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While there are many tales of mining companies polluting the Canadian communities in which they have operated, Sudbury's early history stands out. It is arguably the most extreme example of an industry dictating to government how the latter dealt with the local pollution problem – in this case, sulphur dioxide emissions. The capstone achievement was the creation of an extrajudicial solution to the problem that permanently suspended the legal rights of residents seeking redress for their grievances. Moreover, the Ontario government was duplicitous in this affair – namely, by zealously luring settlers to the region in an effort to develop farming there even though it was acutely aware of the local pollution problem. Finally, this story is truly tragic because the pollution need never have happened to the extent that it did. The provincial politicians knew full well that the means existed – within a short jaunt of Sudbury no less – to mitigate the problem, but the politicians refused to force the mining firms to adopt them. Retelling Sudbury's story thus highlights how the Ontario government's decision to grant the mining firms practical impunity to pollute the local environment – both human and non-human – was a matter of political choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Greater Sudbury region in Northern Ontario is known as one of Canada's most ecologically disturbed regions because of the effects of heavy metal pollution. The main objectives of the present study were to assess the effects of soil liming of sites contaminated with metals on species richness and abundance, forest health in general, and to determine the level of genetic variability in white birch populations from Northern Ontario. Shannon-Wiener diversity index and tree species richness values were higher in populations from limed and control sites compared to the unlimed areas. A significant improvement in forest population health (measured using a scale of 1 to 10) in limed sites over the unlimed areas was observed. Key results revealed no significant difference for metal content in white birch (Betula papyrifera) leaves from limed compared to unlimed sites. But higher levels of AI, Ca, Mg, Mn. Ni, Sr, and Zn in leaves compared to the bioavailable amount in soil were observed. The levels of genetic variability in white birch populations were moderate to high, ranging from 30% to 79% of polymorphic loci. A high level of genetic variability such as observed in the present study is usually associated with long term sustainability in plant populations. No association was found between metal accumulation in soil or plants and the levels of genetic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Place and space are central to human ways of organizing the experience of living. Homelessness is an experience of displacement that profoundly modifies a person's sense of self and place. This paper examines the forces that propel the flow of migratory homeless people into urban communities in northern Ontario, Canada. In order to advance knowledge in the area of place attachment among homeless migrants, the paper addresses three objectives: (i) to examine the proportion of migratory persons in the homeless population (ii) to describe the characteristics, including the gender, culture and language among homeless, migratory persons as well as their reasons for homelessness and migration and (iii) to explore the meaning of and attachment to places among migratory homeless persons. The study utilized quantitative and qualitative data gathered in Sudbury, Ontario. The data were from a period prevalence count of homeless people and focus groups with service users. In addition, an analysis of interviews with fifteen homeless individuals who had experienced migration was carried out to acquire a deeper understanding of their sense of place and belonging. The quantitative data, based on a sample of 349 homeless adults, revealed that 28% (n=98) self-identified as migrants. The profile of migrants indicated that they tended to be Aboriginal, male, absolutely homeless and without custody of dependent children. Analysis of place attachments among migrant homeless individuals revealed that various spaces were transformed into meaningful places when homeless migrants forged bonds with others and met their existential needs. The bonds migrant homeless individuals formed with places they inhabited were central to their identity and a sense of belonging; hence along with race, class and gender, elements of place should also be considered in virtually any study, particularly those examining issues such as power, exclusion, and inequality within society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of Northern Ontario, formerly known as New Ontario (Nouvel-Ontario), and the way it became an imaginary space, after having been real. The author explains that geographically, New Ontario is the area surrounding the city of Sudbury. According to the article, New Ontario became an imagined space, a kind of cultural space for the French-Canadian community. The Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (Theatre of Northern Ontario), a Canadian professional theater company located in Sudbury, which produces French language stage productions for the city's Franco-Ontarian community, is mentioned.