Digital Commons Network^™

Discourse And Controversy In The Israel-Palestine Conflict - A Review Of The Literature, Irteza Atique

Major Papers

The Israel-Palestine conflict has been ongoing for more than 75 years and has many historical, geographical, religious, and ethnic components. Despite several attempts at resolution, the war persists, resulting in continued violence, human misery, and regional instability. This study dives into the highly contentious dispute over labelling Israel as an apartheid state, a subject that has prompted heated debate in academic literature, college campuses, the media, and diplomacy. Using a wide range of scholarly literature and trustworthy news sources, we investigate the origins of the war, important historical events, and the numerous factors that have shaped the current conflict. Beginning …

Representations Of Sexual Assault In News Media Coverage Of Canada’S Extreme Intoxication Defence, Alanna Acchione

Major Papers

The extreme intoxication defence (EID) is a provision in Canada’s Criminal Code that protects offenders who are ‘morally innocent’ by means of intoxication. Barred in 1994 by s. 33.1, three recent Supreme Court cases (Brown, Chan, and Sullivan) have overturned this decision, declaring the law unconstitutional in 2022. Concerns over the potential implications of this defence were raised by women’s rights groups and the public alike, prompting the Canadian legislator to rush Bill C-28, which includes a new standard for criminal liability requiring extreme intoxication to the point of automatism to enact the defence. Some advocates for women’s rights say …

Climate Adaptation Plans In Ontario: Small And Medium Municipalities Preparedness For Extreme Weather, Zakary Blomme

Major Papers

Combatting climate change has largely been understood as a matter of federal and provincial jurisdiction and as a result has mostly been executed in a preventative lens. However, the effects of climate change are most significantly felt at the municipal level. As a result, I argue the onus for combatting climate change should switch to the municipalities in order to focus on climate mitigation and adaptation. In fact, many of the larger cities in Ontario such as the City of Windsor have acted on this and created Climate Adaptation Plans to aid in mitigation and adaptation efforts. The larger cities …

Educating The Multi-Ethnic Population On The Municipal By-Laws: City Of Windsor, Mohammed Shiblee

Major Papers

Although more difficult to articulate than implement, educating the multi-ethnic populace about municipal by-laws is among the most difficult tasks for any Canadian administrative institution, whether provincial, federal, municipal, or even grassroots. When considering such circumstances, the present state of the Corporation of the City of Windsor, or the City of Windsor as a whole, offers both a challenge and an opportunity. In terms of challenges, Windsor is home to a vibrant, multi-ethnic community comprised of local, diaspora and minority populations, which often encounters various socio-cultural obstacles concerning the understanding and upholding of municipal by-laws. From an opportunity standpoint, the …

Unseen Vulnerabilities: Emergency Planning For Carless And Vulnerable Populations In Ontario, James Hugh Hamilton Lee

Major Papers

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina made impact on southern Louisiana, devastating the city of New Orleans and surrounding communities. The high death toll of the hurricane revealed problems with public emergency planning, as many carless and vulnerable people were unable to evacuate New Orleans before the arrival of the hurricane, contributing to the high death toll. In recent years, scholarship has developed around emergency planning for carless and vulnerable populations in order to determine the most effective policy recommendations to improve evacuations plans for these populations. As climate change continues to occur around the world, the frequency and severity of severe …

Cuban Embargo: An Insufficient Measure To Encourage Us Foreign Policy Interests, Esme Jm Prowse

Major Papers

This major paper examines the Cuban embargo as an ineffective hard power policy and explores the potential of soft, hard, and smart power as alternative approaches to resolve the failures of the 60-year-old blockade. The paper analyzes the historical context and rationale behind the embargo and assesses its impact on Cuban-American relations, regional stability, and U.S. national interests. The study argues that the embargo has failed to achieve its intended goals and has instead perpetuated a cycle of hostility, isolation, and human rights abuses. By drawing on the theoretical frameworks of soft, hard, and smart power, the paper presents policy …

To Be Or Not To Be: The Relationship Between Economic Diversity And Unemployment Rates In Canadian Cities During The Covid-19 Induced Shock, Yahaya Alphonse

