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Kill the lake? kill the proposal: accommodating First Nations’ environmental values as a first step on the road to wellness

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Abstract

In recent years, a buoyant global market for minerals has led to renewed interest in the mining sector as a means of generating economic growth in resource producing areas of developed nations. The development of new operations, however, raises concerns around the impacts of mining activities on the environment, health and traditional ways of life of Indigenous peoples. Using the proposed expansion of the Kemess mine in northern British Columbia as a case study, this paper examines two First Nations’ perspectives regarding the regulatory process through which environmental values may be validated and protected, and seeks to understand how these First Nations’ environmental values and perceptions of risk are connected to health and well-being. Sixteen key informant interviews were carried out and thematically analyzed through political ecology and environmental justice frameworks. The paper argues that accommodating First Nations’ environmental values and perceptions of risks is a necessary first step to reclaim health and well-being in politically marginalized settings.

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Notes

  1. Duncan Lake is hereafter referred to as Amazay Lake.

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Acknowledgments

This research would not have been possible without the participation and support of Takla Lake First Nation and Tsay Keh Dene First Nation. We would also like to thank Kwadacha First Nation who also supported this project. This research is also made possible by funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Michael Smith Foundation, Canfor and Sun Life Financial.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Geography Program, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, V2N 4Z9, Canada

    Jessica Place & Neil Hanlon

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  1. Jessica Place
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  2. Neil Hanlon
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Correspondence to Jessica Place.

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Place, J., Hanlon, N. Kill the lake? kill the proposal: accommodating First Nations’ environmental values as a first step on the road to wellness. GeoJournal 76, 163–175 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-009-9286-5

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