For years, Joseph Shecapio-Blacksmith knew something was wrong. Close family members had died young of unusual diseases. Local fishermen had been catching fish with no eyes. Something was not right. As the environmental officer in Oujé Bougoumou, a Cree community in northern Quebec, he had long suspected a link to the toxic effects of nearby mining operations. But Quebec officials had repeatedly dismissed Shecapio-Blacksmith’s concerns, downplaying evidence of environmental damage - deformed fish and polluted water - and urging the locals to continue eating their catch and drinking the water. Rebuffed by the authorities, Shecapio-Blacksmith was a lone voice in the wilderness. Enter Chris Covel, a straight-talking geologist from New Hampshire with expertise in post-industrial clean-up - and a keen taste for justice. Fate brings him to Shecapio-Blackmith. They become good friends, joining forces in the battle of their lives: exposing the lethal legacy of mining in Quebec’s north. Along the way they run into unexpected resistance from the Grand Council of the Crees, raising serious questions about the Cree leaders’ commitment to the environmental and health concerns of their own people. “Heavy Metal: A Mining Disaster In Northern Quebec” is the remarkable story of the unlikely duo’s quest for truth. Just how much waste was dumped on Cree territory? What are the effects of toxic mining waste on people’s health? And why has the disaster been ignored by the authorities? Co-directors Neil Diamond and Jean-Pierre Maher document Covel and Shecapio-Blacksmith’s tireless search for answers - providing a moving portrait of courage and perseverance in the face of official indifference. As soon as Covel notices “kill zones” in the region - areas that no longer sustain plant life - he quickly sends soil and water samples to an American environmental lab for testing. The results exceed his worst fears, indicating shockingly high levels of arsenic, cyanide and other heavy metals associated with gold and copper mining. Freshly armed with hard data, Shecapio-Blacksmith and Covel are confident the Cree leadership will take action. But to their astonishment, the Grand Council cancels the press conference that would have made their findings public. And within days, an astonishing announcement - in return for $3.5 billion, the Cree leadership proposes a sweeping new deal with Quebec, paving the way for further mining on Cree lands and waiving all Cree grievances relating to prior exploitation of their territories. Adding insult to injury, the Grand Cree Council then proceeds to work with the Quebec government in an effort to discredit key aspects of Covel and Shecapio-Blacksmith’s findings. In contrast to its image as a vast expanse of untouched wilderness, Canada is littered with thousands of old mining sites - over 10,000, according to MiningWatch Canada. Most are suspected to be contaminated and many are located near Native communities. “Heavy Metal: A Mining Disaster In Northern Quebec” provides a sobering case study, and a heart-wrenching account of two men who dare to raise the alarm on a potential environmental and public health disaster.