The Mining Industry is a Chemical Industry: A Case Study of Nickel Copper Extraction’s Historical Cumulative Effects in the Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie Regions

Featuring Sophia Jaworksi, Post-Doc Fellow, Infrastructure Beyond Extractivism Partnership Grant

Abstract. This presentation will share archival findings from my 2024 postdoctoral research with Dayna Scott, focusing on the settler-colonial pollution logics that shape the nickel-copper mining industry in the Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie regions. I will examine the role of roads, railways, and mining infrastructure, with a particular focus on the milling process and the fate of mill wastes. Through a material-focused analysis, I will discuss the specific chemicals used in mining, their cumulative environmental impacts, and the regulations that continue to permit significant chemical pollution, particularly in waterways. I will critique the dominant “dilution” logics that downplay these impacts and emphasize the importance of regional-scale impact assessments. Finally, I will suggest how this research can serve as a resource for reclaiming and repurposing mining infrastructure as part of asserting Indigenous jurisdiction, which can in turn support the green energy transition, Indigenous data sovereignty, and environmental justice.