That’s certainly the case for our most recent investigation into the legacy of industrial pollution and cancer in two cities both named Sault Ste. Marie.
One in Ontario and one in Michigan, these sister cities are divided by a political border that has meant very little when it comes to a long history of contamination of the shared environment.
Back in November Emma Gilchrist and I received a surprise email from Brian Bienkowski, the editor of a small non-profit newsroom in Michigan called Environmental Health News.
Brian had a proposition: The Narwhal and Environmental Health News should collaborate to tell the story of the two Sault Ste. Maries that, from across an international boundary, are banding together to fight a proposed industrial plant in a region already beset by significant amounts of pollution and cancer.
The dream for the project was simple: Environmental Health News picked the story. We’d pick the writer and split the tab, 50/50.
We. Were. In.
On the Canadian side of the border, Sault Ste. Marie, nicknamed the Sault (pronounced the Soo), has one of the highest rates of cancer in all of Ontario.
The Algoma Steel plant, the second-largest steelmaking facility in Canada, has dominated the Sault’s landscape for well over 100 years. The plant is a top source of local employment but also requires that steelworkers suffer exposure to contaminants known to cause cancer.
But now there’s a new proposed industrial facility for the Sault: a ferrochrome plant that will process a unique mineral called chromite found in Ontario’s Ring of Fire.
The idea of siting a ferrochrome plant in the Sault is particularly egregious for those living on the U.S. side of the St. Marys River. Ferrochrome facilities are known to produce a dangerous chemical called chromium-6, the same poison made infamous by the film Erin Brockovich.
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan already has a troubling story when it comes to chromium-6 after a tannery dumped its waste into the local environment for half a century.
The idea of adding more industry to the region is causing anxiety. And anger.
As Michigan local Torry Ruddell put it: “Them plants are killing us, and they want to put another one in there.”
When our two newsrooms decided to team up, we immediately had an investigative journalist in mind for the project: Hilary Beaumont. It was Hilary who recommended the talented photographer Christopher Kastarov Luna.
Beyond connecting with the individuals whose lives have been wracked by the grief of cancer, the piece digs into the strange reality of the Sault, how the Algoma Steel plant has special permission to pollute above provincial limits and how the city courted a company called Noront to bring the new ferrochrome facility to the area without notifying the public or gaining the consent of local First Nations.
Stories like these are months in the making. When the reality of the coronavirus began to hit, we wondered if there would even be an audience willing to read a difficult story like this.
But The Narwhal made a promise a few weeks ago that we would continue to do what we do best, even amid the global pandemic — and that’s to tell the stories that would otherwise go untold.
Hearing the voices of the people on the ground in the Sault reminds us of the importance of bringing these stories to light. As Tammy Francis, a local who lost her father, a steelmaker, to cancer, says: “Honest to God … I don’t know how they’re getting away with this.”
Thank you for reading. If you’re inspired by this investigation, I ask that you forward this email to a friend and share the story on your social media channels.
And to all of our members and donors who make our independent non-profit journalism a reality, we hope you take great pride in this piece, knowing you too helped bring it to life.
Sincerely,
Carol Linnitt
Managing Editor
P.S. The Narwhal is independent, non-profit and ad-free because of readers like you. Join more than 1,200 readers who make our investigative journalism possible by becoming a monthly member of The Narwhal today.
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