Canada's Toxic Chemical Valley (Full Length)

00:31:12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnHWZE0M_-k

Sintesi

TLDRThe video investigates the environmental and health crisis faced by the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community located near Sarnia's Chemical Valley, where a significant portion of Canada's petrochemical industry operates. Visitors to Sarnia immediately notice the overpowering smell due to emissions from petrochemical plants, which produce gasoline, plastics, and more. The community of Aamjiwnaang, living at the fence line of these plants, experiences higher-than-average cancer and miscarriage rates, yet there is no comprehensive government health study to address these claims. Tensions run high between the Aamjiwnaang community, the government, and industry. Activists like Vanessa Gray and Ada Lockridge highlight the plight of locals and the need for stricter controls and better health studies. Frequent chemical leaks, such as those involving hydrogen sulfide, are often discovered by local residents rather than the responsible companies. The video features testimonies from local leaders and workers, drawing attention to the historical context, environmental racism, and inadequate monitoring systems. Despite legislative hurdles, the push for accountability and justice continues as locals advocate for cleaner air and water for future generations.

Punti di forza

  • โš ๏ธ Sarnia's Chemical Valley produces major pollution affecting local communities.
  • ๐Ÿญ Aamjiwnaang First Nation faces high cancer and miscarriage rates.
  • โ— Activists struggle for better environmental law enforcement.
  • ๐Ÿšซ Hydrogen sulfide spills indicate severe safety oversights.
  • ๐Ÿ’ก Industry is often prioritized over community health and safety.
  • ๐Ÿ“ฐ Government lacks comprehensive studies on local health impacts.
  • ๐ŸŒ Pollution disproportionately impacts indigenous and poor communities.
  • ๐Ÿ‘ฅ Local women, like Vanessa Gray and Ada Lockridge, lead environmental activism.
  • ๐Ÿงช Chemical monitoring is inadequate, relying on community-initiated checks.
  • ๐Ÿ“œ Historical industrial developments ignored environmental impacts.

Linea temporale

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The Chemical Valley in Sarnia, Ontario, is a major center for Canada's petrochemical industry, surrounded by controversy due to its impact on the local First Nations community, Aamjiwnaang. The area is plagued by pollution, which is suspected to cause health problems such as cancer and miscarriages. Despite these concerns, a comprehensive government health study has not been conducted, leading to tensions between the community, the government, and the industry.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Residents of Aamjiwnaang live next to the Chemical Valley and face frequent chemical leaks, with incidents often unreported. Activist Vanessa Gray spoke out against plans for industrial expansion at a local energy conference, highlighting the community's struggle for clean air and water. These tensions coincide with recurring protests by the First Nations against environmental damage to their lands.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Christine Rogers, a mother from Aamjiwnaang, describes her children being affected by a hydrogen sulfide leak that was not properly reported by the responsible company, Shell. This incident underscores community frustrations about inadequate safety and communication measures from the petrochemical industry, as they push for better regulations and accountability to protect their health.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The historical development of the Chemical Valley is linked to mid-19th century oil discoveries and World War II-era industrial demands. The resulting rapid expansion led to companies acquiring land from Aamjiwnaang. The area's proximity to U.S. markets fueled industrial growth, exacerbating environmental and health issues experienced by the local indigenous community.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Sarnia's Mayor acknowledges the historical injustices faced by Aamjiwnaang and calls for better industry practices. Former local scientist Jim Brophy discusses environmental racism, which places these marginalized communities at greater risk from chemical exposures. The ongoing struggle highlights a lack of sufficient protective measures for the community and workers in the Chemical Valley.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:31:12

    Local activist Ada Lockridge employs direct action, such as monitoring air quality through grassroots methods, to combat the lack of corporate accountability. Environmental challenges persist, evidenced by issues like large-scale benzene leaks and polluted public spaces. Community members seek justice and recognition of their health rights, although efforts are continually hampered by systemic denials and industrial interests.

Mostra di piรน

Mappa mentale

Mind Map

Domande frequenti

  • What is the Chemical Valley?

    The Chemical Valley is an industrial area in Sarnia, Ontario, that contains 40% of Canada's petrochemical industry.

  • Who are the Aamjiwnaang people?

    The Aamjiwnaang are a First Nations community living in close proximity to Sarnia's Chemical Valley.

  • What health issues do Aamjiwnaang residents face?

    Residents face higher rates of cancer and miscarriages, which they attribute to pollution from the Chemical Valley.

  • What is the government response to the environmental issues?

    The government has not yet launched a thorough health study despite reports of elevated cancer and miscarriage rates.

  • What role do activists play in this situation?

    Activists like Vanessa Gray and Ada Lockridge are raising awareness and challenging the petrochemical industry and government inaction.

  • Have there been any chemical spills in the area?

    Yes, there have been multiple chemical leaks, including hydrogen sulfide leaks in 2013.

  • How are industrial emissions monitored?

    Monitoring is often inadequate, with incidents being underreported or discovered by the community.

  • What historical context is provided about the Chemical Valley?

    It was developed during the mid-1800s with major growth during WWII, leading to its current industrial scale.

  • What is the environmental impact of the Chemical Valley?

    The area experiences significant air pollution, affecting both local communities and wildlife.

  • How does pollution affect local wildlife?

    Local wildlife, such as fish and geese, has been reported to be deformed or show signs of pollution-related issues.

