News

Dr. Ingrid Waldron, Associate Professor at the Dalhousie School of Nursing and Associate Research Scholar with the Healthy Populations Institute (HPI), has seen several significant milestones in her work this spring. Dr. Waldron was awarded a SSHRC Connection Grant, her Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project (ENRICH Project) launched a new provincial Environmental Bill of Rights, was featured as a case study at the National Collaborating Centre for the Determinants of Health and formed a new, non-governmental organization (NGO).

Dr. Waldron received the SSHRC Connection Grant to hold a symposium on October 27, 2017.  Entitled “Over the Line: A Bilateral Conversation on Race, Place & the Environment”, the public and academic symposium will bring together US-based and Canadian professors, students, health professionals, environmental scientists, planners, policymakers, affected community members, and others. Participants will discuss strategies for addressing the health, social, and economic impacts of the intersections of environmental racism, climate change, the built environment, and environmental justice.

Dr. Waldron’s ENRICH Project is part of the Environmental Rights Working Group that launched a new provincial Environmental Bill of Rights on Friday April 21, 2017. The purpose of the event, which was moderated by Waldron, was to introduce the Bill to the media and public and to present community stories about environmental issues in Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities. It is the first time that a provincial Environmental Bill of Rights centers the experiences of Aboriginal and African Nova Scotian communities. The Bill aims to ensure a healthy environment for all Nova Scotians, including Aboriginal and African Nova Scotian communities.  

The ENRICH Project was also featured in a case study published by the National Collaborating Center for the Determinants of Health. The publication, "Learning from Practice: Advocacy for Health Equity", outlines the health equity advocacy experience of the ENRICH Project.

Dr. Waldron and her ENRICH team recently formed a new non-governmental organization (NGO). The NGO, Rural Water Watch, will build on ENRICH’s water monitoring projects in Lincolnville and Shelburne, NS. It aims to respond to the inability of rural Aboriginal, African Nova Scotian and other communities to manage the quality of their drinking water and help these communities better understand their water quality and associated health risks. The main objectives of the NGO are to: educate rural homeowners about drinking water quality, the health risks associated with water contamination and how to prevent water contamination.