The social impact of urban environmental contamination: the case of Lynnview Ridge in Calgary

Abstract

In May 2001, high levels of lead and hydrocarbon vapours were discovered in the soil beneath the south-east Calgary residential suburb ofLynnview Ridge, the site of a decommissioned oil refinery. This study analyses how the community reacted to the disruption and how it affected individual households. Qualitative interviews were conducted with thirty-one current and former residents to ascertain their response to the disaster. A stage model is used to understand the evolution ofthe crisis from the pre-disaster community to the post-resettlement period. In contrast to most ofthe disaster literature, Lynnview Ridge presents a significant case study ofhow a buyout offer creates a form of involuntary displacement and separates a community into "stayers" and "leavers."