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Scorrimento automatico:
  • 00:00:00
  • 00:00:18
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: This is the First Nation of Aamjiwnaang's
  • 00:00:20
    burial ground.
  • 00:00:21
    These people have been here for hundreds of years.
  • 00:00:23
    And about 70 years ago, they got some great new neighbors.
  • 00:00:27
    This is the Chemical Valley.
  • 00:00:28
  • 00:00:43
    The first thing you notice when you visit Sarnia,
  • 00:00:46
    Ontario, is the smell.
  • 00:00:48
    Imagine a mixture of gasoline, melting asphalt, and a trace
  • 00:00:52
    of rotting egg smacking you in the face and crawling up your
  • 00:00:55
    nose every time you breathe.
  • 00:00:58
    It's a cocktail that made me unpleasantly high and dizzy.
  • 00:01:02
    That smell is the Chemical Valley, where 40% of Canada's
  • 00:01:06
    petrochemical industry is located in a 25 kilometer
  • 00:01:09
    squared area.
  • 00:01:11
    The Chemical Valley is responsible for the production
  • 00:01:13
    of gasoline, plastics, pesticides, fertilizers,
  • 00:01:17
    cosmetics, and a whole bunch of other chemicals that our
  • 00:01:20
    society relies on.
  • 00:01:22
    It's estimated that in 2013 alone, the Canadian
  • 00:01:25
    petrochemical industry will generate $24 billion in sales.
  • 00:01:31
    Two years ago, thanks to the 60 petrochemical plants and
  • 00:01:34
    oil refineries that operate in the Chemical Valley 24/7, the
  • 00:01:37
    World Health Organization gave Sarnia the title of the worst
  • 00:01:40
    air in all of Canada.
  • 00:01:44
    To make matters worse, a First Nations reserve called
  • 00:01:47
    Aamjiwnaang, where just under 1,000 people live, shares a
  • 00:01:50
    fence line with the Chemical Valley.
  • 00:01:52
    This is a serious health concern for the people of
  • 00:01:54
    Aamjiwnaang, as their community has consistently
  • 00:01:56
    claimed to have higher cancer and miscarriage rates than the
  • 00:01:59
    national average.
  • 00:02:00
    And yet, the government has not launched a proper health
  • 00:02:03
    study to investigate their allegations.
  • 00:02:04
  • 00:02:07
    Tensions between the First Nations Community of Canada,
  • 00:02:10
    the government, and the petrochemical industry have
  • 00:02:12
    been running high for a very long time.
  • 00:02:15
    Regular participation in highway blockades and protests
  • 00:02:18
    are the norm for many First Nations communities in Canada,
  • 00:02:21
    who are pushing back against environmental damage to their
  • 00:02:23
    native land.
  • 00:02:25
    -You're fucking cowards!
  • 00:02:26
    -What happened is that Anthony W. George was killed.
  • 00:02:28
    His relatives insisted he was a peaceful man.
  • 00:02:31
  • 00:02:34
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: One of the major issues the residents on
  • 00:02:36
    Aamjiwnaang need to deal with are chemical leaks from the
  • 00:02:39
    plants themselves.
  • 00:02:40
    Oftentimes, these leaks go unreported.
  • 00:02:43
    And in the first half of 2013 alone, there were three spills
  • 00:02:46
    of hydrogen sulfide.
  • 00:02:47
    One of them sent several small children form Aamjiwnaang's
  • 00:02:50
    day care to the hospital.
  • 00:02:52
    Once we heard about Aamjiwnaang's struggle, we
  • 00:02:54
    knew we had to go visit the Chemical Valley ourselves to
  • 00:02:57
    try and get a better sense of how the relationship between
  • 00:02:59
    the First Nations and the petrochemical industry is
  • 00:03:01
    being handled, what's being done to ensure the safety of
  • 00:03:05
    the people of Aamjiwnaang, and what the future of the
  • 00:03:07
    Chemical Valley holds.
  • 00:03:10
    We visited Sarnia while a high profile energy conference was
  • 00:03:13
    being held.
  • 00:03:14
    Political leaders and energy executives had converged on
  • 00:03:17
    the city to discuss how more money could be squeezed out of
  • 00:03:20
    Canada's most valuable resource, our oil.
  • 00:03:23
    As you might imagine, the people of Aamjiwnaang were not
  • 00:03:26
    happy to hear that more industry would be
  • 00:03:27
    coming their way.
  • 00:03:28
    -Clean water, clean air, healthy families.
  • 00:03:31
    -No more chemicals in the valley!
  • 00:03:34
    -No more chemicals in the valley!
  • 00:03:37
    -Clean air, clean air--
  • 00:03:38
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: While the protesters demonstrated
  • 00:03:39
    outside of the conference, the energy industry discussed a
  • 00:03:42
    plan to build new oil pipelines all across Canada.
  • 00:03:45
    In response, Vanessa Gray, a 20-year-old activist from
  • 00:03:49
    Aamjiwnaang, was there to cause a disruption.
  • 00:03:52
    VANESSA GRAY: I have the right to clean air and fresh water.
  • 00:03:57
    If you guys feel that money is more important than having
  • 00:04:01
    water, then there's something really fucked up here.
  • 00:04:05
  • 00:04:09
    Thank you.
  • 00:04:10
  • 00:04:20
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: When you were on stage, there were probably
  • 00:04:21
    about six different people that came up to you trying to
  • 00:04:24
    get you off stage.
  • 00:04:25
    You didn't say a word to any of them.
  • 00:04:27
    Is that a difficult thing to do, just keeping a stone face?
  • 00:04:30
    VANESSA GRAY: Yeah, this lady came up to me and said that I
  • 00:04:33
    was taking her right away to enjoy the conference in peace.
  • 00:04:39
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: How did you feel about that?
  • 00:04:41
    VANESSA GRAY: I feel that she's taking my right away to
  • 00:04:44
    breathe air and drink water.
  • 00:04:46
  • 00:04:52
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: After chatting with Vanessa outside
  • 00:04:53
    of the energy conference, we figured we should go meet up
  • 00:04:55
    with her in a less stressful setting.
