The Perceived Health Influences of Hydroelectric Development Along the Lower Churchill River Among Nunatukavut Adults in Labrador, Canada
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! “It’s in the Tough Times You See Who the Vulnerable People Really Are”: The Perceived Health Influences of Hydroelectric Development Along the Lower Churchill River Among NunatuKavut Adults in Labrador, Canada by Marissa Ley Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia June 2015 © Copyright by Marissa Ley, 2015 ! TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES…………….…………………..……………………...………...……vii ABSTRACT………………………………………………….………..………………………..viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED ………………………..…..………..……….ix GLOSSARY……..………………..………………………….………..…..………...……….x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.……………………………………….…..………….….…..xv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION……………………………….…...…...……..1 1.1 The development of the Lower Churchill River, NunatuKavut, and emotional health..………….…………………4 1.2 Research Statement……….........………….…………..…………….9 1.3 Overview of Thesis…..……..…….……………………………..……...9 1.4 Why I am Interested in this Topic.……………………….……..10 1.5 Conclusion.………………………..………………………………………….12 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW...……………………………………13 2.1 Understanding Aboriginal Health……………………………......13 2.1.1 Linking Self-Determination and Emotional Health………………….………………………….…………….......16 2.2 The Importance of Cultural Continuity for Emotional Health…………………………………………………………………………...18 2.3 The Colonial Legacy of Large-Scale Development in Indigenous communities in Canada……………………………..21 2.3.1 Examples Demonstrating the Importance of Consultations with Aboriginal Communities……….23 2.4 NunatuKavut: History, Politics, and Resource Development..…………………………………………………………….…27 ii ! 2.4.1 NunatuKavut: History to present day…………………28 2.5 The Lower Churchill River development and the on-going legacy of colonization….…………….……………...…32 2.6 What Happens when Aboriginal Communities/Groups are able to be Self-determining?..………………….…………...42 2.7 Conclusion.…………………………………..……………………………….45 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND METHODS………………...46 3.1 Research Objectives…………………………………….…….…………46 3.2 Situating Myself………………………………….………………..……...46 3.3 Methodology……………………………………………………..…………..49 3.3.1 Two-Eyed Seeing……………………………………..………….51 3.3.2 Indigenous Perspective………………………….……..…...53 3.3.3 Western Perspective………….………………………..………54 3.4 Methods……………………………………..………..……………………...56 3.4.1 Data Collection…………………….……………………..……...56 3.4.2 Study Location………………………………………...………...57 3.4.3 Criteria for inclusion in the study……………………….58 3.4.4 Participant Recruitment……………………...………………59 3.4.5 Informed Consent Process...……………………………...60 3.4.6 Ethical Considerations.…….………..……………………...61 3.4.7 Interview Guide………………………………..….…….……...64 3.4.8 Data Management………………………….……..…………...65 3.4.9 Data Analysis………………………………….……..…………...66 iii ! 3.4.10 Strategies for Reviewing Findings…………..…......68 3.4.11 Knowledge Dissemination and Translation……...69 3.4.12 Limitations of the Study…………………………………...70 3.6 Conclusion………………….…………………………………..…………...71 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS…………………………….…..………….………...72 4.1 Theme 1: “There is something really important and significant about being outside, being on the land, just being by the water. It clears your mind if you let it”: The connection between the natural world, culture, social relationships, and emotional health…………………………72 4.2 Theme 2: “You are poisoning your people downstream”: Concern about the changes to the land and community, and loss of resources.…………….….……75 4.2.1 Fear and concern about environmental changes……………………….….………………....………….....77 4.2.2 Environmental and socio-economic changes: Concerns about impacts on social relationships…………………………………………………….….83 4.3 Theme 3: “If there’s a road going to get paved, it ain’t going to get paved in Labrador”: Neocolonialism with respect to the overall development of the Lower Churchill River……………………………………………………..……....89 4.4 Theme 4: “I have friends in this community that I’ve been friends with for all of my life, and they are afraid to be seen speaking to me”: The tensions and challenges of the Lower Churchill development and social relationships.……………………….………………….………….95 4.5 Conclusion………………………………..………………………….......109 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION……………………….……….………….......111 5.1 Emotional Health…………..………………………..……….…………112 iv ! 5.2 Changes to the physical and social environments.….…114 5.3 Hopelessness resulting from neocolonialism and environmental development………….……....................117 5.4 Community tensions and strained social relationships ..………….……….….……………..…………….………119 5.5 Suggestions for moving forward…….……………….………...122 5.6 Ideas for Future Research……………………..……………….….123 5.7 Concluding Remarks………………………..…..……………….…..125 REFERENCES……………………..…..………………………………….….…….……..127 APPENDIX A: NUNATUKAVUT LETTER OF SUPPORT……........137 APPENDIX B: RECRUITMENT POSTER……………………….