ID: 1931
Presenting Author: Antonina Struminski-Bodden
Session: 681 - Gender and Intersectional Analysis in IA: Showcasing theory and practice
Status: pending
Guided by Yukwanulha Yukwanikuhliyo, this ILCBPR project uses GRCBA+ to establish a cultural framework for informed decision-making about surface and groundwater health in Oneida Nation of the Thames.
Since 2006, the City of Toronto’s Green Lane Landfill (the Landfill), has been in operation less than 4km away from Oneida Nation of the Thames (hereafter referred to as Onyota'á:ka). Community members are concerned about industrial impacts on their health and wellbeing, including how pollution from the Landfill degrades surface and ground water. In response to community concerns, Yukwanulha Yukwanikuhliyo (“All us women have good minds”: a women’s group in Onyota'á:ka) have guided an Indigenous-led community-based participatory research (ILCPBR) project that emphasizes capacity-building and sovereignty. This research aims to determine Onyota'á:ka values and goals useful for the development of a culturally relevant, hydrological Conceptual Site Model (CSM) for informed decision making. Situated in relationality and the guiding principle of Etuaptmumk, a semi-structured focus group explores Onyota'á:ka women’s responsibilities to water and its connection to community health. Using an inductive thematic approach, we identify spatial, temporal, and intangible dimensions of water health. A Talking Circle with Yukwanulha Yukwanikuhliyo grounds these findings as a practice of Grounded Theory that engages in culturally relevant gender-based analysis (CRGBA+). The results establish a conceptual framework for water health in the community, informing the development of an Onyata’á:ka hydrological CSM. We share our experiences to demonstrate how ILCBPR and CRGBA+ are practiced in Impact Assessment processes and can be adapted to other Indigenous communities affected by industry.
Antonina has an HBSc in Environmental Geology from the University of Western Ontario. She recently completed an MA in Geography from the University of Guelph under the supervision of Dr. Diana Lewis.
Coauthor 1: Diana Lewis