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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Held To Account? An Analysis Of Political Accountability In Ontario’S Municipal Sector, David W. Arbuckle Nov 2018

Held To Account? An Analysis Of Political Accountability In Ontario’S Municipal Sector, David W. Arbuckle

MPA Major Research Papers

This exploratory research paper looks at the current political accountability framework at the municipal level in Ontario, which consists of a mandatory requirement for council code of conduct and access to an integrity commissioner. The literature review defines political accountability, both generally and within the Ontario municipal context, and outlines the historical beginnings, role and challenges with council codes of conduct and integrity commissioners. To answer the research question, “Does hiring an integrity commissioner improve political accountability at the municipal level in Ontario?” a detailed analysis of municipal council decision related to integrity commissioner investigations and recommendations, as well as …


Factors Influencing Collective Co-Production Of Services At The Municipal Level: A Case Study Of The City Of Hamilton’S Neighbourhood Action Strategy, Brian Kreps Oct 2018

Factors Influencing Collective Co-Production Of Services At The Municipal Level: A Case Study Of The City Of Hamilton’S Neighbourhood Action Strategy, Brian Kreps

MPA Major Research Papers

The nature of public governance has changed over the past few decades which has led to increased interest in the study of governments working with residents to co-produceservices. The literature identifies different types of co-production including individual, group and collective and it also identifies factors associated with co-production. This paper explores the factors associated with co-production of services at the municipal level. This study uses a case study methodology focusing on the City of Hamilton’s Neighbourhood Action Strategy. The case study was conducted through review of publicly available planning documents, media reports and key informant interviews. The study finds that …


Ontario Municipal Voters’ List Reform Project, Paul Wilton Jul 2018

Ontario Municipal Voters’ List Reform Project, Paul Wilton

MPA Major Research Papers

Voter turnout has been declining in Canadian elections at all three levels of government, raising questions about the quality of Canadian democracy. This trend is believed to be pronounced at the municipal level, but some academics, local governments, and professional organizations believe its true extent is unknown because municipal voters’ lists in Ontario may not be as accurate as provincial and federal lists This research paper assesses this claim and provides recommendations for reform. The literature review examines the potential implications of inaccurate voters’ lists. First, inaccurate voters’ lists may pose threats to municipal clerks’ ability to conduct free and …


The Leadership Role Of The Chief Administrative Officer (Cao) In Smaller Municipalities: Two Profiles, Robert H.A. Tremblay Jul 2018

The Leadership Role Of The Chief Administrative Officer (Cao) In Smaller Municipalities: Two Profiles, Robert H.A. Tremblay

MPA Major Research Papers

This research project describes the leadership roles of the municipal Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in smaller municipalities through two profiles of experienced professionals working in southwestern Ontario. The CAO is the organizational superior to all municipal employees. The position is the main conduit between council and administration, and is ultimately responsible for policy development and implementation. The profiles were developed through semi-structured interviews. On a much smaller scale, this replicates the method employed by Siegel in his 2015 book, Leaders in the Shadows: The Leadership Qualities of Municipal Chief Administrative Officers (University of Toronto Press). The profiles reveal that there …


The City Of London And The Syrian Resettlement Initiative: Lessons Learned, Victoria Parada Jul 2018

The City Of London And The Syrian Resettlement Initiative: Lessons Learned, Victoria Parada

MPA Major Research Papers

The purpose of this document is to evaluate the City of London's experience with the Syrians resettlement initiation in order to identify lessons that can be used to enhance London's capacity to confront similar experiences. What are the main lessons learned by the City of London from Syrian Resettlement Initiative? This document will identify the positive and negative aspects of the work done by the City of London and the organizations in charge of settlement. The number of Syrian refugees that were accepted in London, added to the short time that the city had to prepare the settlement and integration …


Stakeholder Participation In Land-Use Planning Processes: An Assessment Of London’S Official Plan Review Process- ‘Rethink London’ Using The Collaborative Planning Framework, Elmond Bandauko Jul 2018

Stakeholder Participation In Land-Use Planning Processes: An Assessment Of London’S Official Plan Review Process- ‘Rethink London’ Using The Collaborative Planning Framework, Elmond Bandauko