…………...138 APPENDIX C: INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECT TO BE GIVEN TO POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS BY NUNATUKAVUT COMMUNITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES…………………………………………………………...139 APPENDIX D: TELEPHONE SCRIPT………………………….……….......140 APPENDIX E: EMAIL/LETTER TO BE SENT TO POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS.…………………..………….…………….…………………. 141 APPENDIX F: ORAL CONSENT FORM…………………………….………...142 APPENDIX G: TCPS 2 CORE CERTIFICATE…………………………....145 APPENDIX H: INTERVIEW GUIDE…………………………………………….146 APPENDIX I: POST-INTERVIEW CONTACT…………………………….149 APPENDIX J: SUMMARY OF THEMES……………………………………….150 APPENDIX K: CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT FOR MEMBERS OF RESEARCH COMMITTEE….………………........152 v ! APPENDIX L: LABRADORIAN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON MY RESEARCH……………….……………….…………………….……..…...153 APPENDIX M: LETTER OF APPROVAL FROM NUNATUKAVUT COMMUNITY COUNCIL RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE…………………………………………….………..…….………...155 APPENDIX N: DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ETHICS LETTER OF APPROVAL….………………………………….………….....156 APPENDIX O: NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR HEALTH RESEARCH ETHICS BOARD APPROVAL LETTER…….......157 ! vi ! LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Map of Newfoundland and Labrador: This figure shows the Muskrat Falls and Gull Island Rapids facilities and the proposed energy transmission link to the Atlantic provinces (Nalcor Energy, 2014). The star added to this map shows the location of Happy Valley- Goose Bay……………..……………..………….……………. 37 vii ! Abstract Many Indigenous people around the world have a strong connection to the natural environment, which is, in turn, connected with their health and well being. This connection, which can be thought of as spiritual or personal in nature, moves beyond the connection that all people have with the natural world (i.e., we need a healthy environment to have healthy people). The connection Indigenous peoples have with the land is special in that the natural world is how they enact everything related to their culture- this is how they access culturally relevant food, medicine, housing, clothing, among other necessities. Beyond the physical health effects of contamination and pollution, damage to the natural world can influence the overall social, emotional and spiritual health of Aboriginal peoples. Hydroelectric development of the Lower Churchill River in Labrador has stirred controversy for the residents of this area, including the Inuit of south and central Labrador, who are politically represented by the NunatuKavut Community Council. Concerns about this development have centered around changes to the natural world, as well as what is perceived to be a lack of meaningful consultation with NunatuKavut members during the environmental assessment process. Previous research has indicated that these types of developments can influence Aboriginal peoples’ health, through the physical changes to the environment. Given that Indigenous definitions of health are often holisitic in their approach, the physical changes to the environment may influence culturally relevant land use as well, which may influence emotional health (SHRG, 2004). This study explores the influence of hydroelectric development along the Lower Churchill River on emotional health and social relationships, and how changes to these social relationships may influence the emotional health of NunatuKavut adults. This study involved qualitative interviews with 10 adult members of NunatuKavut. Critical lens theory, narrative inquiry, and principles of Two Eyed Seeing informed all elements of this study. Data were coded by hand and analyzed for major themes and sub-themes. From these data, it was found that participants view emotional health as being connected to culture and the natural world largely through social relationships, and that having healthy physical and social environments are key to protecting Inuit culture. Four themes have emerged from this data: 1) the connection between the natural world, culture, social relationships, and emotional health; 2) concern about the changes to the land and community and loss of resources; 3) lack of voice and power with respect to the overall development of the Lower Churchill River; and 4) the tensions and challenges of the Lower Churchill development and social relationships. The knowledge generated from this study will inform the academic community on perceptions that Inuit have about how the Lower Churchill development will influence their emotional health and social relationships. It will also provide NunatuKavut leaders and members with critical and timely information about how its community members perceive the development as impacting their emotional health. viii ! List of Abbreviations Used CURA Community-University Research Alliance CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBPR Community-Based Participatory Research CIHR Canadian