| Issue/Objective |
Sudbury, Ontario, faces a complex environmental legacy shaped by over a century of intensive
mining operations. While industrial activity remains a cornerstone of the regional economy, its
long-term impact on the health of vulnerable populations, particularly children, remains a critical
area of concern.
Primary objective: To explore and document caregivers' narratives about the environmental risks associated with mining operations in Sudbury and its impact on the health and wellbeing of their children. |
| Methodology/Approach |
This qualitative study explores the perspectives of 25 parents and primary caregivers regarding the effects of mining-related pollution on children's health and wellbeing.
Utilizing reflexive thematic analysis, the research interprets data gathered through semistructured
interviews with a diverse sample of residents recruited via maximum variation sampling.
The study is grounded in the structural determinants of health framework to examine health and
environmental risk perceptions and identify themes of environmental injustice.
|
| Results |
Preliminary findings:
1. The Sudbury Bargain as a structural trap:
Economic dependency on mining creates conditions in which environmental concern is quietly suppressed. When a community member warned a participant not to "bite the hand that feeds you," this was not an individual act of social pressure, it was structural power operating through interpersonal channels.
2. Precautionary parenting as a symptom of regulatory failure:
The invisible domestic labour parents perform - monitoring air quality indices, installing HEPA filters, choosing swimming spots by water advisory - represents a privatization of public health responsibility. Families with fewer financial or cognitive resources cannot "opt out" of exposure through individual action, making this an equity issue, not a lifestyle choice.
3. The information asymmetry as injustice:
When residents learn about tailings dust plumes from neighbours' Facebook posts rather than formal alerts, this is not a communication gap, it is a procedural injustice. Children in fenceline communities have a right to proactive, accessible environmental health information. |
| Discussion/Conclusion |
By documenting
the lived experiences of families residing near mining sites, this research seeks to highlight the
urgent need for a more comprehensive health study focusing on children and segregated by wards.
Ultimately, the findings aim to provide nuanced insights into the challenges of raising children in an
industrialized environment and inform the efforts of policymakers and community advocates in
fostering a healthier Sudbury. |
| Presenters and Affiliations |
Rhea Mukerjee McMaster University |