Major Papers

Regional scholars have broadly studied the role of economic structure in shielding a community from economic shocks. This research has generally involved comparing diversity against specialization. This study compares differences within varying degrees of economic diversity in Canadian cities. Canada has received very little attention in this field despite the importance this knowledge could provide in shaping Canadian economic policy. This paper aims to fill in this gap by analyzing the role economic diversity played in acting as a structural buffer to the COVID-19-induced economic shock. This analysis is done utilizing a Herfindahl Hirschman Index to measure economic diversity and …

The Hidden Hauntings Of The Opioid & Overdose Crisis: A Policy Review Of Harm Reduction And Safe Injection Sites In Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, London, And Windsor., Finalba (Fina) Olivia Pirrone

Major Papers

The drug and opioid overdose crisis have led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people. As such, harm reduction and safe injection sites have been making their appearances throughout Canada, specifically within British Columbia and Ontario. The policies held in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, London, and Windsor raise many questions, all looking to see if their implementations are working. This policy review seeks to determine if harm reduction policy and safe injection sites are working to not only save lives, but to reduce the overall number of increasing overdose deaths. Through this review, it is concluded that harm reduction …

Elder Abuse In Canada: Dimensions And Policy Responses, Taylor Marekovic

Major Papers

Elder abuse and neglect continues to be a gray area when it comes to convicting perpetrators such as family, friends, strangers, and caregivers who commit any form of physical, psychological, financial, neglect, or sexual abuse towards an elder. This is due to the legal definition being vague and non-transparent. The legal and health systems rely on two different definitions of what is deemed to be elder abuse and neglect in Canada when reviewing or assessing allegations of such abuse. Elder abuse and neglect increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Ontario and the rest of Canada experienced staffing shortages in …

A Comparative Climate Policy Study Between The Federal States Of Germany And Canada: The Case Of The German Energiewende, Evelyn Kyeremateng

Major Papers

Climate change has become one of the most difficult problems that humankind is confronted with in recent times, especially since the problem seems to defy most policies developed to curb it. In a problem-solving context, it is classified as a wicked problem and by far, the most concerning environmental problem humans have had to face. As much as many climate mitigation efforts have failed across the globe, a couple of them have also gained some success. The German Energiewende is one such case. The Energiewende, according to most authors and observers, has been a resounding success, but the problem is …

Provincial Cannabis Legislation, Regulation, And Licensing: Its Effectiveness And Impacts On Municipalities In Ontario, Rami Farag

Major Papers

The legalization of cannabis has been a controversial topic within the last two decades in many developed states. The legalization brought medicinal benefits, economic opportunity, and a projected decrease in organized crime. It has, however, also prompted new challenges for different levels of government. In Canada, legalization was a federal decision that was then regulated by provincial governments. However, local governments were on the receiving end of both federal and provincial legislation and regulations that often restricted municipal autonomy with respect to cannabis.

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the legal and regulatory framework of retail cannabis …

The Role Of Neoliberal Ideology And Globalization In Limiting Citizen Access To A Quality Education In Mexico, Kayla N. Fiala

Major Papers

The aim of this study is to apply a content analysis to both ‘Keeping Kids in School’ (KKIS) and ‘The Youth Connection’ (TYC), grass-roots charities that fundraise educational resources and encourage Mexican students to stay in school, in order to identify recurring themes and collectivities of the Mexican education system. This study poses the question, “How has neoliberal globalization played a role in devaluing and minimizing citizenry access to a quality education in Mexico”? The two charities were chosen because their specific coordinating efforts—on behalf of shared interests to improve education in Mexico—reveals discursive constructions grounded …

The Impact Of Local Government Action On Climate Change : The City Of Athens And The Town Of Tecumseh, Jesse Antwi-Kusi

Major Papers

Climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest environmental threats of the twenty-first century. Recent developments have shown that we are highly vulnerable to climate change. Climate change is predicted to have harmful, and permanent consequences on the planet and the entire environment. Yet federal and national governments around the world are struggling to formulate policy initiatives to slow down or become resilient against the changes in the climate. The research goal of this paper is to understand the impact of local governments/municipalities on climate change and why their inclusion in the conversation on climate change response is important. Local …

Safety Or Morality? How Moral Framing Influenced Fosta-Sesta's Bipartisan Success, Raven Mann

Major Papers

FOSTA-SESTA is an anti-trafficking bill that was passed in April 2018. The bill which amends the Communications Decency Act redefined the discussion of anti-trafficking in the United States due to the controversy surrounding this bill. Concerns from sex workers and feminist activists highlighted that FOSTA-SESTA would endanger sex workers by eliminating the commercial sex websites they used and force them back onto the streets. Despite these critiques drawing attention to the lack of consideration for sex workers’ safety in this bill, FOSTA-SESTA received bipartisan support and passed with a vote of 97-2.