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper assesses the extent to which Rethink London exemplifies the tenets of collaborative planning. Rethink London was an innovative, community driven approach to planning whose main objective was to collaboratively engage the London community in creating a shared vision for urban development. The assessment was done using the process criteria focusing on issues such as equal opportunities and resources, inclusive representation, self design, independent facilitation, effective process management, voluntary participation and commitment, accountability, high quality information, purpose and incentives and clear ground rules. These factors were operationalised into concrete interview questions that were used to collect data through semi-structured …


Career Paths And Leadership Skills Of Public Library Ceos, Simona Dinu Jul 2018

Career Paths And Leadership Skills Of Public Library Ceos, Simona Dinu

MPA Major Research Papers

Abstract: This research paper is an exploratory study of the career paths and leadership skills of public library CEOs in the province of Ontario. The purpose is to inform current library leaders as they develop succession plans, library boards when they recruit for a new CEO and those interested in advancing their careers and moving into senior leadership roles in public libraries. The findings are based on six interviews with successful public library CEOs from CULC (Canadian Urban Libraries Council) member libraries in Ontario. The career paths identified several trends the six participants have in common such as being an …


Levelling The Urban Playing Field: How Municipalities Can Increase Leverage From Sports Franchises During Sports Venue Public-Private-Partnerships Negotiations, Bipin Dhillon Jul 2018

Levelling The Urban Playing Field: How Municipalities Can Increase Leverage From Sports Franchises During Sports Venue Public-Private-Partnerships Negotiations, Bipin Dhillon

MPA Major Research Papers

The modern era of sports venue funding (post-1984) has shown a shift toward downtown revitalization arena projects as a remedy to the costly nature of sporting venue public-private-partnerships between municipalities and major league franchises. Sports franchises use their advantage to request attractive funding packages from desperate municipalities because of factors such as the supply and demand of franchises, municipal competition, and growth in consumption-based economic development. In response, the purpose of this report is to determine how municipalities can maximize leverage when trying to secure downtown sporting venues funded by public-private-partnerships. More specifically, which set of “leverage variables” under municipal …


Job Recruitment & Retention In Rural Ontario: A Model Of Physician Recruitment, Applied To The Recruitment Of Local Government Professionals In Bruce County, Mollie Kuchma Jul 2018

Job Recruitment & Retention In Rural Ontario: A Model Of Physician Recruitment, Applied To The Recruitment Of Local Government Professionals In Bruce County, Mollie Kuchma

MPA Major Research Papers

There are many differences between medical practices in urban and rural settings. As it relates to the recruitment of physicians, there is substantially more emphasis placed on the significance of physicians within rural municipalities and a number of resources are employed to recruit physicians to those areas. Similarly, rural local government organizations experience many of the same fundamental differences compared to urban local government organizations, but lack many of the resources necessary to recruit professionals to rural areas. As a result, rural municipalities struggle to fill vacancies and often lack the required knowledge and skills that are necessary to fulfill …


An Assessment Of Service And Program Support For Government Assisted Refugees (Gars) In A Multi-Level Policy Delivery System: A Case Of Selected Ontario Municipalities, Henry Gyeketey Awere Jul 2018

An Assessment Of Service And Program Support For Government Assisted Refugees (Gars) In A Multi-Level Policy Delivery System: A Case Of Selected Ontario Municipalities, Henry Gyeketey Awere

MPA Major Research Papers

Since the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) came into effect in 2002, Canada has stopped placing so much emphasis in the selection process on refugee skills and ability to integrate. Rather, emphasis is placed on resettling refugees who need protection. As a result, post-IRPA Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) arriving in Canada are younger and have higher needs than previous groups of GARs. In Canada the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) is responsible for providing GAR’s with their immediate needs. RAP came into effect in 1998. A key component of RAP saw a change in the service delivery method, with a …


Hidden Hurdles: An Exploration Of Possible Barriers Women Encounter When Pursuing A Career As An Operational Firefighter In Ontario, Lydia Wilcox May 2018

Hidden Hurdles: An Exploration Of Possible Barriers Women Encounter When Pursuing A Career As An Operational Firefighter In Ontario, Lydia Wilcox

MPA Major Research Papers

The focus of this research paper was to explore the possible barriers women may encounter when pursuing a career as an operational firefighter in Ontario. Primary research was used to analyze empirical data collected through an on-line survey while guided by literature on concepts related to human resources best practices. Secondary research on bona fide occupational requirements (BFORs) and physical abilities testing used for firefighter candidates was also explored to investigate the validity of candidate physical testing being used in Ontario. The research in this paper showed that fire services were inconsistent when using HR best practices while hiring firefighting …