiser will help pay for tests for heavy metals, PAH’s, and PCB’s on water/sediment samples of creeks and ponds in Aamjiwnaang’s territories. One-third of chemical valley sits on lands stolen from the Aamjiwnaang people.
ASAP water and sediment testing initiative will consist of collect samples, writing a community report of results. Conducting water testing by sending samples to independent labs for analysis, working with university partners, communicating results back to community (i.e. videos, written reports, social media)
Project Timeline:· May/June – Community meetings on water/sediments testing
· July/August –Conduct lab testing of water/sediments samples
· September – Host Toxic Tour in Aamjiwnaang/present results from lab testing
This work will be done with the guidance and support from elders and youth from Aamjiwnaang. It is important that we follow our culture’s way of life by having elder and youth work hand in hand for a common goal.
About Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia against Pipelines
ASAP
was created in 2012 with the vision to raise awareness about the Enbridge Line
9 pipeline project, which increases the transport of tar sands dilbit in
Chemical Valley, and will result in greater pollution for Aamjiwnaang, as well
as increase the risk of pipeline spills. Since that time, ASAP has expanded its
mandate to look at fracking projects, refineries, and the transport of toxic
chemicals in Aamjiwnaang’s territories. ASAP is a community led initiative.
We
work to confront the industries that pollute, steal our lands, and put our
community at risk. ASAP asserts Indigenous Rights and Sovereignty, and we use
both direct action and education to raise awareness about environmental
injustice. We highlight how environmental racism has created a scenario where
our community is polluted and cannot receive basic health or environmental
testing, while oil companies make billions from their operations in the Valley.
Background
Locally,
Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Walpole, Sarnia, and other communities will directly
benefit through increased knowledge regarding the contaminant levels in this
region. In 2004, community concerns about birth ratio’s lead to the discovery
of endocrinal disruption on reserve. In 2008, a community health study
documented reproductive, respiratory, and cancer clusters in Aamjinwnaang
related to industrial pollution. In 2013, researchers documented high levels of
PCB’s, PFC’s, as well as a host of carcinogen’s and mutagens in child-mother
pairings on reserve. More knowledge of where these pollutants are in the
community can help keep people safe from high exposures, and identify areas for
immediate remediation in terms of toxic exposure.
Chi-Miigwetch (Thank You)
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