THUNDER BAY—The woman who for a decade has led the board that compensates residents of two First Nations suffering from mercury contamination will leave the post this summer.
The announcement of Margaret Wanlin's departure comes in the wake of complaints from the leadership of Grassy Narrows, including allegations of bias and disrespect for community members applying for compensation from the Mercury Disability Board.
Wanlin says she has seen a letter containing the allegations but adds that she has "no details on what's meant by that, so I can't speculate."
In an interview with Tbnewswatch, she said the letter has been discussed in camera by the search committee responsible for the makeup of the seven-member board.
Wanlin said the committee, comprised of the chiefs of the Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations, and one representative each from the Ontario and federal governments, has not provided her with any details.
She acknowledged that the letter is "clearly" a factor in her stepping down, but added that 10 years "is a good run. In these kinds of posts, I think change is a good thing, and I'll go on to something else."
Since the mid 1980s, the disability board has approved compensation to 350 claimants, and has rejected about 775 applications.
Successful claimants in the past received lifetime compensation ranging between $250 and $800 a month, depending on the severity of their symptoms.
However, Wanlin said that as a result of recent changes, payments will be retroactively indexed for inflation. That means the amount of the benefits will roughly double on a monthly basis, and backpay cheques will be issued as well.
A Winnipeg neurologist who helped to assess claims has also recently left his position with the disability board.
Wanlin noted that the legislation that governs mercury compensation stipulates that people receive a financial benefit when they have disability symptoms consistent with mercury poisoning, but there can be a variety of causes.
She said diagnosing mercury poisoning "is not an exact science. There's not a definitive set of symptoms where you say 'Ah-ha, that's mercury poisoning.' Other things, like diabetes, can produce some of the same symptoms. You'd think the science would be better by now."
Tbnewswatch was unable on Monday to reach Grassy Narrows Chief Rudy Turtle for comment on the community's concerns.
