Environmental Racism in Canadian News Discourse

The Case of Grassy Narrows

Abstract

Grassy Narrows (Ontario, Canada) came to public attention in 1970 when it was revealed that an alarming number of the community members were displaying symptoms of the Minamata disease, a form of mercury poisoning. The source of pollution, Reed Paper chemical plant, had dumped between 4 and 9 kg of mercury per day into the Wabigoon river from 1962 to 1970.
In January 2017, the Canadian press covered the news again after Grassy Narrows chief urged PM Trudeau to engage the federal government in the clean-up of the river.
This paper takes into account the recent developments of this dispute – that bears important consequences for the community and the government – analysing the news reports published from early 2017 to early 2018. The paper compares and contrasts national and local newspapers’ construal of the event and the political and social actors involved, to examine how the news was framed in relation to issues of (in)visibility as forms of violence. Special emphasis is further given to the concept of environmental racism which plays a pivotal role in how First Nations communities are treated in Canada.