OFL Statement on the tragic death of Shannen Koostachin
(TORONTO) -- It is with great sadness and shock that the Ontario Federation of Labour has learned of the untimely and tragic death of Shannen Koostachin. Shannen was just 16 years old when she passed away, but had already established herself among first nations, social justice and trade union activists as a powerful young fighter for truth and justice.
In November 2009, Shannen was a keynote speaker at the Ontario Federation of Labour’s biennial convention. To an audience of hundreds, Shannen spoke of her successful campaign to push the federal government to build a new school for the children of the Attawapiskat community off the coast of James Bay in Northern Ontario.
The school had been contaminated by a diesel spill in 1979 and was never properly cleaned. Despite the toxic risks and resulting illnesses, the school was kept in use for the next 21 years. It was only closed when parents refused to enrol their children and teachers refused to work in the building. Portable classes—with insufficient insulation and ventilation problems—were brought in as a stop-gap measure. For the next decade hundreds of Attawapiskat children received their schooling in sub-standard portables while both Liberal and Conservative federal governments failed to provide the funding necessary to rebuild the school.
Shannen was just 13 years old and a grade eight student when she spearheaded the campaign for a new school in Attawapiskat. Launched in 2008, her campaign spread across Canada and eventually to the United Nations. Thousands of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth united to make the campaign the largest youth-driven, child’s rights movement in Canadian history. Shannen was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize.
Thirty-three years after the original diesel spill contaminated the building and the land on which it stood, a new elementary school is finally set to open in Attawapiskat in 2012. It would never have been built without the leadership of Shannen Koostachin.
The Ontario Federation of Labour mourns Shannen’s death. Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends, and to her enormous network of social justice activists. Shannen’s life was cut short, but she made a deep and lasting imprint on her community and on Canada. She made life better—not only for the students who will now have access to a proper education facility—but for the youth who were inspired by her. Indeed, we have all learned that when young people set out to make change they can transform the world. Today, we mourn her passing, but we thank her for sharing her gifts with us, and, importantly, we re-commit ourselves to Shannen’s struggle for solidarity and justice.
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In November 2009, Shannen was a keynote speaker at the Ontario Federation of Labour’s biennial convention. To an audience of hundreds, Shannen spoke of her successful campaign to push the federal government to build a new school for the children of the Attawapiskat community off the coast of James Bay in Northern Ontario.
The school had been contaminated by a diesel spill in 1979 and was never properly cleaned. Despite the toxic risks and resulting illnesses, the school was kept in use for the next 21 years. It was only closed when parents refused to enrol their children and teachers refused to work in the building. Portable classes—with insufficient insulation and ventilation problems—were brought in as a stop-gap measure. For the next decade hundreds of Attawapiskat children received their schooling in sub-standard portables while both Liberal and Conservative federal governments failed to provide the funding necessary to rebuild the school.
Shannen was just 13 years old and a grade eight student when she spearheaded the campaign for a new school in Attawapiskat. Launched in 2008, her campaign spread across Canada and eventually to the United Nations. Thousands of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth united to make the campaign the largest youth-driven, child’s rights movement in Canadian history. Shannen was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize.
Thirty-three years after the original diesel spill contaminated the building and the land on which it stood, a new elementary school is finally set to open in Attawapiskat in 2012. It would never have been built without the leadership of Shannen Koostachin.
The Ontario Federation of Labour mourns Shannen’s death. Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends, and to her enormous network of social justice activists. Shannen’s life was cut short, but she made a deep and lasting imprint on her community and on Canada. She made life better—not only for the students who will now have access to a proper education facility—but for the youth who were inspired by her. Indeed, we have all learned that when young people set out to make change they can transform the world. Today, we mourn her passing, but we thank her for sharing her gifts with us, and, importantly, we re-commit ourselves to Shannen’s struggle for solidarity and justice.
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