  • 00:04:57
    That didn't exactly happen.
  • 00:04:59
    She brought us to a site in the valley right by
  • 00:05:01
    Aamjiwnaang called the Blue Water Plaque.
  • 00:05:04
    It commemorates a middle class white community who was
  • 00:05:06
    evacuated from the area because of the unsafe living
  • 00:05:08
    conditions that Aamjiwnaang's residents still live with.
  • 00:05:12
    You're getting involved in these very important, big
  • 00:05:14
    issues at a really young age.
  • 00:05:16
    What was it that first drove you to try and make a
  • 00:05:19
    difference?
  • 00:05:20
    VANESSA GRAY: I've just been affected by cancer in my
  • 00:05:23
    family and my friends and loved ones so much.
  • 00:05:25
    And I would like to see Chemical Valley exposed more
  • 00:05:30
    than it is now.
  • 00:05:31
    I'd like some more health studies to be done.
  • 00:05:35
    People all over can see how fucked up the situation is
  • 00:05:41
    because it's something that a lot of people don't
  • 00:05:43
    understand, and they don't see every day.
  • 00:05:44
  • 00:05:48
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: We went over to the reserve's well kept
  • 00:05:50
    baseball diamond that sits directly across from a massive
  • 00:05:52
    refinery to speak with Christine Rogers.
  • 00:05:56
    Christine is a mother of three daughters who were affected by
  • 00:05:58
    Shell's hydrogen sulfide leak in January of 2013, a leak
  • 00:06:02
    that was discovered by the staff of Aamjiwnaang's day
  • 00:06:04
    care center and the children they were caring for after
  • 00:06:06
    they all noticed a rotten egg smell in the air.
  • 00:06:09
    Several children were sent to the hospital as a result.
  • 00:06:11
    And because Shell did not properly alert the community,
  • 00:06:14
    the kids were wrongfully diagnosed for having colds or
  • 00:06:17
    flus when really they were suffering from hydrogen
  • 00:06:19
    sulfide exposure.
  • 00:06:21
    CHRISTINE ROGERS: You feel like a failure.
  • 00:06:23
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Why?
  • 00:06:24
    CHRISTINE ROGERS: As a parent, you do everything you can to
  • 00:06:25
    protect your children.
  • 00:06:26
    You do everything that you can to make sure that your
  • 00:06:28
    children are safe.
  • 00:06:30
    And when something like that happens that's beyond your
  • 00:06:32
    control, you just feel like you've lost control.
  • 00:06:36
    What if it had been a bigger spill?
  • 00:06:38
    You think you're prepared.
  • 00:06:39
    But really, you're not.
  • 00:06:40
  • 00:06:42
    And I don't--
  • 00:06:45
    honestly, it feels helpless.
  • 00:06:46
  • 00:06:50
    She had gotten the crusted eyes at that time.
  • 00:06:54
    And her eyes were bloodshot for three days.
  • 00:06:56
    And I had to take her to the doctor to make sure there were
  • 00:06:59
    no infections.
  • 00:07:01
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: And how do you think these industries
  • 00:07:02
    need to step up and help this from not happening?
  • 00:07:05
    CHRISTINE ROGERS: If you want to operate here, then you
  • 00:07:07
    should have top of the line technology.
  • 00:07:09
    You should be putting safety above your dollars.
  • 00:07:12
    It's going to cost too much.
  • 00:07:14
    It's going to cost too much.
  • 00:07:14
    That's what you hear all the time.
  • 00:07:17
    And I don't care.
  • 00:07:18
    I don't care how much it costs to you.
  • 00:07:19
    That's my child's safety.
  • 00:07:22
    They would do it if their kids lived right here.
  • 00:07:25
    There's a funny thing that my kids, they came up with.
  • 00:07:29
    You see the smoke coming out over there?
  • 00:07:32
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah.
  • 00:07:33
    CHRISTINE ROGERS: Yeah, they used to think that those were
  • 00:07:35
    cloud makers.
  • 00:07:38
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: That's cute, but also--
  • 00:07:39
    CHRISTINE ROGERS: I had to tell her, no, no,
  • 00:07:40
    that's not a cloud.
  • 00:07:42
    That's pollution.
  • 00:07:43
    That's the bad stuff that we're breathing in.
  • 00:07:45
    So they came up their own saying, the more clouds in the
  • 00:07:49
    sky, the more people will die.
  • 00:07:52
    As a parent, that is heartbreaking that my kids
  • 00:07:55
    think about where they live like that.
  • 00:07:57
  • 00:08:16
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: I'm here outside of the Shell Oil
  • 00:08:17
    refinery, which is one of the largest refineries in the
  • 00:08:20
    Chemical Valley.
  • 00:08:21
    The air fucking smells like gas, and this plant alone has
  • 00:08:25
    been responsible for three different leaks of hydrogen
  • 00:08:28
    sulfide in the past five months since the
  • 00:08:30
    beginning of 2013.
  • 00:08:32
    And if you're not already familiar with hydrogen
  • 00:08:33
    sulfide, it was actually used as a chemical weapon by the
  • 00:08:36
    British in World War I. So you know it's really good for you.
  • 00:08:39
  • 00:08:49
    When oil was first discovered near Sarnia in the mid 1800s,
  • 00:08:52
    mass industrialization was not far away.
  • 00:08:56
    To support the war effort, in the early 1940s, Sarnia became
  • 00:08:59
    a major center for the petrochemical industry.
  • 00:09:02
    And from there, business began to boom.
  • 00:09:05
    Sarnia's proximity to the United States quickly made it
  • 00:09:08
    an exporting hot spot for Canadian petrochemicals.
  • 00:09:11
    And to meet the demand, companies were quick to buy up
  • 00:09:13
    land from the people of Aamjiwnaang back when the
  • 00:09:15
    concept of environmental impact didn't really exist.
  • 00:09:19
    Then, during the '60s and '70s, Sarnia prospered as the
  • 00:09:23
    industry exploded with business.
  • 00:09:25
    All of a sudden, the Chemical Valley was being heralded as a
  • 00:09:28
