One of the First Nations in Northern Ontario has filed a lawsuit against the governments of Ontario and Canada due to the ongoing mercury pollution in the river system that flows through its lands.

The Grassy Narrows First Nation claims that the governments have violated their obligations by failing to ensure that the community can safely exercise its right to fish.

The lawsuit alleges that the governments first allowed the pollution of the English-Wabigoon river system and then failed to address it, all while permitting industrial activities that exacerbated the damage.

The legal action comes weeks after a study indicated that runoff from a paper mill upstream of the community worsens mercury pollution that dates back decades.

The researchers who conducted the study stated that while the wastewater from the mill does not contain mercury, the mixture of sulfates and organic matter in it contributes to increased production of methylmercury—the most toxic form of the pollutant.

The Grassy Narrows First Nation has suffered from mercury poisoning since the 1960s, when 9,000 kilograms of mercury were dumped into the river system.

The mill ceased using mercury in its industrial operations in the 1970s, but mercury levels in the mill have not significantly decreased since the 1980s.

The Grassy Narrows Nation states that the claim statement was submitted to the governments today.

When the study was released last month, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said that the government would continue to work with the mill owner and the Indigenous communities affected by mercury pollution in the area.