Faith Johnstone says at least one local resident near Neste boat launch in Thunder Bay’s Westfort neighbourhood has reported sightings of “thousands” of dead fish floating along the Kaministiquia River.
Johnstone, an environmental monitor for Fort William First Nation, says the resident observed the eerie scene over the span of three hours one day earlier this week.
It’s been a common sighting in the past week for regular users of the dock and its adjacent walking paths, alongside strange odours and a copper tinge on the water. Johnstone is a part of an environmental team from Fort William collecting water samples at the dock Thursday, in order to test for any chemical spills.
“We take the measurements of the temperature, the pH, the turbidity, the conductivity and then dissolved oxygen to see what those parameters stand at,” Johnstone said.
A widely circulated social media post from Jamie Zaroski attributed the strange occurrences to a discharge pipe attached to a local mill.
In a statement to the CBC, Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) said their Spills Action Centre received a report from the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources on Aug. 23 about “a discoloured plume and strong odour near the Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper mill’s effluent discharge location.”
Zaroski, who has lived along the Kaministiquia River since 1979, says he first noticed discolouration in the water near the discharge location while fishing on Saturday afternoon. He adds that, after several calls, he was finally able to get through to the MECP on Monday, and was directed to a local duty officer.
“I asked her whose job is it to notify the public, and she said it’s not ours, it’s up to local officials,” he said, adding he then began making calls to local members of parliament, and Thunder Bay’s mayor.
On Tuesday, the environmental ministry reported effluent, or treated wastewater discharge, “exceedances” from the mill flowing into the river, which was confirmed by water samples taken on Aug. 20 and 25.
Clayton Keith says he has lived in Westfort since 1981, and regularly comes down to Neste boat launch at least three to four times a week. The former avid fisherman says its “heartbreaking” to see the amount of dead fish he’s seen in the river over the past week.
“I love fish, pickerels are one of my favourites,” he said. “When I see these dead ones and that, when we see this, what else is dying? How long is the chain supply going to last if they’re all being poisoned?”
Keith says many of the fish fatalities he’s observed have been pickerel fingerlings, though he also noticed a small, dead pike floating near the river.
“When you see seagulls not touching [the dead fish], that must tell you something’s not right.”
Effluent is treated wastewater discharge, particularly that with a low pH, can be harmful to fish. For pulp mill effluent in particular, it can be a combination of debarking wastewater, and discharge from the pulp washing and bleaching processes, and cooking chemicals, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
Nathalie Horton is another local who regularly uses the pathways around Neste Boat Launch to walk her teacup Maltese dog, Bear. She says recently she’s noticed a layer of film over top of the water.
“It’s not normal water, you can tell just by looking at it,” Horton said. “It’s kind of almost like oil or something.”
Despite confirming a large presence of effluent within the water on Tuesday, by Thursday there still hadn’t been any public notice from the provincial environmental ministry, Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper, or the Thunder Bay District Health Unit regarding the spill, or safety precautions that should be taken by the public.
By midday Thursday, Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon had not received any correspondence from the MECP or Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper regarding higher than average effluent levels. Rather, the only notice she’d received was from Zaroski’s original Facebook post, which was shared with her the night before.
“It’s really alarming that if a spill was reported, which I understand it has been reported, that Fort William First Nation should have been notified immediately,” Solomon said.
The Kaministiquia River begins at Dog Lake, flowing south through Kakabeka Falls and through the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation, before feeding into Lake Superior.
“These waterways all lead back to Fort William First Nation, so its of serious concern to us when there is potentially hazardous materials being let out in this waterway that could impact the health of the fish, the health of our people or the health of any species,” the Fort William First Nation Chief said. “So, you know, we need to be informed when these kinds of things happen so that we know that prompt action is being taken.”
Solomon says the First Nation will await formal, verified information regarding the spill before pursuing any form of legal action.
“We are independently doing some testing of the water because, you know, when you’re not informed of these things immediately, then of course you need to take action into your own hands,” Solomon said. “So our team at Fort William First Nation is boots on the ground here today.”
In 2021, the Ministry of the Environment reported the mill, which was owned by Resolute Forest Products at the time, had discharged above average levels of contaminants in the river through it’s effluent. The cause given was an unexpected shutdown of the mill, which caused issues with its effluent treatment system.
The mill resumed operations four days after the ministry was notified, once the treatment system began to stabilize. The mill was acquired by Atlas Holdings in 2023.
“I know that there’s history of things leaching into the Kam,” said Johnstone, who is a member of Fort William First Nation.
The MECP says they are continuing to investigate the effluent spill.
In a statement to the CBC, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) said they are “not directly involved in the response to the effluent spill in the Kaministiquia River, as there is no identified risk to municipal drinking water supplies or public beaches.”
The TBDHU further recommends that members of the public do not eat fish caught in the river until more information is provided on the leak from the MECP and Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
In an emailed statement to the CBC, Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper took responsibility for the effluent leak, citing an issue with its effluent process. The company said that it has suspended operations while it investigates the cause of the issue, and is working with the MECP regarding aquatic life mortalities downstream.
Upon confirming effluent exceedances within the Kaministiquia River, the ministry says it issued a notice of violation to Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper, ordering them to cease discharging effluent until levels returned to normal. The notice also requires the mill to undertake an analysis into the causes of the issues and identify preventative measures against any future effluent leaks.