    wonderfully exciting development.
  • 00:09:30
    Because of this, no one should be under any illusion when it
  • 00:09:33
    comes to the existence of the Chemical Valley.
  • 00:09:36
    We asked for it.
  • 00:09:37
    The operation of our society relies on petrochemicals.
  • 00:09:41
    This is an issue that all of us are responsible for.
  • 00:09:43
  • 00:09:47
    I went to speak with Mayor Mike Bradley, who's been
  • 00:09:49
    running Sarnia for over 25 years, to discuss the history
  • 00:09:53
    of the Chemical Valley, what can be done to improve its
  • 00:09:55
    emissions, and the industry's impact on the people of
  • 00:09:58
    Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia at large.
  • 00:10:00
    MIKE BRADLEY: It doesn't matter where
  • 00:10:01
    you go in North America.
  • 00:10:03
    You will find toxins and other things.
  • 00:10:06
    The question always in this community and anyone that has
  • 00:10:10
    an industrial complex is, what does the cluster do?
  • 00:10:14
    Health Canada came to the community and said, we're
  • 00:10:16
    willing to do this health study.
  • 00:10:18
    And it's going to cost millions.
  • 00:10:20
    And then, within a very short period of time, they removed
  • 00:10:23
    themselves from the process.
  • 00:10:24
    And so that's been the issue of how can you fund it?
  • 00:10:27
    Because it is not an inexpensive process, to make
  • 00:10:29
    it credible.
  • 00:10:31
    I don't believe the study should have
  • 00:10:32
    any money from industry.
  • 00:10:34
    And yet, it is going to be funded in part by industry.
  • 00:10:37
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: What do you think the valid reasons, if
  • 00:10:39
    any, are for Aamjiwnaang to mistrust
  • 00:10:42
    government or industry?
  • 00:10:43
    MIKE BRADLEY: The first oil company came here
  • 00:10:45
    over 100 years ago.
  • 00:10:47
    What really accelerated the industry was they needed to be
  • 00:10:49
    on the water during the Second World War.
  • 00:10:51
    So the big plant [INAUDIBLE] came here, located here, that
  • 00:10:54
    made rubber.
  • 00:10:55
    Then, all the other plants grew around it.
  • 00:10:56
    Well, the natural place to go to was where the Aamjiwnaang
  • 00:11:00
    reserve was.
  • 00:11:01
    So over the years, it's been eroded by industry and, I
  • 00:11:04
    understand, by the city just taking it away.
  • 00:11:06
    History hasn't been fair to the Aamjiwnaang.
  • 00:11:08
    There's no question of that.
  • 00:11:10
    But what I've been trying to do is make sure that this
  • 00:11:12
    generation's life will be better by doing what we can to
  • 00:11:15
    make sure that that relationship is more stable
  • 00:11:18
    it's been in the past.
  • 00:11:18
    You would not do this today.
  • 00:11:20
    You would not locate industry close to a city.
  • 00:11:23
    You would not locate industry on reserve lands in the way it
  • 00:11:27
    was done 30, 40, 50, 60 years ago.
  • 00:11:29
  • 00:11:38
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: We heard a lot about a scientist named
  • 00:11:39
    Jim Brophy who used to work very closely with Aamjiwnaang
  • 00:11:42
    and the workplace victims of Chemical Valley who developed
  • 00:11:45
    serious health conditions from their jobs in the plants.
  • 00:11:48
    Jim has since been chased out of Sarnia and
  • 00:11:49
    now lives in Windsor.
  • 00:11:51
    We went to visit Jim to discuss what the Canadian
  • 00:11:53
    government and the petrochemical industry need to
  • 00:11:55
    do to protect the people of Aamjiwnaang and the blue
  • 00:11:58
    collar workforce of the Chemical Valley itself.
  • 00:12:01
    All right, I'm here with Dr. Jim Brophy here in Windsor.
  • 00:12:04
    And across the river there, we've got a three story tall
  • 00:12:07
    one city block long pile of petroleum coke.
  • 00:12:10
    Can you maybe explain what that is?
  • 00:12:13
    JIM BROPHY: That's the end stage of refinery process.
  • 00:12:17
    And in that particular case, that's
  • 00:12:20
    bitumen tar sands crude.
  • 00:12:23
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah, so that's
  • 00:12:24
    coming out from Alberta.
  • 00:12:25
    JIM BROPHY: And it's going to a large refinery, a Marathon
  • 00:12:28
    refinery, in southwest Detroit.
  • 00:12:31
    Southwest Detroit and Sarnia, Aamjiwnaang, are classic
  • 00:12:35
    examples of the environmental racism.
  • 00:12:38
    The whole environmental justice movement was in
  • 00:12:41
    response to these types of egregious, really criminal,
  • 00:12:47
    situations where poor communities find their
  • 00:12:50
    neighbors are these large industrial complexes.
  • 00:12:54
    And there's little or no protection from the kinds of
  • 00:12:58
    exposures that these people get.
  • 00:13:00
    So let's remember, who's the highest populations at risk?
  • 00:13:03
    It's First Nations communities on the fence line.
  • 00:13:06
    It's blue collar industrial workers.
  • 00:13:08
    It's the poor working class and poor people who live in
  • 00:13:12
    south Sarnia.
  • 00:13:13
    Not the CEOs.
  • 00:13:14
    And it's the same in southwest Detroit,
  • 00:13:16
    right across from Marathon.
  • 00:13:18
    It's the poorest people in the city.
  • 00:13:22
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: It's clear that the energy industry has a
  • 00:13:24
    habit of letting the poorest neighborhoods inhale the
  • 00:13:26
    majority of their pollution.
  • 00:13:29
    It was obvious in Windsor, as we stared at the coke pile.
  • 00:13:32
    And it's very obvious in Aamjiwnaang, where refineries
  • 00:13:34
    surround the community.
  • 00:13:37
    We went to see Ada Lockridge, a local hero in Aamjiwnaang,
  • 00:13:40
    who has continually battle against industry, to go for a
  • 00:13:43
    toxic tour of the Chemical Valley.
  • 00:13:45
  • 00:13:49
