Ontario spending $85M to clean up mercury in two First Nation communities
TORONTO — Ontario is spending an additional $85 million to clean up a mercury-contaminated river that has plagued two First Nation communities for half a century.
Environment Minister Glen Murray says the funds for the remediation of the English-Wabigoon River system in northwestern Ontario will be used to design and implement the cleanup, and for long-term monitoring.
Murray says the money will be spent in partnership with First Nations and remediation will be based on the scientific fieldwork that is currently underway.
To date, the province has provided $2.5 million for sampling and analysis work, and Murray says it will be providing $2.7 million this year to accelerate those efforts.