CEGC 4: Inclusive, safe, and sustainable cities: Aamjiwnaang First Nation & Toronto

Aamjiwnaang First Nation

Air Quality and Health Concerns

The Aamjiwnaang First Nation (formally known as Chippewas of Sarnia) is located in the southwestern region of Ontario on the outskirt of the city of Sarnia by the St-Clair river. The name Aamjiwnaang, (pronounced am-JIN-nun) means “at the spawning stream.” The First Nation has a population of about 2,500 Chippewa (Ojibwe) Peoples  (Statistics Canada, 2018) and is adjacent to region with a long history of petrochemical activities and refineries. The proximity of these industrial activities has provided ample jobs to the First Nation but at the expense of their health. The St-Clair River has been identified by Health Canada as an area of concern within the Great Lakes region since 1987 due to higher pollution exposure and potential health risks. While there has been significant progress made over the years with the creation of monitoring programs, the reduction in the frequency of spills and with the decline in the concentration of contaminants, there remains issues to be addressed, including sediment remediation and the completion of habitat restoration. A recent study by Larsen et al (2022), in collaboration with the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, reviewed and analyzed public air quality information from 2015-2016 and 1995-96. Their analysis indicate that some known carcinogens including benzene are much higher than provincial averages which needs to be addressed.

References

  • Larsen K, Black P, Palmer AL , Sheppard AJ, Jamal S , Plain S and Peters C. 2022. Screening-level assessment of cancer risk associated with ambient air exposure in Aamjiwnaang First Nation. International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 32 (5): 1055–1066.
  • Statistics Canada. 2018. Aamjiwnaang First Nation [First Nation/Indian band or Tribal Council area], Ontario (table). Aboriginal Population Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-510-X2016001. Ottawa. Released July 18, 2018. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ dp-pd/abpopprof/index.cfm?Lang=E

Toronto

A Concrete Jungle Where Heat Is Stored Up

Toronto. is Canada’s largest city with a population of approximately 2.8 million people in 2021 (Statistics Canada, 2023). It has a high density of buildings and roads with the third highest number of skyscrapers in North America (Ricci, 2020) and a whopping 5,400 kilometres of roads (City of Toronto, n.d.). Toronto, like many other cities, suffers from what is known as the Urban Heat Island effect (Allen, 2013). The effect is prevalent in a city like Toronto leading to a “higher temperature relative to outlying areas” (US EPAa, 2024). This is because the city replaces natural landscapes with infrastructure made of materials such as concrete and asphalt which “absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies” (US EPAb, 2024). In extreme cases, the heat can result in an additional 12 oC (Allen, 2013). Heatwaves are getting worse and almost 120 premature deaths a year in Toronto have heat as a contributing factor (Allen, 2013). This urban heat, along with the overall increasing temperature of the planet will harm Toronto’s population and especially those in areas that do not have access to nearby parks and green areas.

References

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Enabling the Canadian Engineering Grand Challenges for Educators - Encourageons la dissémination par les éducateurs des grands défis pour le génie canadien Copyright © by Nadine Ibrahim; Christine Moresoli; and John Donald is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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