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: Listen to this.
  • 00:13:51
    [TRADITIONAL MUSIC PLAYS]
  • 00:13:56
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: So these guys are allowed to put out so much
  • 00:13:59
    into the air.
  • 00:14:00
    And if they don't put it all out, they can trade those
  • 00:14:03
    credits or sell the credits to another company so they can
  • 00:14:06
    pump out more.
  • 00:14:06
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Whoa.
  • 00:14:07
    So one clean company is doing well, and they're staying
  • 00:14:10
    under their regulated emissions.
  • 00:14:12
    They can sell that excess to a really bad company who can
  • 00:14:15
    then extend--?
  • 00:14:16
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: Yeah.
  • 00:14:17
  • 00:14:21
    We used to come back here.
  • 00:14:22
    And we would--
  • 00:14:26
    Solidarity Day, which is the national aboriginal day.
  • 00:14:31
    So we would come back here, have canoe races.
  • 00:14:33
    Everybody would go canoeing, and then whatever.
  • 00:14:36
    They'd tip, aha ha, it was all fun and games.
  • 00:14:40
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: We're all wet not.
  • 00:14:40
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: Until we found out what was here.
  • 00:14:41
    And we were like, oh my god!
  • 00:14:43
    So we had to quit having those games.
  • 00:14:46
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: So it's mainly mercury in here?
  • 00:14:48
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: That was what was found in the sunfish and
  • 00:14:51
    stuff like that.
  • 00:14:54
    We got concerned about the animals, too.
  • 00:14:55
    Because they're coming here and drinking.
  • 00:14:57
    They don't know how to read.
  • 00:14:58
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: No.
  • 00:14:59
    They don't know what that sign means.
  • 00:15:00
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: Mm-hm.
  • 00:15:01
    And see our poor geese?
  • 00:15:02
    They're all messed up.
  • 00:15:04
    They don't know how to fly.
  • 00:15:05
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah, that's not a V at all.
  • 00:15:06
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: Do you know how they're supposed to--
  • 00:15:07
    yeah, yeah.
  • 00:15:09
    I think they're trying to tell us something.
  • 00:15:10
  • 00:15:14
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Not only has Ada been outspoken about
  • 00:15:15
    pollution in Aamjiwnaang throughout her adult life, she
  • 00:15:18
    actually does her own air testing with an apparatus
  • 00:15:20
    called the bucket brigade that she uses to
  • 00:15:21
    catch unreported leaks.
  • 00:15:23
    Ada was cool enough to show me how the bucket brigade works.
  • 00:15:25
  • 00:15:30
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: Let me stick this part under there.
  • 00:15:32
    So that's kind of like a lung.
  • 00:15:34
    Think of it as a lung that, whatever, so many minutes
  • 00:15:38
    worth of breathing.
  • 00:15:39
  • 00:15:43
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: So you've detected quite a few different
  • 00:15:45
    leaks here.
  • 00:15:46
    The most recent one was the hydrogen sulfide from Shell.
  • 00:15:49
    So can you maybe walk through that discovery?
  • 00:15:53
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: My daughter showed up--
  • 00:15:55
    she lives in Corunna, just south of the reserve here.
  • 00:15:57
    So she came about 10 to 8:00.
  • 00:16:00
    I was out here on my porch having my coffee.
  • 00:16:03
    And she showed up.
  • 00:16:04
    She says, oh, Mom, it's terrible out there.
  • 00:16:06
    It's really bad.
  • 00:16:07
    It smells like rotten eggs.
  • 00:16:09
    I said, all right.
  • 00:16:09
    So I hurried up and got on the phone.
  • 00:16:11
    I got Spills Action Center, SAC, on speed call.
  • 00:16:14
    So I called them up.
  • 00:16:15
    Hey, something's leaking here.
  • 00:16:17
    So that was five to 8:00.
  • 00:16:18
    By 8 o'clock, it was on the radio.
  • 00:16:20
    Shell's calling a Code 8.
  • 00:16:22
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: They already know that they're leaking.
  • 00:16:23
    Why haven't they already said something?
  • 00:16:24
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: A lot of times, we are the ones who notify the
  • 00:16:27
    company somethings--
  • 00:16:28
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: You are the siren?
  • 00:16:28
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: Yeah.
  • 00:16:30
    We usually say, hey, something's
  • 00:16:31
    happening over there.
  • 00:16:33
    I called in one time.
  • 00:16:34
    And they go, what's the wind direction?
  • 00:16:35
    OK, the wind is coming from--
  • 00:16:37
    and they go, what's the wind speed?
  • 00:16:40
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Oh, let me go check my--
  • 00:16:42
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: I said, um, hang on.
  • 00:16:43
    I'll lick my finger, open up the window, and we'll count to
  • 00:16:46
    see how long it takes to dry.
  • 00:16:49
    JIM BROPHY: We live in a situation now in Canada where
  • 00:16:53
    the oil industry has tremendous power.
  • 00:16:55
    I mean, some would say that they literally have a lock on
  • 00:16:58
    the federal government.
  • 00:16:59
    It falls, then, to the Ada Lockridges of the world to
  • 00:17:04
    stand up to this.
  • 00:17:05
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah.
  • 00:17:06
    JIM BROPHY: And so what does Ada--
  • 00:17:07
    I mean, think about this for a second.
  • 00:17:09
    There's Ada Lockridge.
  • 00:17:11
    And in the past, it's been other members of the
  • 00:17:13
    environment community with her, standing there with this
  • 00:17:17
    plastic bucket and a filter in it, trying to register what's
  • 00:17:22
