Canada - Danger mounts of pulp-pollution cancers By ARNIE THOMLINSON The B.C. forest industry, long guilty of destroying fish habitat and poisoning air, land and water, must now stand accused of a far more serious charge — the killing of people. So great has become the contamination by wood preservatives from sawmills, and organochlorines from pulp mills that all life forms adjacent to many B.C. pulp mills, from shellfish to humans, are sick and dying. ‘ Studies now reveal a higher than nor- mal incidence of cancers among long time consumers of pulp mill intoxicated sea- foods. The incidence of cancers among the general population surrounding pulp mills is also alarmingly high. Probably most en- dangered are aboriginal people whose traditional food sources are the waters ad- jacent to B.C. pulp mills. The danger to an abnormally high per- centage of sawmill and pulp mill workers is especially evident as statistics show that they are dying from three types of cancers at an anomalously high rate, according to B.C. cancer statistics covering the period 1950-1984. In spite of a growing body of available information as well as the designation of dioxins as probable human carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the forest industry continues to deny a relationship between organo- chlorines and cancer rates among pulp mill workers. The forest industry cannot be excused on the grounds of ignorance — the high toxicity of pulp mill effluents and air emis- sions has been known for 40 years. As well, the deadly nature of dioxins and furans have been known for years. Yet during all that time the pulp industry has flagrantly exceeded the legal limits of their waste management permits, with respect to both air emissions and liquid effluents — both laden with organochlorines. Environment Minister John Reynold’s recent release of the long promised list of B.C. pollutors must be seen, at best, as an attempt to get on the “green” bandwagon. It was, in my view, a cynical attempt to’ create the impression that pulp mill infrac- tions are either very recent, or have only just recently been discovered. Eight B.C. pulp mills are listed as in “significant non-compliance” of waste management permits, on the basis of in- fractions of which none is earlier than Jan. 1, 1990. None resulted in charges by either the B.C. Environment Ministry or by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The Pulp Pollution Campaign, repre- sented by the West Coast Environmental Law Association and Greenpeace revealed that at least 21 B.C. pulp mills have been illegally discharging organochlorine waste ~ for years. Moreover, they have done so with complete impunity as the B.C. mini- ster of environment, using discretionary ‘ powers, has been granting “variance or- ders” instead of legal charges. Meanwhile, a succession of federal fisheries ministers, who could have (and should have) charged both the B.C. gov- emment and the corporate violators, in- stead created their equivalent of a blanket variance order. Dressed up in the impres- sive title, “Pulp and Paper Effluent Regula- tions Under the Fisheries Act”, it virtually exempted the pulp industry from the fed- eral Fisheries Act. Were it not for the exposure by Green- peace two years ago of dioxins emanating from the Crofton pulp mill, and the sub- sequent determined efforts of the Pulp Pol- lution Campaign (a broad grouping of en- vironmental and labour organizations), the B.C. Minister of Environment, Bruce Strachan, would have continued his prac- tice of denying the existence of any prob- lem. The then Fisheries Minister Tom Sid- don might also not have been forced to _ Labour ee admit that sediments, water, finfish and shellfish adjacent to and downstream from pulp mills were contaminated with organo- chlorines. Why then do governments continue to procrastinate ? Why have both the federal and provin- cial governments been fiddling about with “new” regulations that at best would mere- ly reduce pulp mill discharge to below “measurable” limits by 1994? Why, in view of the fact that marine organisms can “bioaccumulate” dioxins many thousand- fold over the dioxin concentration in the environment, have the government not . acted as if they recognize the crisis, and simply banned the production of organo- chlorines? Why are harmful wood preservatives still in common use, given available data ? We can only suspect that the reason is that the pulp lobby, despite raking in un- precedented profits in recent years, has “bottom line” arguments that these poli- ticians find more compelling than having the blood of sawmill and pulp mill workers on their hands. Clearly, the battle lines are forming on this issue — but not fast enough. The Pulp Pollution Campaign, capably represented by lawyers of the West Coast Environmen- tal Law Association (WCELA), has forced the governments to admit there is a serious threat. What is urgently needed now, right now, is a broadening and reinforcing of the coalition. Urgently needed, is vigorous, united action by all those groups and individuals whose lives and livelihoods are endang- ered. : The urgency of the crisis demands an acceleration of the campaign to rid society THOMLINSON of the death-dealing chemicals and or- ganochlorines. When the ultimate stakes are the health and lives of workers, nothing short of total effort on the part of leaders of organized labour is enough. One step in this direction took place on June 29, when eleven organizations in- cluding both pulp unions, Alliance Tribal Council, Greenpeace, SPEC, Save Howe Sound Society, West Coast Environmental Law Association, the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, and other en- vironmental groups, agreed upon a plan of action designed to broaden public aware- ness and support and to increase pressure on politicians — with the ultimate goal of achieving “zero