Bryan R. Meadows (1959- ) was born and raised in Northwestern Ontario. The author of "Not in My Backyard" (2000, Borealis) has a close relationship with the land, enjoys long walks in the wilderness near his home in Dryden, and cares deeply for the natural environment. He enjoys writing about emotionally charged issues and the human condition. The award-winning journalist is currently with "The Chronicle Journal," a Thunder Bay-based daily with bureaus in Dryen and Marathon.

Crystal Springs lies at a crossroads. The recent closing of the Capital Gold Mine, the community´s main employer, had rocked the family and economic foundations of the single industry town in Northern Ontario. Those residents, who hadn´t moved away to find new jobs, either found solace at a bar stool, or hung on the the faint hope that a new industry would replace the exhausted mine. An industry that would inject new jobs and hope into a dying town. Crystal Springs is a community with very few options until a federal task force arrives, promising jobs, millions for community infrastructure and economic stability in return for permission to bury nuclear waste nearby. But are the residents willing to risk their pristine lakes, rivers, and forests, for few jobs, faced with the potential of radioactive waste contaminating the water supply of future generations? For some families without a pay-cheque, the answer is simple. For others, who oppose a nuclear waste dump in their backyard, the environmental battle has just begun. With corporate profits and jobs on the line, do they even stand a chance ... ? Not in My Backyard follows the trials and tragedy of weekly newspaper editor Burton Penner as he tries to unwind a web of deception and environmental malignancy that threatens to destroy a small, trusting community in the wilderness of Canada.