App: Environmental Racism: Environmental Impacts of Industry on First Nations Reserves in Ontario
Hosted in ArcGIS Online:
Mission Statement
The Web App, built with ArcGIS Experience Builder, intends to highlight the environmental racism experienced by Indigenous communities living on reserves in the territory now known as Ontario. “Environmental racism” is a term coined by Benjamin Chavis, a Black civil rights leader from the US. He defined environmental racism as:
Racial discrimination in environmental policy-making, the enforcement of regulations and laws, the deliberate targeting of communities of colour for toxic waste facilities, the official sanctioning of the life-threatening presence of poisons and pollutants in [racialized] communities, and the history of excluding people of colour from leadership of the ecology movements.
We hope that this app can serve as a starting point for further learning about this issue, and that it motivates individuals to hold their elected representatives to account.
Video Presentation
Documentation
Team Members
Rachel Thevenard: Rachel is a graduate of UW’s Faculty of Environment with a Degree in ERS and a Diploma in Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation. She is currently finishing a Diploma of Excellence in GIS. She spends her free time growing more sweet potatoes than she can eat, playing music, and drawing.
Matthew Devine: Matthew is a graduate of the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Environment with a degree in Environment and Business and a Diploma in Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation. He is currently finishing a Diploma of Excellence in GIS. Matthew is an avid boulderer and likes to build computers in his free time.