Aamjiwnaang

This week as Canada’s National Observer toured the refineries at the doorstep of Aamjiwaang First Nation, rotten egg and acrid chemical smells wafted over children playing ball hockey nearby. Air monitoring data revealed another spike of sulphur dioxide on Nov. 26, reaching 300 parts per billion — a level more than four times higher than the maximum hourly concentrations set by the federal government. Just another day in Chemical Valley.

“Aamjiwnaang will no longer be known as the community that is a victim of Chemical Valley, but we will be known for our environmental leadership,” said Chief Janelle Nahmabin, elected in September of 2024.

Over the past year, Indigenous communities across Canada have faced a number of crises — from natural disasters to the poisoning of air and water supplies by industry. We spoke with Patty Hajdu about this tumultuous time.

The owners of a Sarnia, Ont., plastics plant that has been emitting dangerous levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene for years say they need more time to comply with tougher federal rules.

Environmental activist Beze Gray of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation worries that the government data collected will be too broad and not fully encompassing of what their community has experienced.

It’s not clear when the leak began — a source said staff were warned that “the leak happened last night and (was) still not contained” — but the chemical involved Wednesday afternoon was hydrogen sulphide, said an alert issued by the nearby First Nations community of Aamjiwnaang.

An internal document obtained by The Price of Oil investigation reveals accusations from Ontario engineers that the provincial government has 'ignored' a First Nation's chemical pollution concerns.

The announcement comes after joint investigation by Global News, the Toronto Star, National Observer, The Michener Awards Foundation and journalism schools at Ryerson and Concordia.

Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe said it’s “truly shameful” what is happening to residents living near what’s known as Sarnia’s “Chemical Valley.”