OTTAWA – On November 20, Universal Children’s Day, Ottawa-based Inuk artist Sabrina Taqtu Montague will unveil a walleye fish banner she has painted in solidarity with Indigenous Anishinaabe youth impacted by the mercury crisis in Grassy Narrows First Nation.
For 50 years, members of the First Nation in northwestern Ontario, also known as Asubpeeschoseewagong, have been facing mercury poisoning. A pulp mill dumped roughly 10 tonnes of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River system from 1962 until 1970, contaminating the community’s vital waterways and walleye fish. Due to government inaction, young people living in Grassy Narrows continue to face devastating health and social impacts, including the loss of the community’s jobs and the erosion of their cultural traditions.
Sabrina is unveiling the banner as part of Amnesty International’s annual Write for Rights campaign, the organization’s largest letter-writing event that encourages people around the world to write letters on behalf of those who are experiencing human rights violations. This year’s Write for Rights is highlighting Grassy Narrows youth who are now fighting for justice after 50 years of government failing to address their community’s mercury crisis. Those attending the event will be invited to decorate their own walleye fish images and include messages of support for Grassy youth.
Write for Rights events will take place across Canada from late November until mid-December. For more information, visit www.writeathon.ca.
What: Ottawa-based Inuk artist, Sabrina Taqtu Montague, unveils walleye fish banner
Date: Wednesday, November 20
Time: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Location: 312 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, Ontario (Amnesty International Canada’s office)
If you would like to interview Sabrina, or a representative from Amnesty International Canada, in advance of the event, then please contact: Lucy Scholey, Media Relations, Amnesty International Canada (English branch), 613-744-7667, ext. 236, lscholey@amnesty.ca
