Digital Commons Network^™

When Environmental Obligations Collide With State Sovereignty: An International And Sharia Law Perspective, Seyed Masoud Noori, Soheila Ebrahimi Louyeh

Consensus

This article critically reviews the notion of State sovereignty under international law and argues that to achieve eco-justice as well as sustainable development goals, a restrictive and ecological approach needs to be taken toward the principle of states’ permanent sovereignty over natural resources. Environmental sustainability requires states’ environmental obligations to be identified as erga omnes so they can be addressed toward the international community as a whole and fall within the scope of article 48 of the ILC Articles on States Responsibility. Interestingly, in complete alignment with this progressive interpretation, sustainable utilization of natural resources has a longstanding foundation in …

The Figure Of The Animal In Modern And Contemporary Poetry By Michael Malay, Brian Bartlett

The Goose

Review of Michael Malay's The Figure of the Animal in Modern and Contemporary Poetry

Global Demand For Medical Professionals Drives Indians Abroad Despite Acute Domestic Health-Care Worker Shortages, Margaret Walton-Roberts, S. Irudaya Rajan

Global Nurse Migration Pathways: A Comparative Project

No abstract provided.

No. 21: Inclusive Growth And Informal Food Vending In Nairobi, Kenya, Samuel Owuor

Hungry Cities Partnership

This report presents and analyzes the findings of a city-wide informal food vendors survey conducted by the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP) in Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2019. It builds on, and should be read in conjunction with previous HCP reports on Nairobi: HCP Report No. 6: The Urban Food System of Nairobi, Kenya (Owuor et al 2017) and HCP Report No. 11, The State of Household Food Security in Nairobi, Kenya (Owuor 2018). This report, which is divided into nine sections, provides an up-to-date overview of the informal food sector in Nairobi’s food system. The next section describes the survey …

Hydrogen Peroxide: A Grower’S Best Friend?, Mitchell Eicher-Sodo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is an oxidizing agent used to disinfect irrigation systems (e.g. nutrient solution and equipment) used in controlled environment plant production and produces no harmful by-products. The action of H₂O₂ is non-selective, and therefor H₂O₂ will oxidize all components of the irrigation water as well as tissues from the greenhouse crops being irrigated. The phytotoxic effect H₂O₂ has on common greenhouse crops is not well understood, requiring detailed characterization and determination of threshold concentrations. Thresholds within the thesis were based on applied H₂O …

Monitoring Environmental Change Using A Participatory Modified Photovoice Approach With Indigenous Knowledge Holders In Kakisa, Northwest Territories, Kaitlin Kok

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In response to growing pressures from climate change and the lack of a monitoring strategy for food security at a local and regional level in the Northwest Territories, there is an urgency for residents to record their own images of change in relation to harvester safety. This thesis explores the connection between geographic information systems, sustainable food systems, indigenous knowledge and the importance of place. The objective of this study is two-fold: (a) to develop a monitoring system in conjunction with the community of Kakisa and (b) to increase the resilience of the local food system. The methods used derive …

Beyond A Mapping Exercise: Inclusion Of Aboriginal Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Parks And Protected Areas Management, David Cook

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This paper examines current approaches for Parks and Protected Areas (PPA) managers in incorporating Aboriginal Traditional and Ecological Knowledge (ATEK) into their management plans. This paper focuses on two case-studies. They are Nahanni National Park and Reserve in the Dehcho region of the Northwest Territories, and the Whitefeather Forest Protected Area in the Pikangikum First Nations Traditional Territory in Ontario. They were chosen because of their unique approaches to include Aboriginal communities in the planning process and their designation as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The broader indigenous involvement policies of both Parks Canada and Ontario Parks are examined using academic …

Seeking A Path To Wellness And Flourishing: Exploring Ecological Citizenship, Systems Thinking, And Environmental Governance In Southwest Yukon, Amanda Solmes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

