Environmental assessment of Lake Gibson sediments, water quality, and soils of the Niagara Region

In light of the fact that literature on toxicity of heavy metals in non-acidified freshwater systems is sparse, this project was initiated to conduct an environmental assessment of Lake Gibson. Chemistry of soils from adjacent areas and vineyards in the region provide a comparative background database. Water quality determinations were used to identify and highlight areas of environmental concern within the Lake Gibson watershed. A Shelby Corer was used to obtain 66 sediment cores from Lake Gibson. These were sectioned according to lithology and color to yield 298 samples. A suite of 122 soil samples was collected in the region and vicinity of Lake Gibson. All were tested for metals and some for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH). Evaluation of the results leads to the following conclusions: 1. Metal concentrations ofAI, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, Fe and Zn in soils from the Niagara Region are well below background limits set by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MOEE) for provincial soils. 2. There is a spatial and depth difference for some of the metals within the various soils. The Cr, Ni and Pb contents of soils vary throughout the region (p

The Autism Acceptance Project fonds, 2006-2008

The Autism Acceptance Project was established in 2006 by Estee Klar, an art curator, writer and mother to a child labeled autistic. The Project “is dedicated to promoting acceptance of and accommodations for autistic people in society.” TAAP has an autistic advisory board, and is funded by private donations. In 2006, TAAP organized an exhibition, The Joy of Autism: Redefining Ability and Quality of Life. The event displayed the work of a dozen autistic artists, as well as video and other installations which illustrated the burgeoning autistic rights movement and forwarded the concept of Neurodiversity.