    in the air that you can't see, sometimes you can smell it.
  • 00:17:25
    And then, sending this filter off to California to get it
  • 00:17:29
    analyzed, and then being given a report.
  • 00:17:32
    What is going on here?
  • 00:17:36
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: I'm Ada Lockridge, but they
  • 00:17:38
    like to tease me.
  • 00:17:38
    They call me Ada Brockovich.
  • 00:17:42
    I've been called lots of names lately.
  • 00:17:45
    Well, like the canary in the coal mine, and all
  • 00:17:47
    this kind of stuff.
  • 00:17:50
    Normally, there's the clash between natives and
  • 00:17:52
    non-natives.
  • 00:17:53
    And there's no reason for it.
  • 00:17:55
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: No.
  • 00:17:56
    ADA LOCKRIDGE: The chemicals don't care what color you are
  • 00:17:58
    or anything anyway.
  • 00:17:59
    So this is a human being thing, and it's
  • 00:18:02
    not a native thing.
  • 00:18:03
  • 00:18:08
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: While the citizens of Aamjiwnaang have
  • 00:18:09
    to worry about chemical leaks on a daily basis, so do the
  • 00:18:14
    blue collar workers in the Chemical Valley itself.
  • 00:18:17
    We went up to north Sarnia, which looks like a pretty nice
  • 00:18:19
    place to live, to meet with Jim, a veteran employee of the
  • 00:18:23
    Chemical Valley.
  • 00:18:24
    Jim invited us in his garage to sit in front of his bright
  • 00:18:27
    red duster and discuss his lengthy career in the
  • 00:18:29
    petrochemical industry.
  • 00:18:32
    A lot of what we've been hearing is that some of the
  • 00:18:34
    major problems from Chemical Valley are legacy issues.
  • 00:18:37
    They're problems that happened in the '60s or the '50s, and
  • 00:18:40
    we're still just cleaning it up.
  • 00:18:41
    But do you find that companies have been taking ownership of
  • 00:18:44
    those issues?
  • 00:18:45
    JIM TAYLER: I don't believe so, no.
  • 00:18:46
    I think they take ownership like it's OK to say, I didn't
  • 00:18:50
    take the cookies.
  • 00:18:51
    But when you get caught with your hand right in the jar,
  • 00:18:54
    they can't deny it.
  • 00:18:55
    So when they get caught with their hand in the jar, they
  • 00:18:57
    take responsibility.
  • 00:18:59
    When the cookies are gone, there's just a couple crumbs
  • 00:19:02
    sitting around, it wasn't me.
  • 00:19:05
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: I'm outside the Sarnia Lambton
  • 00:19:07
    Environmental Agency.
  • 00:19:09
    We're going to go inside and speak with Dean Edwardson.
  • 00:19:11
    Basically, anytime you send an interview request to an oil
  • 00:19:14
    company to talk to them, he's the guy they refer you to.
  • 00:19:16
    So we're going to go in and speak with him about some of
  • 00:19:18
    the concerns the community has.
  • 00:19:22
    DEAN EDWARDSON: We're an overarching organization that
  • 00:19:26
    looks at environmental quality from an ambient air shed,
  • 00:19:29
    watershed perspective.
  • 00:19:31
    Companies have their own environmental people that look
  • 00:19:33
    at their sites specifically.
  • 00:19:34
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Well, one of the problems we've heard about
  • 00:19:36
    time and time again is that these sirens that these plants
  • 00:19:39
    have don't go off in time.
  • 00:19:41
    There was that leak in January where a daycare called in,
  • 00:19:45
    terrible smell, bunch of kids went to the
  • 00:19:47
    hospital with red eyes.
  • 00:19:48
    The hospital didn't know what to do about it because they
  • 00:19:50
    hadn't heard about the leak.
  • 00:19:52
    And like four hours later, Shell admitted to a leak.
  • 00:19:55
    So if we're allowing the plants to do the monitoring,
  • 00:19:58
    and this is a real example of something that happened
  • 00:20:00
    earlier this year, do you think that's a problem?
  • 00:20:02
    DEAN EDWARDSON: Emergency response issues, oftentimes
  • 00:20:06
    communication is one of your biggest problems.
  • 00:20:08
    And in that case, I will freely admit that we had a
  • 00:20:11
    communication problem.
  • 00:20:13
    And clearly, it was unacceptable.
  • 00:20:17
    And I think if you asked Shell, they would say it was
  • 00:20:19
    unacceptable.
  • 00:20:20
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: I'd love to.
  • 00:20:21
    They told me to talk to you.
  • 00:20:21
    DEAN EDWARDSON: Well, I'm going to tell you that they
  • 00:20:22
    would tell you it was unacceptable.
  • 00:20:24
    Any of our plants will tell you, impacting the community
  • 00:20:28
    is not acceptable.
  • 00:20:29
    And we're looking at things to try and improve that.
  • 00:20:32
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: But there were two more hydrogen sulfide
  • 00:20:34
    leaks in the next four months after it.
  • 00:20:36
    And one of them was only discovered by Ada Lockridge
  • 00:20:39
    and her bucket testing.
  • 00:20:41
    I mean, if you're saying there was a communication problem in
  • 00:20:44
    January, by May when there was another hydrogen sulfide leak,
  • 00:20:47
    shouldn't they have learned from their mistake?
  • 00:20:49
    DEAN EDWARDSON: Again, I can't talk to you about that.
  • 00:20:50
    It's under legal investigation right now.
  • 00:20:53
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: OK, so what communication
  • 00:20:54
    breakdown was it that--
  • 00:20:55
    DEAN EDWARDSON: We had a communication breakdown
  • 00:20:57
    between what occurred at Shell and the response for sounding
  • 00:21:01
    our sirens.
  • 00:21:03
    And we're trying to fix that.
  • 00:21:05
  • 00:21:09
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: We heard there were fish with tumors
  • 00:21:10
    swimming around the Chemical Valley which is alarming,
  • 00:21:13
    because many scientists see fish as an early indicator
