Rivers of Sawdust: The Battle Over Industrial Pollution in Canada, 1865-1903

767 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: industrial pollution and its effects

An issue arose in Eastern Canada between 1865 and 1903 in which Peter Gillis focused on the views of certain environmentalists, lumbermen and the government as well as the public’s opinions on the matter throughout the years. Gillis stressed the damage caused by dumping sawdust into rivers and lakes regularly – mainly the Ottawa River. Water-powered sawmills, which were designed to allow waste to drop through the floorboards into the water, caused blocked navigation ways, posed as a health hazard, and threatened wildlife. (84) The controversial issue that Gillis presented was based around the lumbermen’s sole interest in business to maximize profits clashing with environmental concerns of the conservationists. The government had to implement a strategy that would appeal to both sides which would become an important victory for the early environmentalists.
Gillis’ focus on the conservationists dealt with their concern for the environment and the general public’s health. Gillis stressed the conservationist’s beliefs that navigation through the Ottawa River was blocked and became dangerous due to the backup of sawdust and also bacteria that lead to spontaneous explosions within the waterways caused by concentrations of methane gas. (93) Gillis explained how the careless dumping of waste into the rivers is detrimental to the beauty of nature. He stated that the main goal was to gain the general public’s interest to pressure the government to abolish dumping of waste by generating other methods for sawdust such as fuel or the use of waste burners. (90)
Gillis also included the interests of the lumbermen and made them out to be greedy and selfish in their actions. Parties in favour were solely interested in the gain of maximum profits f...

... middle of paper ...

...de throughout the lumber industry would have played out beyond 1903.
This article has stressed the importance of the early conservationist impulse in Canada. Gillis suggests the most important contribution of the entire controversy was made by anti-pollution advocates of government officials to research, investigate and regulate the dumping of waste. (100) Gillis believed that this decision led to a more activist government which would cater to the public interest in the future with a theme of the relationship of Canadians with their environment (natural, social and economic) which will lead to the development of the country in a period of national transformation. (101)

Works Cited

Gillis, R. Peter, “Rivers of Sawdust: The Battle Over Industrial Pollution in Canada,1865-1903”Journal of Canadian Studies/Revue d'études canadiennes, 21:1 (1986:Spring/printemps) p.84

Show More
Related

  • Effects of USA’s investments in Canada during the 1920s

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mark Kuhiberg. (2003, May 5). PULP AND PAPER IN CANADA: Its First Century. Retrieved from

    Read More

  • The Case of the Black Donnellys

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Upper Canada was in the tumultuous process of settlement during the nineteenth century. From 1800-1860, wheat and flour exports went from a negligible amount to peak at 13 billion bushels in 1860.1 It is important to understand the rapid nature of settlement to contextualize life in rural Upper Canada. From 1805-1840, the population increased by over eight hundred percent.2 Many of these were Irish emigrants, even in the period preceding the famine; these pre-Famine Irish emigrants were predominantly “middling farmers,” «c'est à dire des fermiers cultivant des terres petite oucharacterizedes, Simmons, et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • The Manitoba Land Question, 1870-1882

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin Sprague argues that the Canadian Government disingenuously mismanaged Metis land organization. Sprague states that evidence of this can be seen in the Canadian government not allowing the Lieutenant Governor Adams G. Archibald to make changes to Section 31 and 32 of the Manitoba Act. Archibald proposed the government grant outlined in Section 31 should allocate each person of Aboriginal ancestry an allotment of “140 acres” (pg.75) of land. Archibald also suggested that the location of these allotments be in close proximity so as to “not disperse families throughout the province” (Pg. 75). Lastly Archibald proposed a suggestion in carrying out Section 32 which insured that land owned was not jeopardized during the process of confederacy. He recommended that Manitoba be recognized as an independent province such that affairs including land ownership would be dealt with on a provincial level. Therefore as Sprague argues Archibald’s words were not taken into consideration by both the governments of John A. Macdonald and Alexa...

    Read More

  • Canada In The 1920s And 1930s Essay

    487 Words  | 1 Pages

    Canada became increasingly autonomous throughout the 1920's and 1930's. Being established officially as a nation apart from Britain certainly helped, but there were more than just official pieces of paper at play. The negotiation of the Halibut treaty was a large push towards become an autonomous nation from Britain. The final push were the seats Canada was given at various significant events.

    Read More

  • Why The Discovery of Insulin is a Defining Moment in Canadian History

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wilson, J. Bradely Cruxton and W. Douglas. Spotlight Canada Fourth Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000.

    Read More

  • Pierre Trudeau

    371 Words  | 1 Pages

    There are many more examples of conflicts between Trudeau's thoughts and his actions. For instance, Trudeau has always been uncomfortable with excessive state intervention in the economy. For this reason he has consistently opposed the imposition of price and income controls. But this did not stop him from deciding, in 1975, that a lack of responsibility on the part of business and labour necessitated the introduction of a controls system. Trudeau has spoken of the need for a shift of emphasis in Canadian society from consumption to conservation. And yet, he allowed energy-conservation measures in Canada to fall far behind those of the United States. More than a few times, Trudeau has insisted that it is our moral obligation as Canadians to share our wealth with poorer nations. Nevertheless, he still reduced foreign-aid spending and even put a protective quota on textile imports from developing countries. Trudeau has written about the importance of consensus in government. But again, this did not prevent him, on more than a few occasions, from entirely disregarding the consensus of his cabinet ministers on a given issue, preferring instead to make the decision on his own.

    Read More

  • Stephen Harper Open Federalism

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stevenson, Garth. "Canadian Federalism: The Myth of the Status Quo." Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st Century. Ed. M. Janine Brodie and Linda Trimble. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2003. 204-14. Print.

    Read More

  • Canada During the Post-War Period

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macfarlane, Daniel. "Rapid Changes: Canada and the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project." University of Waterloo. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. .

    Read More

  • Injustices Inflicted on the First Nation People of Canada

    2727 Words  | 6 Pages

    Although the Canadian government has done a great deal to repair the injustices inflicted on the First Nations people of Canada, legislation is no where near where it needs to be to ensure future protection of aboriginal rights in the nation. An examination of the documents that comprise the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms reveal that there is very little in the supreme legal documents of the nation that protect aboriginal rights. When compared with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples it is clear that the Canadian Constitution does not acknowledge numerous provisions regarding indigenous people that the UN resolution has included. The most important of these provisions is the explicit recognition of First Nations rights to their traditional lands, which have a deep societal meaning for aboriginal groups. Several issues must be discussed to understand the complex and intimate relationship all aboriginal societies have with the earth. Exploration into the effects that the absence of these rights has had the Cree of the Eastern James Bay area, will provide a more thorough understanding of the depth of the issue. Overall, the unique cultural relationship First Nations people of Canada have with Mother Earth needs to be incorporated into the documents of the Canadian Constitution to ensure the preservation and protection of Canadian First Nations cultural and heritage rights.s

    Read More

  • The American Cultural Invasion of Canada

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    O DODSON, Edward. “Canada: an idea that must survive”. Online at: http://www.uni.ca/livreouvert/dodson_e.html , consulted on February 9, 2004.

    Read More

  • Environmental Movements in the United States

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States’ origin of environmentalism can be found in nineteenth century literature. The preservation era began with the newfound appreciation of nature that derived from transcendentalism. Ralph Waldo Emerson, author of the 1836 essay “Nature,” mentored and greatly influenced Henry David Thoreau, who went on to publish Walden in 1854 (“Ralph Waldo Emerson”). Thoreau’s studies of nature demonstrated the necessity of preserving the wild habitat, claiming “We need the tonic of wilderness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable…We can never have enough of nature” (Thoreau 187). Although Thoreau regarded nature in a manner of spiritual development, countless environmentalists and naturalists were inspired by his revelations; one of which, was John Muir. Through his various travels and occupations throug...

    Read More

  • The American Influence in Canadian Popular Culture

    1937 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.

    Read More

  • The Homestead Strike: The Pinkerton Massacre

    1825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Krause, Paul. The Battle for Homestead, 1890-1892: Politics, Culture, and Steel. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8229-5466-4

    Read More

  • Canada In The Twentieth Century

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever wondered which events in Canadian history have been the most significant in shaping Canadian identity? Many significant events in the twentieth century left a lasting legacy for Canada. Canada would not be the culturally rich, prosperous and progressive nation that it is today, without its immigration patterns in the past. World War I (WWI) was also a significant event as it united Canada and left behind a legacy of sacrifice and national pride. Economic development during the post war period contributed to Canadian success nationally and globally. Immigration, WWI and economic development were significant events in Canadian twentieth century history. Each event brought new and powerful

    Read More

  • Solid Waste Management

    1469 Words  | 3 Pages

    Further, “In 2008, nearly 13 tonnes of waste were generated by Canadian households. Of this, more than 8.5 million tonnes were disposed of in landfills or incine...

    Read More

More about Rivers of Sawdust: The Battle Over Industrial Pollution in Canada, 1865-1903

Open Document