While efforts toward environmental management (EM) have been increasing, the state of our natural world is getting worse. Numerous reports have outlined that today’s environmental problems are predominantly human-induced, yet approaches to EM often only address “environmental” rather than “human” issues. More holistic approaches are required. This thesis explores “ecological citizenship” (EC) as an alternative framework that may have the potential to address elements too often left out of top-down and reductionist approaches. Academic and case-based notions of this concept are explored, and a new definition for the term is developed. A case study, drawn from the rich results of …

An Evaluation Of Ground-Freezing Methods In The Zone Of Discontinuous Permafrost, Northwest Territories, Elzbieta Mastej Ms

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Northwestern Canada is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. The southern limit of the discontinuous permafrost zone is highly sensitive to small climatic fluctuations and presently experiencing a rapid landscape change due to accelerated permafrost thaw, which is further exacerbated by anthropogenic disturbances such as seismic exploration. Recent research has begun to examine both natural and mechanical approaches to minimize permafrost loss, although the utility of such methods in peatland environments is not well understood. This study explored the efficiency of natural and artificial ground cooling processes in a peatland environment by evaluating snow exclusion and thermosyphon …

Impact Of Seismic Lines On The Hydrology Of Wetlands In The Discontinuous Permafrost Zone, Southwestern Northwest Territories, Angela Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous studies in the southern Northwest Territories have shown the underlying discontinuous permafrost is sensitive to disturbances such as the creation of seismic lines. Their creation has resulted in compaction topsoil and tree removal causing accelerated permafrost thaw. The loss of permafrost has caused seismic lines’ surface elevation to subside, which allows water to conjugate. This increases the soil moisture of a seismic line, which results in preferential thaw along the seismic line edges. Thaw along the edges over time has connected more previously isolated wetlands to seismic lines. This leads to more water entering, resulting in higher water levels …

Reconstructing Hydrologic Conditions And Metals Supplied By The Peace River To The Peace-Athabasca Delta, Jelle André Faber

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) in northern Alberta, Canada, is recognized internationally for its ecological, historical, and cultural significance. The delta is mostly within Wood Buffalo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The construction of the WAC Bennett Dam (1967) and the Site C Dam (ongoing, 2024) on the Peace River, and expansion of the Alberta Oil Sands industry along the Athabasca River have raised concerns over water quantity and quality in the delta. When industry operations began, effective monitoring had not been implemented. Consequently, pre-industrial reference conditions are unknown and can …

Investigating Diel, Seasonal, And Interannual Variability Of Dissolved And Particulate Stable Carbon Isotope Values In A Eutrophic Boreal Lake, Rachel Henderson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lakes are globally significant sources, sinks, and conduits of carbon. Cultural eutrophication of freshwater promotes the growth of phytoplankton blooms, which can transform, respire, and sequester large amounts of carbon. Analysis of stable carbon isotopes is a common tool to study the movement of carbon through the aquatic carbon cycle. The causes of temporal variability in δ¹³C values at different timescales are not well understood, and differ between lakes. In this study, I investigated diel, seasonal, and interannual variability in δ¹³C values of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) in Lake 227, an …

Fanm Pa Chita: Mobilities, Intimate Labour, And Political Subjectivities Among Haitian Women On The Move, Masaya Llavaneras Blanco

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation asks: how does intimate labour interact with the mobility and political subjectivities of Haitian migrant women and women of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic (DR)? It answers this question in three specific ways. First, it explains the relationship between intimate labour and the spatial trajectories of women of Haitian ancestry who work as domestic workers. Second, it examines how the interaction between intimate labour and human mobility plays out in the Dominican border regime. Third, it explains how these subaltern women act politically in the midst of the intersections between borders, mobilities, and intimacy.

