Polluted Lungs, Polluted Minds

This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a learning tour with the Canadian Aboriginal Ministry Committee, World Renew, and the CRC Office of Race Relations focusing on places of racism, resistance, resilience, and reconciliation within urban Indigenous communities in southwestern Ontario. One of the places we visited was Aamjiwnaang First Nation, located on the St. Clair River, within the Sarnia city limits.

Sarnia is home to about 40% of Canada’s petrochemical industry.

Sarnia is home to about 40% of Canada’s petrochemical industry, all packed tightly into a 25 kilometre square area, which happens to surround the people of Aamjiwnaang. Sixty of these plants run 24/7, and in 2013, the World Health Organization named Sarnia as the city with the worst air in all of Canada.

When we first arrived, we went to the Aamjiwnaang community centre, where we watched the documentary “Canada’s Toxic Chemical Valley”, made by Vice News. The film showed the effects that the petrochemical industry has on the livelihoods and health of the people of Aamjiwnaang. We learned that the residents of Aamjiwnaang consistently have higher cancer and miscarriage rates than the national averages. There are often chemical leaks that go unreported, which can cause serious health concerns.  

The residents of Aamjiwnaang consistently have higher cancer and miscarriage rates than the national averages.

Many people within Aamjiwnaang work in the petrochemical industry, and have developed serious health conditions from their jobs within the plants. This has also caused a problem of reliance on the industry for economic stability. Without these jobs, families within the community would not be able to put food on the table. On the flip side, these jobs have huge health risks, and residents of Aamjiwnaang are dying younger than they should be.

After watching the film, we had a guided tour of the small community of around 850 people. In every direction I looked I could see industrial plants pumping out fumes. Playgrounds and baseball diamonds meet the fences of these production facilities. It's hard to imagine kids running around a playground right beside these buildings emitting toxic fumes. We heard from the daycare that it is always a risk sending the kids outside to play, because they can’t trust the chemical plants to notify them when a leak happens.

Without these jobs, families within the community would not be able to put food on the table.

Despite this terrible situation, the residents of Aamjiwnaang are incredibly resilient and resolved to work to improve their lives and those of future generations. Aamjiwnaang has its own community health centre, junior and senior kindergarten programs, and daycare centre.

Our learning group was also able to visit the Maajiigin Gumig (Aamjiwnaang’s Greenhouse). The greenhouse focuses on growing native plants, and working on plant rescue and restoration. The site also serves as an educational centre where members of the community can share and learn how to take care of native plants, as well as what to plant where, and purposes for traditional medicinal plants.

Before visiting Aamjiwnaang, I was very unaware and ignorant of the environmental racism* occuring in Sarnia. I have visited Sarnia hundreds of times, but I never knew this was an issue. Because of my economic, social, and racial status in society, I was shielded from having to think about these issues. Because of my privilege, I don’t face the environmental impacts of my consumerism. Most of the time, I purchase things without thinking where it came from, who was working on it, and how it impacts the environment of the people from where the product comes.

Because of my privilege, I don’t face the environmental impacts of my consumerism.

We all need to start thinking downstream. How do the things I do today impact those who are marginalized and ignored? Is what I am doing today negatively affecting people and hurting future generations? Our decisions trickle down and can either help or hinder hundreds of people. We are all connected. We have relationship with the land, whether we recognize it or not. The land has history. It tells stories. We either work with the land and steward it, or we exploit it and hurt our fellow human beings.

So what can we do personally, as church communities, and as wider faith communities? Learning about the land you live on and the Indigenous communities that are around you is a good place to start. This website is a great resource to get you started: https://native-land.ca. The Canadian Aboriginal Ministry Committee also has a territory acknowledgement guide to get you started.

How do the things I do today impact those who are marginalized?

At the start of an event, meeting, gathering or class, you can do a land acknowledgment. Most Indigenous communities have websites where you can learn more, and they often provide a template or suggestion for land acknowledgment.

As consumers, we should be thinking about the products we are buying and the impacts they have on people and the land. If we are in a position of power, we have a greater responsibility to act justly and work to restore the dignity of marginalized people and revitalize creation.

For more information on Aamjiwnaang First Nation, visit http://www.aamjiwnaang.ca.

For more on Chemical Valley, visit  Vice News: Chemical Valley or YouTube: Canada's Chemical Valley.

*Environmental racism refers to the disproportionate burden of environmental degradation, pollution, and hazards that is often borne by people of color. (See this story about a recent EPA report for another example, focusing on the concentration of particulate matter pollution in communities of color.)

This is the first post in our Thinking Downstream series. Join to receive future posts!

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash