Towards Inclusion: The Budd Car Train from Sudbury to White River

The train from Sudbury to White River is an agent of inclusion. Because there are few main roads intersecting the 484 kilometres of the route, communities and lodges along the way often rely on the Budd Car to connect them to the outside world. 

Isolation may be considered as part of a matrix of elements related to low in- come, including poverty, powerlessness, vulnerability, and ill health. Inclusion refers to community participation, the right to services, and the concern with individual well-be- ing, including that of women and children. Inclusion involves helping to bring people into the foreground who have been pushed into the background. 

The isolation of individuals, families, or communities is not a static condition but a dynamic activity. This qualitative study of people on the train combines photography and commentary. It explores how the experience of the train itself, and the passenger service as an institution, assists with inclusion.