The dissertation proposes …

Characterizing The Hydrological Function Of Treed Bogs In The Zone Of Discontinuous Permafrost, Brenden Disher

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The loss of permafrost has produced a wholesale conversion from forest to wetland, and many studies have analyzed the effects of permafrost thaw-induced land cover change on the hydrology and ecology of landscapes within the Taiga Plains. The permafrost thaw driven areal shrinkage of forested plateaux and their replacement by treeless wetlands is well documented, and the co-occurrence of permafrost and black spruce forest cover is the basis for areal estimates of the former. However, field studies conducted at a peatland dominated landscape near Fort Simpson, NWT indicate that tree canopy may persist following the loss of permafrost and the …

Projecting Spatial Changes In Sugar Maple Sap Flow Regimes In A Changing Climate, Holly Crawford

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Anthropogenic climate change presents a potential threat to maple syrup production in Canada. To mitigate risks associated with climate change, information about the biological changes that may occur in a warming climate are necessary. This project studied one component- sap flow- that in part determines the economic viability of maple syrup production. A temperature-based sap flow model was used to project the start of the sap flow season in southern Ontario, and GIS applications were used to aggregate the results. The start of the sap flow season was projected for early, mid, and late-century periods under two climate change scenarios, …

Navigating Islands’ Political Geographies: The Case Of The 'Maduro Migrations' From Venezuela To Trinidad And Tobago, Shiva Mohan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Grounded in critical geopolitics and feminist political geography, this dissertation undertakes a critical examination of Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) responses to the inflow of Venezuelans from the “Maduro migrations” since 2015. This massive displacement was triggered by conditions of economic, political and humanitarian crisis on the Venezuelan mainland. The dissertation’s central argument is that T&T’s responses are strategic exercises in defence of its sovereignty, launched through the conscious use of its island-geographies, with a view to rejecting external dictates in its domestic affairs. The island’s responses are examined through three interrelated, but scalarly disparate foci: regional and hemispheric geopolitical influences …

Issue 16: Irregular Migration To Canada: Addressing Current Policy Responses That Impact Refugee Claimants’ Arrival And Settlement In The Country, Monica Romero

International Migration Research Centre

The unexpected influx of refugee claimants irregularly crossing the US-Canada border since 2016 has strained Canada’s immigration system. According to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), 47,425 claims were referred to the IRB in 2017, and more than 43,000 were still pending at the end of the year (IRB, 2017). This only increased in the following years; in 2018, 55,388 claims were referred to the IRB and as of June of 2019 more than 74,000 were still pending. Compared to the total claims referred to the IRB in 2016 (23,350) and 2015 (16,592), these numbers represent a significant …

Upstream Downtown: Theatre Creation Through A Feminist And Multispecies Lens, Morgan Johnson, Alexandra Simpson

The Goose

In the historically masculine Western sciences, we are told we can fully know a being by dissecting, labelling, testing, observing, and documenting. This article explores how multispecies and feminist theatre creation and performance, specifically in the style of clown and bouffon, can work to resist such narratives and offer a more sentient understanding of interspecies relationships. Our investigations focus on our journey as two female creators of Upstream Downtown, a research-based, physical theatre play about salmon and humans finding home in the settler colonial city of Toronto.

Activism And The Fossil Fuel Industry By Andrew Cheon And Johannes Urpelainen, Alexandra Watt Simpson

The Goose

Review of Andrew Cheon and Johannes Urpelainen's Activism and the Fossil Fuel Industry

For The Wild: Ritual And Commitment In Radical Eco-Activism By Sarah M. Pike, Alda Balthrop-Lewis

The Goose

Review of Sarah M. Pike's For the Wild: Ritual and Commitment in Radical Eco-Activism

Jesus: Ancient Architype, Sacrificial Son, Divine Messenger, Liz Hood

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Occupational (Im)Mobility In The Global Care Economy: The Case Of Foreign-Trained Nurses In The Canadian Context, Margaret Walton-Roberts

Global Nurse Migration Pathways: A Comparative Project

The twenty-first century has witnessed a number of significant demographic and political shifts that have resulted in a care crisis. Addressing the deficit of care provision has led many nations to actively recruit migrant care labour, often under temporary forms of migration. The emergence of this phenomenon has resulted in a rich field of analysis using the lens of care, including the idea of the Global Care Chain. Revisions to this conceptualization have pushed for its extension beyond domestic workers in the home to include skilled workers in other institutional settings, particularly nurses in hospitals and long-term care settings. Reviewing …