organochlorine dis- charge.” The coalition has the difficult task of . making the corporations realize that their freedom to pollute has ended, and of goad- ing politicians, especially federal Fisheries Minister Bernard Valcourt and B.C. En- vironment Minister Reynolds into taking prompt action to put a stop to the killing and the desecration of the environment. Arnie Thomlinson is environmental co- ordinator for the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union and a director of the T. Buck Suzuki Foundation.2 Federal, Que. gov’ts By PAUL OGRESKO The situation remained tense and volatile at the Kanesatake and Kahnawake first na- tions as the Tribune went to press. A week had passed since more than one hundred heavily armed SWAT team police staged a military assault on a Mohawk barricade at a golf course outside the town of Oka, Que. The July 11 raid, which claimed the life of one police officer, came about after a request from the mayor of Oka, Jean Ouel- lette, who has since gone into hiding. At issue was the expansion of a nine hole golf course on to traditional Mohawk land. The expansion would have meant a further incur- sion into the Kanesatake nation’s land and the uprooting of a Mohawk burial ground. It has since been revealed that Ouellette is one of the principal owners of the private golf club. For aboriginal people the raid was an incredible act that could have led to far more tragic consequences. Speaking with the Tribune from the barricade at Kanesatake (near Oka), Mohawk defenders stressed that the police actions had endangered the lives of women and children who were at the barricade when the police attacked. They also said that any shots they fired in response to police firing were purposely aimed in the air to avoid hitting the police. Initially the police denied they had used live ammunition in the raid though several 8 ¢ Pacific Tribune, July 23, 1990 reporters who were behind the Mohawk bar- ricade at Kanesatake said that bark was fly- ing off trees during the shooting. Most frustrating for aboriginal leaders in the crisis has been the absolute refusal of the Mulroney government to live up to its con- stitutional responsibility to aboriginal na- tions. Ovide Mercredi, speaking from As- sembly of First Nations office in Ottawa, said that every hour that passed without federal involvement was increasing tensions and bitterness and the probability of blood- shed. It appears, Mercredi said, that the fed- eral government has a “death wish” for first nations. At Kahnawake, tensions were particular- ly high as the Mohawk nation continued their solidarity blockade of the Mercier Bridge. Racist demonstrations were occur- ting nightly at Chateauguay as demonstra- tors burned Mohawk effigies, attacked police barricades, and chanted racist slo- gans. OnJuly 18 several Blacks were attack- ed by a gang of whites while Quebec police stood by; one of the Blacks who was as- saulted ended up being arrested by the police while the whites were not apprehended. In marked contrast, the Mohawks behind the barricades at both Kahnawake and Kan- esatake have stressed the need for calm and said they will not be the ones to instigate violence. On July 18 hundreds of first nation chiefs were congregating at Kahnawake as part of a country-wide strategy and soli- darity gathering. It was an unprecedented show of solidarity and it showed that the actions of the Quebec and federal govern- ments had served only to bring together aboriginal nations who were putting aside all internal differences to unite behind the Mohawks. : One of those leaders, Gord Peters, On- tario representative of the Assembly of First Nations, questioned the motives behind the raid. “Tt appears that Mulroney is fulfilling his own prophecy that aboriginal people will suffer the consequences of the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord,” Peters charged. “Are first nations now to believe that this type of gunboat diplomacy can be expected in the future whenever we deal with the issue of land claims and the exercise of our in- herent right to govern?” Demonstrations of solidarity with the Mohawks have been taking place across the country and messages of support and dona- tions of food and money have been coming in from aboriginal, church, labour and other organizations. Sympathy roadblocks were set up in Ontario and B.C. while demon- strators gathered outside the Canadian em- bassy in Washington, D.C. Up to now the Bourassa government has appeared less than committed to resolving the crisis. For three days Quebec Indian created crisis at Oka | Affairs Minister John Ciaccia stayed away from Oka and did not contact Mohawk spokesperson Ellen Gabriel. She accused the provincial government of trying to in- timidate and starve out the Mohawks by blockading food, water, medical supplies and clothing. For talks to resume in good faith the Mohawks demanded that the block- ade cease and that essential supplies be al- lowed in along with spiritual leaders, clan mothers and lawyers. On July 18 the Mohawks at Kanesatake _ released the positions they would be taking into any negotiations. They included a halt to the golf course expansion project, a with- drawal of all police from Oka and the Mer- cier bridge and a demand that any criminal investigation into the events of the past week be referred to the World Court in the Hague. Aboriginal leaders stressed that the issue had gone beyond the question of land and was now one of human rights. A collective statement by 150 Chiefs at Kahnawake called on Canadians to show their support for aboriginal rights in Canada by sending letters of protest to the premier of Quebec and to the prime minister demanding that the Mulroney government live up to its respon- — sibility to aboriginal people and become q involved in negotiations. With files from Merle Terlesky at the Mercier Bridge.