Dozens of people gathered on the front lawn at Queen’s Park Thursday night — taking part in an Indigenous drum circle and holding a candlelight vigil — all to remember a man many considered a hero.
Former Grassy Narrows chief Steve Fobister died on Oct. 11 at the age of 66.
“Steve was a father, he was a grandfather, a brother, he was an uncle,” said Fobister’s niece, Sylvia Wapioke.
“He valued his family, he was a very loving father to his children, to his grandchildren, as well as to all of his extended family.”
But to the Grassy Narrows First Nation, he was more than that.
“We always talk about his natural ability to lead,” said Fobister’s longtime friend, Robert Williamson.
“I’m sure he’ll be remembered for his work of trying to get justice for the mercury poisoning.”
Mercury contamination has plagued the English-Wabigoon River system since a paper mill in Dryden, Ont., dumped 9,000 kilograms of the toxic substance into the river systems in the 1960s.
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The contamination closed a thriving commercial fishery and devastated Grassy Narrows’ economy.
A health survey earlier this year found the health of people living in the northern Ontario communities was “significantly worse” than other First Nations.
Fobister famously spearheaded a protest at Queen’s Park in 2014, demanding compensation for the contamination.
He even went on a hunger strike to try to get his message across.
“I’m just wasting away, one piece at a time,” Fobister had said during the protest. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, but here we are.”
The province at the time said it would push for a review for compensating members of the Grassy Narrows First Nation and provide a care home for those suffering from mercury poisoning.
But Fobister died before any of those promises came to fruition.
Fobister’s family says he was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disorder and Japanese researchers had found many of them suffered from mercury poisoning.
The hour-long vigil Thursday night outside the Ontario legislature also held a stern message for federal and provincial governments.
“We would like them to acknowledge that there is mercury poisoning in our community,” said current Grassy Narrows Chief Rudy Turtle. “And that, our people, everyone that has been affected, be compensated.”
Friends and family say that even though Fobister is gone, they’ll continue to push for the cause in his name.
“We’re going to carry out what he wanted,” said Wapioke.
“He fought so hard, even until his dying day.”
— With files from The Canadian Press
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