  • 00:21:15
    that something is very wrong with the environment.
  • 00:21:18
    So we went down to Aamjiwnaang's fishing dock to
  • 00:21:20
    speak with a fisherman who caught one of
  • 00:21:21
    these toxic fish himself.
  • 00:21:23
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Oh, shit, yeah.
  • 00:21:26
    KEVIN PLAIN: You can see all the lumps, the lumps and stuff
  • 00:21:30
    that are on it.
  • 00:21:31
    And it was all over the tail.
  • 00:21:32
    There was a big chunk.
  • 00:21:33
    All these here--
  • 00:21:35
    you can see them right there.
  • 00:21:37
    See them all growing?
  • 00:21:37
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah, yeah.
  • 00:21:39
  • 00:21:43
    In 2002, as a response to Suncor's attempts to build the
  • 00:21:47
    country's largest ethanol plant in the Chemical Valley,
  • 00:21:50
    an environment committee was founded in Aamjiwnaang.
  • 00:21:53
    We went up to meet with Wilson Plain, one of the founders in
  • 00:21:56
    the environment committee, to discuss
  • 00:21:58
    the community's struggle.
  • 00:22:00
    WILSON PLAIN: There was always some interest in having a body
  • 00:22:04
    that monitors what's going on around here.
  • 00:22:09
    Personally, I have a post on Facebook that puts up wind
  • 00:22:14
    direction and temperature and what's happening.
  • 00:22:18
    My interest is ongoing with respect to the environment.
  • 00:22:22
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Now, we were in the cemetery.
  • 00:22:24
    And it's an alarming juxtaposition between the
  • 00:22:29
    Suncor refinery and the cemetery.
  • 00:22:32
    WILSON PLAIN: Not a healthy place.
  • 00:22:33
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah.
  • 00:22:34
  • 00:22:36
    WILSON PLAIN: We could have a funeral procession there.
  • 00:22:39
    And we would get caught by those emissions in the air.
  • 00:22:43
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: A lot of times when we hear about a
  • 00:22:44
    leak, the plants will maybe be able to blame each other
  • 00:22:47
    because they're both emitting that pollutant.
  • 00:22:49
    And one says, well, it be the other one.
  • 00:22:51
    Does that kind of thing happen a lot?
  • 00:22:53
    WILSON PLAIN: I think the Ministry of the Environment
  • 00:22:56
    needs to monitor the direction of the wind.
  • 00:23:02
    If we started off with a bag of pollutants, just from one,
  • 00:23:09
    what would it be like if we had five different sources?
  • 00:23:14
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Yeah, if you had a bag, and I had a bag,
  • 00:23:15
    and we both opened our bags--
  • 00:23:18
    it's a bigger bag up there.
  • 00:23:21
    And who's watching the big bag?
  • 00:23:23
    Nobody.
  • 00:23:25
    WILSON PLAIN: The cumulative issue is the main issue in
  • 00:23:31
    Aamjiwnaang.
  • 00:23:32
    But there needs to be an ongoing monitoring of the
  • 00:23:37
    worst offenders of those pollutants.
  • 00:23:42
    And benzene being the top one, I think.
  • 00:23:46
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Even though the Ministry of the
  • 00:23:47
    Environment didn't return our phone calls, they can and will
  • 00:23:50
    step in to prosecute industry.
  • 00:23:52
    In 2005, the Nova chemical plant had a serious benzene
  • 00:23:56
    leak that lasted more than 15 hours.
  • 00:23:58
    It was so severe that Aamjiwnaang was completely
  • 00:24:00
    evacuated, and Nova was fined over half a million dollars.
  • 00:24:04
    JIM BROPHY: The health effects of benzene are well documented
  • 00:24:07
    in the scientific literature.
  • 00:24:08
    The International Agency on the Research of Cancer, IARC,
  • 00:24:11
    designates it as a definitive human carcinogen.
  • 00:24:14
    It's connected with leukemia, all kinds of
  • 00:24:16
    blood related cancers.
  • 00:24:18
    And what we have are thousands of tons of this very toxic
  • 00:24:24
    chemical being released in Sarnia every year.
  • 00:24:27
    Nobody is really tracking the communities that are getting
  • 00:24:29
    the biggest exposure.
  • 00:24:31
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Would you say that the amount of benzene is
  • 00:24:33
    higher in Sarnia than most other places?
  • 00:24:35
    DEAN EDWARDSON: No, I would not.
  • 00:24:36
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: So despite having plants in Sarnia that
  • 00:24:39
    emit benzene, there's no higher emissions quality here?
  • 00:24:42
    DEAN EDWARDSON: We are consistent.
  • 00:24:44
    The level of benzene that we saw on our ambient monitors
  • 00:24:46
    are consistent with what you'll find in other urban
  • 00:24:49
    centers in Canad and the United States.
  • 00:24:51
  • 00:24:54
    WILSON PLAIN: My grandson, he used to live about one and a
  • 00:24:58
    half have kilometers basically west from here, died as a
  • 00:25:05
    result of leukemia.
  • 00:25:07
  • 00:25:10
    He's not with us anymore.
  • 00:25:13
    He was 13.
  • 00:25:16
    So I don't know where my grandson took a deep breath or
  • 00:25:24
    took several deep breaths.
  • 00:25:26
    But benzene would be the cause of that leukemia.
  • 00:25:29
  • 00:25:40
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Why should these industries be trusted?
  • 00:25:42
    DEAN EDWARDSON: I don't think anybody's asking anybody to
  • 00:25:44
    trust industry.
  • 00:25:45
    Trust has to be earned.
  • 00:25:47
    And I think that our companies are trying to earn that trust.
  • 00:25:50
    Obviously, trust oftentimes is predicated on your
  • 00:25:53
    performance.
  • 00:25:54
    You can be a great guy, but you go murder somebody.
  • 00:25:57
    All of a sudden, you're a murderer.
  • 00:25:58
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: You're probably not
  • 00:25:59
    a great guy, then.
  • 00:26:01
    DEAN EDWARDSON: Pardon me?
  • 00:26:01
