Members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation held a press conference and rally at Queen’s Park on November 7, calling for collaborative action from the Ontario government to address decades of chemical pollution and environmental racism affecting their community near Sarnia, Ontario.
Aamjiwnaang is surrounded by petrochemical facilities and refineries that have long contributed to some of Canada’s highest chemical pollution levels.
The community declared a state of emergency in April 2024 following high levels of benzene emissions from the nearby INEOS Styrolution plant, which caused illness for some residents.
According to Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, hourly concentrations of benzene recorded at one of the Aamjiwnaang community’s air monitors reached 191 µg/m3 on April 25, 2024. The ministry advises that short-term exposure to benzene should not exceed a one-hour average concentration of 90 µg/m3.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
The latest environmental engineering news direct to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Now, Aamjiwnaang is urging Ontario to enforce stronger pollution controls, review industrial safety practices, and follow through on recommendations from previous health studies to protect future generations.
At the rally, Chief Janelle Nahmabin emphasized the need for shared responsibility to end what First Nation members described as environmental racism.
“If you look, you will see,” Nahmabin announced. “The path that Ontarians, Canadians and First People go down is a journey united by a common goal: to secure a healthier and promising future for the next generations. It’s been divided paths to get to where we are now but the road ahead can be a shared road. The choice is all of ours.”
At the rally, the First Nation called on the Ontario government to:
- Update Ontario Regulation 350, the Lambton Industrial Meteorological Alert (LIMA), to address the cumulative impacts and the harms and injustices of sulfur dioxide emissions.
- Take action on the problems identified by the Sarnia Area Environmental Health Project (SAEHP), which was led by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
- Conduct necessary technical reviews to ensure the best available air pollution control is applied to key sources of pollution.
- Comprehensive follow up investigations are required to assess impacts of past contamination, including cumulative impacts.
- Review and assess the need for improved oversight of industry process safety management practices.
