Bharadwaj Lalita, Nilson Suzie, Judd-Henrey Ian, Ouellette Gene, Parenteau Laura, Tournier Ceal, Watson Daryl, Bear Darcy, Ledoux Gilbert, Bear Austin
University of Saskatchewan, College of Nursing, Saskatoon, Canada.
J Environ Health. 2006 Mar;68(7):35-9.
The interests of First Nations communities in Canada have traditionally had little voice at the various points of authority that maintain the equilibrium or balance necessary to get environmental protection laws ratified, regulations distributed, and enforcement actions initiated on First Nations lands. (First Nations is the term commonly used in Canada to describe the various societies of indigenous peoples who are accorded status as "Indians" by the Indian Act of 1985 and who are not of Inuit or Métis descent.) Along with a lack of adequate funding to address human and environmental issues-as well as past industrial exploitation of First Nations lands-the safety and acceptability of many solid waste management practices in Canadian First Nations communities have become a serious concern for many members from both human and environmental health perspectives. A history of poor management, monitoring, and remediation of solid waste facilities across Canada's First Nations Communities and the lack of current resolve over this issue has left First Nations people feeling the consequences of pollution to their environment: rivers, land, and air. First Nations people are traditionally connected to the land, and consequently the degradation of the environment also leads to a decline in a way of life for the people and thus a decline in the cultural health of communities. This article examines the issues surrounding waste management on First Nations communities, looks at how First Nations are trying to handle their solid waste, and considers the larger issues of environmental degradation that First Nations communities face throughout Canada.
在加拿大，第一民族社区的利益在那些为使环境保护法律得以批准、法规得以颁布以及在第一民族土地上启动执法行动而维持必要平衡的各个权威层面上，传统上鲜有发声机会。（“第一民族”是加拿大常用的术语，用于描述各类原住民社会，这些社会依据1985年的《印第安人法案》被赋予“印第安人”身份，且并非因纽特人或梅蒂斯人后裔。）除了缺乏足够资金来解决人类和环境问题，以及过去对第一民族土地的工业开发之外，从人类健康和环境健康角度来看，加拿大第一民族社区许多固体废物管理做法的安全性和可接受性已成为许多成员严重关切的问题。加拿大第一民族社区固体废物设施管理不善、监测不力和修复不足的历史，以及目前在这个问题上缺乏决心，已让第一民族人民感受到其环境（河流、土地和空气）受到污染的后果。第一民族人民传统上与土地紧密相连，因此环境退化也导致了他们生活方式的衰落，进而导致社区文化健康的衰退。本文审视了围绕第一民族社区废物管理的问题，探讨了第一民族如何试图处理其固体废物，并思考了加拿大各地第一民族社区面临的更大的环境退化问题。