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: You're probably not a great guy in
  • 00:26:02
    that circumstance.
  • 00:26:03
    DEAN EDWARDSON: Well obviously, but it's like
  • 00:26:04
    everything else.
  • 00:26:06
    You do the best you can to operate.
  • 00:26:08
    But as soon as you have an incident, it
  • 00:26:12
    causes people to maybe--
  • 00:26:14
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: Think you're a murderer?
  • 00:26:16
    DEAN EDWARDSON: Well, yeah.
  • 00:26:17
  • 00:26:25
    PATRICK MCGUIRE: We're walking through a park that's
  • 00:26:26
    completely fenced off because of all the asbestos
  • 00:26:28
    contamination.
  • 00:26:29
    So this only happened a few weeks ago.
  • 00:26:32
    The park's basically abandoned as a result, which is a bummer
  • 00:26:35
    because it's right in the center of the city.
  • 00:26:37
    And it's definitely a beautiful spot
  • 00:26:38
    to spend some time.
  • 00:26:40
    It's really serene and peaceful if it weren't for the
  • 00:26:42
    mass amounts of pollution, contamination, and fencing.
  • 00:26:46
    So even though this park is totally contaminated with
  • 00:26:48
    asbestos, there's no actual signage from the city anywhere
  • 00:26:51
    indicating that.
  • 00:26:52
    But there are these two little handwritten notes.
  • 00:26:55
    It says, this is a memorial for those that died and
  • 00:26:58
    suffered because of Chemical Valley.
  • 00:27:00
    It's behind a fence because the government found out that
  • 00:27:03
    this park is also polluted by toxic chemicals.
  • 00:27:07
    So that says it all.
  • 00:27:09
  • 00:27:14
    After worrying about whether or not we inhaled any airborne
  • 00:27:16
    asbestos in Centennial Park, we met up with Sandy Kinart,
  • 00:27:20
    one of the founders of the Victims of Chemical Valley
  • 00:27:22
    Foundation to discuss how the Chemical Valley continues to
  • 00:27:25
    negatively impact Sarnia, and how the workers of the
  • 00:27:28
    industry who fall fatally ill are treated.
  • 00:27:31
    SANDY KINART: People liked Blaine.
  • 00:27:33
    He just had a way with people.
  • 00:27:36
    I feel that I am truly blessed to have married this man.
  • 00:27:38
    I fell in love with this man when I was in grade five.
  • 00:27:42
    And I got to marry him.
  • 00:27:44
    And that doesn't always happen in life.
  • 00:27:48
    He was always good natured.
  • 00:27:52
    He came home from work one day and said, I can't breathe.
  • 00:27:55
    It was a hot, humid day.
  • 00:27:56
    And I just though, OK.
  • 00:27:59
    But realizing he was having a hard time breathing.
  • 00:28:02
    Got him to the doctors.
  • 00:28:04
    So they admitted him, drained seven liters of fluid from his
  • 00:28:07
    lung, with his heart and trach pushed to the side.
  • 00:28:10
    And they didn't know why he was still alive.
  • 00:28:13
    They finally diagnosed him with mesothelioma.
  • 00:28:16
    You have four months to live.
  • 00:28:17
    Get your life in order.
  • 00:28:19
    This was the feature section in "The Globe and Mail" called
  • 00:28:25
    "Dying for a Living." If it takes one man to use his
  • 00:28:28
    picture to change what's happening, then
  • 00:28:31
    that's a good thing.
  • 00:28:33
    And that's what he wanted.
  • 00:28:34
    He wanted to take his shirt off.
  • 00:28:35
    He wanted to show people what asbestos will do to you.
  • 00:28:41
    And he said, I want people to know.
  • 00:28:45
    I didn't go to work to die.
  • 00:28:46
  • 00:28:51
    He died in 2004.
  • 00:28:53
    When he got sick in 2002, my brother-in-law came to the
  • 00:28:59
    house to say, as a man would, don't you worry.
  • 00:29:03
    We'll make sure everything's OK for her.
  • 00:29:05
  • 00:29:08
    November that year, my brother-in-law who came to the
  • 00:29:11
    house was diagnosed with stomach and bowel cancer.
  • 00:29:14
    So in total, we've lost five people in my family to
  • 00:29:17
    mesothelioma, and that does not include all the other
  • 00:29:20
    types of cancers that have come into the family.
  • 00:29:21
  • 00:29:25
    I think people don't talk about it because that's where
  • 00:29:28
    dad worked.
  • 00:29:29
    That's where grandpa worked.
  • 00:29:31
    And you'll hear this from a lot of the men.
  • 00:29:33
    Well, I had a good life.
  • 00:29:35
    I made great money.
  • 00:29:37
    And I guess it's my time.
  • 00:29:40
    Well, you shouldn't be dying at 57 years old.
  • 00:29:44
    I don't know if you've been down to the Chemical
  • 00:29:47
    Valley in the night.
  • 00:29:49
    Take the drive down Vidal Street and how all
  • 00:29:52
    the lights are there.
  • 00:29:53
    Well, as a child, that was part of a
  • 00:29:56
    Sunday evening, go down.
  • 00:29:58
    The lights are all there.
  • 00:29:59
    They're all on.
  • 00:30:00
    And boy, that just looked like fairyland to us.
  • 00:30:03
    All the sparkly lights, and wasn't that pretty?
  • 00:30:05
    My father was an electrician.
  • 00:30:08
    And back in the day, those tanks were
  • 00:30:10
    kept pristine looking.
  • 00:30:12
    The gardens were beautiful.
  • 00:30:14
    It was lovely to see.
  • 00:30:16
    And we were proud that we lived in the Chemical Valley.
  • 00:30:20
    And it wasn't until, gosh, after my husband died,
  • 00:30:22
    it was like, duh!
  • 00:30:24
    We don't see that anymore.
  • 00:30:25
    the flowers are dead.
  • 00:30:27
    The trees are all dying.
  • 00:30:28
    The drums are all scungy down there.
  • 00:30:31
    It looks derelict down there because they don't have to
  • 00:30:33
    keep up the pretense anymore.
  • 00:30:35
    The gig is up, and the word is out.
  • 00:30:39
    And it is what it is now.
  • 00:30:41
    It's a chemical valley.
  • 00:30:42
Tag
  • Chemical Valley
  • Aamjiwnaang
  • pollution
  • health risks
  • petrochemical industry
  • activism
  • environmental racism
  • chemical leaks
  • government inaction
  • Sarnia