Some rivers carry water. Others carry secrets.
Broken River is an investigative documentary examining the legacy of the former General Motors site in St. Catharines, Ontario, and the political, environmental, and human consequences of leaving a contaminated industrial property unresolved.
For more than a century, the site has been part of St. Catharines’ industrial story. Today, its future remains uncertain. Aging buildings, environmental contamination, competing financial interests, legal disputes, and years of political decisions have left a toxic brownfield sitting in the shadow of surrounding homes, businesses, parks, and Twelve Mile Creek.
SPECIAL SCREENING
**TO BE DETERMINED**
(The Film House at the FirstOntario PAC cancelled our booking)
St. Catharines, ON
October 20th, 2026. @ 7PM
Official Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/19SV1s5xZj/
Admission is free. After the screening, Sabrina will be taking questions from audience.
Through interviews, archival material, public records, on-the-ground investigation, and newly captured footage, Broken River follows the questions that remain unanswered: Who is responsible for cleaning up the site? Who ultimately pays when responsibility is delayed or disputed? And what happens to the people and environment living with the consequences?
The film examines more than the decay of an abandoned industrial property. It explores the relationships between corporate interests, property ownership, lenders, developers, elected officials, and the public — and asks what happens when the protection of residents and the environment becomes secondary to protecting investments and avoiding responsibility.
While the people with the power to act continue to debate, litigate, negotiate, and delay, the site remains part of the landscape. Water moves through the ground. Contaminants remain. Wildlife passes through. People live, work, and grow food nearby.
And Twelve Mile Creek keeps carrying the story downstream.
Broken River is a film about contamination, accountability, political silence, and the cost of leaving a community to live with someone else’s unfinished business.
Here are some BROKEN RIVER EXTRAS
After years of inaction, the City of St. Catharines finally issued a repair or demolition order for the former GM site amid mounting public pressure and an approaching municipal election. When the order was appealed on the final day by lawyers representing the lenders to the property’s owners, the dispute moved to a public hearing. In this Broken River Extra, I attend the hearing, deliver a delegation, and share my thoughts on what happened next.
During a public hearing on the former GM site, a committee member, the chairperson, and the secretary-treasurer repeatedly attempted to prevent me from filming the proceedings. Knowing my rights as a journalist and filmmaker, I challenged their efforts to restrict public recording and pushed back against what I viewed as an attempt to limit media coverage. In this unedited exchange, the discussion ultimately culminates with the secretary-treasurer acknowledging that the issue was about “controlling the narrative.“
Part 3 is still in the works. If you support my environmental justice advocacy and want to see this series expanded, help out my YouTube channel by liking, commenting, sharing, and subscribing. It helps others see what’s happening in St. Catharines and makes it harder for Mat Siscoe, Bill Phillips, Bayshore, and others to cover up this story.
SECRECY, SURVEILLANCE, AND THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW: Inside the NRPS’s Secret $534,000 Technology Purchase
When Niagara Regional Police disclosed the purchase, remarkably little information accompanied the announcement. The public was informed that the expenditure had been approved and that the cost exceeded half a million dollars. Beyond that, almost nothing was provided.
On My Fight with the NRPS
Until now, I have carried this case largely on my own. I authored the original complaint. I survived the first major procedural hurdle. I researched and drafted a comprehensive response to the NRPS “defence”—a document prepared by a team of taxpayer-funded lawyers with decades of combined experience. I met the system where it stood, with…
JUSTICE ENDS WHERE POLICING BEGINS: The Shameful History of Policing The Gay and Trans Community in Canada
Policing reform is routinely framed as a matter of training, oversight, or inclusive language. None of this resolves the central contradiction exposed by decades of violence against trans people: policing is a system built on discretion, not equality. It decides who belongs, who is suspect, and whose suffering is credible.
ALONE AGAINST THE SYSTEM: Fighting Police Misconduct in Ontario Means Surviving It
In Ontario, holding police accountable isn’t a matter of justice — it’s an act of endurance.
ROT AT THE CORE: How Transphobia Persists in Niagara’s Policing Culture
The former president of the Niagara Regional Police Association exemplifies systemic transphobia and homophobia in policing, perpetuating a culture of distrust. This issue highlights accountability failures, emphasizing the need for broader community responsibility in ensuring respect and equality for marginalized groups.
- MAT SISCOE AND THE POLITICS OF THE GM SITE: How St. Catharines Keeps Setting the Table for BayShore
- POLICING THE CRITIC: A Story About NRPS Priorities
- WHEN A PRIDE FLAG BECOMES A TARGET: The Crown V Chandler C. Robinson
- SECRECY, SURVEILLANCE, AND THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW: Inside the NRPS’s Secret $534,000 Technology Purchase
- On the Failure of Escape
