His reports predicted serious health concerns of radium miners in the Great Bear Lake and the Belgium Congo. Neither the Canadian government or the mine owners wanted to scare miners away, or implement better health safeguards that would force uranium prices up, says Archer. The loss of close to 50 males in their community of 700 has had a devastating effect on the survival of their culture. Kenney-Gilday, who has suffered the loss of her father to colon cancer and brother to stomach cancer, stressed that it is the grandfathers in Dene society who passes on the traditions. Because of the loss of these men in the community, there are too many men without fathers or grandfathers to teach them.
People are surprised at how much the people in D line depend on the food from the land.
If you're paying six dollars for a dozen eggs, you're going to go have to get a fish or shoot a cariboo. Recent satellite tracking of cariboo in the north confirm that the cariboo have been migrating across the mine's waste dumps, seriously contaminating the Dene food supply. The Dene have requested, as part of their 14 points of resolution package, to have a comprehensive health, social and environmental assessment done in order to determine the extent of the damage and to have the Canadian government to acknowledge their responsibility in the decimation of their livlihood and culture. But they are the government of Canada's responsibility. We must do this honorably.