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Toxic tour draws attention to environmental impacts

The impact of living in the shadow of Chemical Valley was on the minds of marchers during Friday’s Toxic Tour from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community centre.

Approximately 50 First Nation members and supporters left the community centre parking lot in the early afternoon chanting, “tar sands kill, pipelines spill,” on their way to the St. Clair River, and then on along the St. Clair Parkway to LaSalle Line and east to Highway 40.

"We’re standing in solidarity with other communities who are standing up to fracking and to pipelines running through their territories," said Vanessa Gray, a spokesperson with Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia Against Pipelines (ASAP).

Police stopped traffic on the parkway when the march paused as several members climbed down the bank to the St. Clair River to make an offering of tobacco to the water, before continuing on.

Among those marching were nine-year-old Faith Rogers James and her mother Christine Rogers.

Rogers said she’s concerned about smells from the chemical industries surrounding the Aamjiwnaang, as well as the impact living next to chemical plants has on her family’s health.

"You kind of question every day whether you should move away or you should stay," she said.

Rogers said she grew up at Aamjiwnaang where her relatives still live, making the decision of whether or not to stay a difficult one.

"It’s something you struggle with," she added.