The chief of a northwestern Ontario reserve – and an NDP candidate in this fall's federal election – is calling on Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan to sit down to hammer out an agreement on a long-promised treatment facility for mercury poisoning.

"They understand what we're asking for," said Chief of Grassy Narrows First Nation Randy Turtle.

Help for the community experiencing the effects of mercury contamination seemed to be on the way when the federal government promised a specialized treatment facility on the reserve in November 2017.