ID: 1934
Presenting Author: Danielle Lee
Session: 626 - Disasters, Conflict and Impact Assessment: What is up, what is down, what is coming around?
Status: pending
Mixed-methods impact/risk assessment revealing critical emergency response gaps and high community exposure to rail risks in Indigenous territories, demonstrating how industrial development enhances d
Rail related risks, including the transportation of hazardous material, is not generally scoped into project environmental and social impact assessments in Canada. Unprecedented industrial development has seriously intensified rail traffic through the Traditional Territories of two Indigenous Nations. This resulted in the Indigenous Nations independently commissioning a series of risk/impact assessments on rail, one with funding from the Canadian federal government. This work was conducted on behalf of the Nations by global community health and safety/quantitative risk assessment practitioners. This presentation highlights critical findings from these works which identify the risks to society are at present unacceptable based on international criteria. Recommendations emphasize the need for transparency, accountability, collaborative taskforces, regulatory amendments that scope rail into impact assessment, enhanced emergency response measures, and infrastructure improvements.
Danielle Lee is a Principal at Arrowsmith Gold Inc. and a population health specialist. She led critical components of the rail safety assessment and communication of findings to Indigenous partners.