Bipartisan support for legislation is an uncommon sight …

Rethinking Retirement For The 21st Century, Stephen C. Russo

Major Papers

Canada’s labour force has been gradually growing older in recent decades. An aging labour force creates significant problems for the country and the future growth of our economy. With an aging labour force, comes the need to start rethinking how Canadians look at retirement in the 21^st century and how both the government and private sector can contribute solutions to adapting to an older workforce. This problem is not unique to Canada, most of the industrialized west has been or will begin to experience the same demographic shift as we are in Canada. The main challenge this paper examines …

Councillors Deserve More: An Analysis Of Council Remuneration In Windsor, Chelsea Verna Bonneau

Major Papers

This paper analyzes the salaries of municipal councillors in Windsor, Ontario to determine if they are being paid an appropriate salary for the work they perform and the responsibility they hold. There are three methods used to find this result. First, the salaries of Windsor’s councillors are compared to the average salaries of other part-time workers in Ontario. Second, the average amount of time that councillors spend working on a weekly basis, both in meetings and outside of meetings, is determined. Finally, the salaries of Windsor’s councillors are compared to average salaries of boards of directors, as this is a …

The Political, Economic, And Social Determinants Of Child Poverty: The Case Of Windsor, Ontario, Paul J. Przytocki

Major Papers

In 1989, the federal government mandated to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. This paper explores the political, economic, and social determinants of persistent and high rates of child poverty in the Windsor-Essex region of Ontario eighteen years after the stated deadline for this mandate. By asking the question of what social, political, and economic factors contribute to the stable and high rates of child poverty in Windsor-Essex, this paper argues that child poverty in the Windsor CMA is due to (1) a lack of political leadership and investment; (2) the lack of economic diversification; (3) a flawed support …

Creating A Livable Region Through Sustainable Development Practices: Reorienting Development In Windsor-Essex Through The Implementation Of Light Rail Transit, Justin Morgan Appler

Major Papers

Windsor-Essex County lacks proper regional transportation, a major sustainability issue compounded by poor land use strategies, resulting in low-density suburban communities defined by extensive sprawl and heavy dependence on private automobile use. The current development direction of Windsor-Essex County is unsustainable on multiple levels, turning the region into space in which residents have limited options for how they can efficiently travel within their own municipality and to other municipalities. The downtown core of Windsor needs serious regeneration and the communities that make up the larger metropolitan region need an effective means of travel that is both environmentally sustainable and affordable. …

Functional Accessibility On The Web: How The Aoda Fails End Users, Jamie V. Kramer Ma, Chrp

Major Papers

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) impacts the way persons with disabilities are able to access goods and services in Ontario. With more than 3 million people living with disabilities in Ontario, it is essential to enact the legislation to create equity. The AODA equates “obtainable” with “accessible” without recognizing the stark contrast between having access to something and being able to keep informed because the content is created with persons with disabilities in mind. This paper focuses on the effectiveness of the AODA’s website compliance standards under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as required by …

Seniors Living With Alzheimer's Disease And Dementia: The Promise Of App Technology, Angelica Lu

Major Papers

The purpose of this paper considers the potential of seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia using “apps” on Mobile Application Technology that may assist their daily issues. Based on the Ontario 2017 budget, the government’s plan to improve health care services by providing additional funding will significantly impact citizens who use these services on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the number of Canadian citizens that will develop Alzheimer’s and dementia are projected to double in the next decade. Because of this projection, the Dementia Strategy is meant to assist those affected by the illness as well as ensuring their quality of …

The Concurrent Rise Of Diversity And Islamophobia: A Comparative Study Of The Uk And France, Tugce Arslan

Major Papers

This paper assesses the current stance of multiculturalism and diversity in Europe by taking a closer look at the perception of Muslims in the United Kingdom and France. It is a comparative study that analyzes the sentiments of nationalism along with how a series of pivotal events that have impacted the integration process of the Muslim populations. A look at certain key factors such as cultural and identity clashes, increasing instability in the Middle East and the influence of the media, demonstrates a rise in Islamophobia in Europe. By focusing on how the rise in Islamophobia has affected the perception …