Having lived in Nova Scotia all my life, I was shocked when I learned of the ongoing perpetration of environmental racism in my home province
If you are a settler in this country who has not yet seen the Netflix documentary There’s Something In the Water, you should stop reading and watch it immediately.
This powerful documentary, produced and filmed by trending Umbrella Academy actress and fellow Nova Scotian Ellen Page, opened my eyes to the disturbing environmental racism that is happening in my home province.
There’s Something in the Water is a documentary based on the scholarly book of the same name, written by environmental racism expert Ingrid Waldron based at Dalhousie University’s school of nursing. It tells the stories of three communities in Nova Scotia which have been impacted in devastating ways by environmental racism. They are the historic African Nova Scotian community in Shelburne, Pictou Landing First Nation, and the Grassroots Grandmothers of the Sipekne’katik First Nation near Stewiacke River just outside of Halifax
Watching the film and subsequently reading the book it is based on by Dr. Ingrid Waldon, I felt sickened that such injustices have been ongoing in Nova Scotia all my life outside of my awareness.
As a settler and University of Ottawa student who seeks to act as an ally, I was extremely disturbed by my ignorance about environmental racism in Nova Scotia, and I found myself questioning just how I could possibly not have known about these cases.
Perhaps the documentary shook me so deeply because it exposed me to the depth of my own complacency and complicity in systemic environmental racism in my own backyard. In order to get from my home in rural Nova Scotia to the province’s only major city, Halifax, I have driven through the town of Stewiacke countless times.
I was shocked to learn that I was so close to the site of a case of environmental racism involving the disrespect of the treaty rights of the Mi’kmaq people. I realize that my privilege as a white Nova Scotian who has never experienced racism of any kind, let alone environmental racism, is what allowed me to remain ignorant for so long. This documentary serves as a sharp reminder that being an ally means being vigilant, and actively listening and looking for signs of systemic racism in my surroundings.
In the case of Pictou Landing First Nation, important progress has been made since the September 2019 release of the film. The success of the Netflix documentary arguably played an enormous role in holding the province accountable to its Jan. 31 deadline to end the pollution of Boat Harbour by Northern Pulp Mill. Since then, the harbour has seen a dramatic recovery.
Despite the progress made at Boat harbour, environmental racism against Indigenous and Black communities still exists as the metaphorical elephant in the room in Nova Scotia. Just this past week, Mi’kmaq fishermen were harassed by non-indigenous fishermen as they asserted their treaty right to fish for a moderate livelihood outside of the commercial fishing season. The federal government released a statement affirming the constitutional right of the Mi’kmaq to fish for a moderate livelihood, however, even with the deployment of RCMP and Coast Guard officers, Indigenous fishermen have continued to face threats and harassment.
The fact is, many white settlers such as myself are permissive in our own complacency and ignorance. In order to be better allies, we need to be actively listening for and heeding calls for support and action from groups organizing to defend their rights. It is long-past time for settlers to stand with Indigenous and Black communities fighting to get justice for the wrongs committed against them by the colonial government.
A first step in the direction of active listening and learning would be the implementation of a mandatory course on Indigenous and African Canadian history and rights for students in social science programs at the University of Ottawa. Not even the conflict studies and human rights program currently includes such a course. Come fall 2021, Professor Patti Tamara Lenard will be offering a course which will invite students to consider settler-Indigenous conflicts in Canada and around the world, with a focus on Indigenous mechanisms of resistance. Although this is a step in the right direction, this course will not be a mandatory part of any program. So if you’re not sure about why better education about systemic and environmental racism is absolutely essential, you can start by giving a watch or a read to “There’s Something in the Water.”
Raina Young is a University of Ottawa student in her final year of an honours bachelor of Social Sciences in Conflict Studies and Human Rights. Raina seeks to further learn about systemic racism and how it impacts BIPOC people in Canada in her role as Director of Engagement of the youth-led non-profit Ally Squared. She has also previously worked as a Migration Policy Assistant at the Mission of Canada to the European Union in Brussels and a Media Analyst at the Privy Council Office.
