Asbestos Hill: Inuit experiences with Nunavik's first mine

• Main Author: Carney, Jeanette
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2016
• Subjects: Nunavik; Salluit; inuit
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/12445/; https://research.library.mun.ca/12445/1/thesis.pdf

Over the past century, the Canadian north has experienced an economic, social, and environmental transformation due to mineral development projects. These new developments have contributed to the rapid modernization of Aboriginal and Inuit peoples. Research has shown that past mines in the North continue to play a role in northern communities, shaping community identity and leaving behind negative environmental and socio-cultural legacies. As of yet, little social science research has been undertaken on the impacts of mining in Nunavik (northern Québec) and this study is the first to be conducted on the Asbestos Hill mine (1972-1984), Nunavik’s first mine. Using oral history and archival research methods, this thesis examines past Inuit mine workers’ experiences at the mine, the communities of Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq’s encounters with this industrial operation, and the legacies it left behind.