NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region, North Slave Region, South Slave Region, Qikiqtaaluk Region

Tags: mining, social sciences, traditional knowledge, history

Objective(s): To identify the historical and continued impacts of abandoned mines adjacent to communities.

Project Description: The objective of this research project is to work closely with members of five northern communities to identify the historical and continued impacts of abandoned mines adjacent to their communities. Participants will be asked how mineral development impacted the social life, economic prospects and local environments of Northern communities throughout the twentieth century, considering carefully the connections between social justice and environmental change that were engendered by historical mining practices in the region. Finally, a local and regional knowledge base will be built as a prerequisite to devising strategies to ameliorate the adverse conditions associated with abandoned mines. Through this research a team has been assembled to combine scientific analysis with perspectives from geography, resource management historical studies, and indigenous studies to produce an interdisciplinary understanding of the dramatic landscape and social changes associated with mining. The primary methodology will be oral history interviews and community workshops. Informants will be identified through ongoing community consultations and references from individuals. Interviews will last approximately 50 minutes. The purpose of the interviews is to collect first-hand accounts of the social, economic, and environmental impact of mining development on northern Canadian Aboriginal communities. This will be explained fully to all interviewees. Participation in workshops or the community mapping project will be voluntary. The invitations and publicity for community workshops will state explicitly the purpose of the workshop and mapping project, and participants will be asked to respond to advertisements and written request for participation in a manner that indicates an informed willingness to participate in the process. The research will provide communities with a forum to develop and share strategies that will help them to cope with the issues associated with mine abandonment, and provide guidance to other communities who may be facing mine closure in the future, through the following means: • Interviews with local elders and community leaders on the historical impact of mining in their region; • One major workshop in each community (in year 2) to assess the historical impact of mining in the region and develop strategies for addressing and mitigating the adverse social, economic and environmental impacts of mining in northern communities; and • A final workshop (in year 3) will bring together representatives of each of the five communities to share their experiences of industrial mining and compare strategic community responses to the problems associated with abandoned mines. Communities will be involved in all phases of the research process, including opportunities to design the research methods, organize and lead workshops, conduct oral history interviews, and assist with data verification and analysis. The primary goal in terms of knowledge mobilization is to apply directly the results of the research to the pressing problems associated with mining and mine abandonment in northern Canada. Indeed, the participatory nature of the program will allow researchers and community members to use historical and contemporary research as a means to articulate solutions to the social, political and environmental problems associated with industrial mining. The research team will plan a comprehensive communications strategy with communities, including newsletters, web-based communications, and face-to-face workshops and presentations. They also intend to establish a research advisory board with associated research protocols in each of the study regions (where one does not already exist). The researchers will construct a website and develop a public communications strategy involving online reports, electronic discussion of key issues through blogs, electronic lectures, etc. This will help disseminate research results to other indigenous communities in northern Canada and globally that have experienced the impacts of mine closure. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from May 10, 2011 to May 31, 2011.