The St. Lawrence River (Kaniatarowanenneh) that runs through Akwesasne, Cornwall, and Massena was designated an Area of Concern (AOC) by the governments of Canada, the United States, and Akwesasne alongside the International Joint Commission (IJC) in 1987.

The Area of Concern includes approximately 80 km of the St. Lawrence River to the eastern outlet of Lake St. Francis, located within Akwesasne Territory. The entire AOC is divided by the international border: jurisdiction in the United States portion is shared between the United States, New York State, and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; while jurisdiction in the Canadian portion is shared between Canada, Ontario, Québec and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. Each of these government bodies has its own respective environmental health legislation, evaluation criteria, and standards, making it increasingly difficult to ensure rules, regulations and safe environmental practices are being pursued.

The identified environmental issues or challenges on the St. Lawrence River at Akwesasne are called “Beneficial Use Impairments” or BUIs. The following BUIs were identified in the Akwesasne, Cornwall, and Massena area of the River: 

• Fish Consumption,
• Fish and wildlife populations, 
• Algae health,
• Fish and wildlife habitats,
• Plankton health.

Similarly, neighbouring towns have polluted the Waters from multiple power plants dumping upstream, impacting the people of Akwesasne. The high pollutants, PCB, and mercury levels have resulted in damages in the community such as health issues, and the risk of infertility in women. However, despite this research and identified impairments, much of the local community of Akwesasne are not educated or knowledgeable about the dangers and toxic realities of their local Water and environment. 

The lack of awareness and communication surrounding these present issues has enabled corporations and companies to continue polluting with little resistance. We continue to see this as recently as 2023 when Air Products, an industrial gas supply company, proposed building a hydrogen facility in Massena, located 20 minutes away from Akwesasne. This facility would produce liquid hydrogen by electrolysis, and use water from the Massena Power Canal and the St. Lawrence River (Kaniatarowanenneh). Incoming, or raw, water would be treated through a clarification system and forwarded to a raw water storage tank. While corporations are supposed to inform and educate the Akwesasne community and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne of these plans, there have been arguments that Air Products has not been upfront with their plans or the environmental impact this facility will have on The Water and environment. 

This current issue opened the conversation of environmental racism and the impacts of corporations choosing small, low income, and typically Indigenous or POC communities as their locations for pollutant factories, or environmentally harmful facilities. Luckily, through activism and awareness, Air Products has since cancelled their plans, but with the most recent passing of Ontario’s Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, which repeals the Endangered Species Act, allows the creation of lawless “Special Economic Zones," and gives corporations the green light to harm nature and communities (specifically remote Indigenous communities), it is clear that these issues are far from over.

To learn more about Bill 5 please visit The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and fore m ore information on how this bill will impact Indigenous peoples and our inherited surroundings, please watch APTN News report on Bill 5 , or the Chiefs of Ontario's response.