The Geography Of Crime: Placing Geographers In The Space Of Criminologists, Anthony Wv Piscitelli

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Geography of Crime consists of five articles. The first article, Exploring opportunities for geographers to explain the spatial distribution of crime, serves as a key conceptual link between each of the other four articles. This paper provides a broad introduction to the dissertation showing what gaps in the crime literature exist, especially those ripe for analysis by geographers. Three primary directions emerged as a focus of this dissertation: overarching theoretical contributions, specialized geographic quantitative techniques, and qualitative approaches centred on the concept of place.

The second article, Connecting social disorganization theory to broken windows and routine activities proposes …

Toward Using High-Frequency Coastal Radars For Calibration Of S-Ais Based Ocean Vessel Tracking Models, Ben Freidrich

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Most of the world relies on ships for transportation, shipping, and tourism. Automatic Identification System messages are transmitted from ships and provide a wealth of positional data on these open ocean vessels. This data is being utilized to determine the optimal path for ships, as well as predicting where a ship may be going in the near future. It has only been in the past decade that Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) signals have been easily received with satellites (S-AIS) so there have been few studies that look at using available information and pairing it with the new abundance of ship …

High Resolution Spatial Variability In Spring Snowmelt For An Arctic Shrub-Tundra Watershed, Branden J. Walker, Philip Marsh Dr

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Arctic tundra environments are characterized by spatially heterogeneous end-of-winter snow cover because of high winds that erode, transport and deposit snow over the winter. This spatially variable end-of-winter snow cover subsequently influences the spatial and temporal variability of snowmelt and results in a patchy snowcover over the melt period. Documenting changes in both snow cover area (SCA) and snow water equivalent (SWE) during the spring melt is essential for understanding hydrological systems, but the lack of high-resolution SCA and SWE datasets that accurately capture micro-scale changes are not commonly available, and do not exist for the Canadian Arctic. This study …

Biogeochemical And Hydrological Impacts Of A Low-Severity Wildfire In The Wetland-Dominated Zone Of Discontinuous Permafrost, Caren J. Ackley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Northern regions are experiencing rapid climate warming. As these regions warm, the occurrences of naturally ignited wildfires are increasing in frequency, severity and area burned, calling for a more thorough understanding of post-fire eco-hydrological impacts. Changes in runoff chemistry, and soil moisture and thermal regimes, have been attributed to the significant loss of organic matter (OM) and exposure of deeper soils, leading to enhanced permafrost degradation, ground surface subsidence and the conversion of peat landscapes from long-term C sinks to sources. However, low-severity wildfires often result in minor OM loss. Due to the significant and immediate threats posed to the …

Spatial Big Data Analytics: The New Boundaries Of Retail Location Decision-Making, Joseph M. Aversa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the current state and evolution of retail location decision-making (RLDM) in Canada. The major objectives are: (i) To explore the type and scale of location decisions that retail firms are currently undertaking; (ii) To identify the availability and use of technology and Spatial Big Data (SBD) within the decision-making process; (iii) To identify the awareness, availability, use, adoption and development of SBD; and, (iv) To assess the implications of SBD in RLDM. These objectives were investigated by using a three stage multi-method research process. First, an online survey of retail location decision makers across a range of …

Policy, Plans And Processes For Developing And Improving The Use Of Hazard Maps In Climate Change Adaptation For Yukon Communities, Stephanie Pike

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Climate change has quickly become one of the most commonly discussed topics in northern Canada. Communities located in Canada’s north are facing impacts to every aspect of life. Hazard mapping is one of the tools used to predict risk from climate change impacts and thus assist communities in adaptation planning. The Northern Climate ExChange in Yukon has developed hazard maps for seven communities across Yukon. While hazard maps are a useful tool, in order for them to reach their maximum potential, users need to be well educated and trained to use them. Capacity and communication are arguably the most significant …

Use Of Pre-Industrial Baselines To Assess Sources And Pathways Of Metals In Surface Sediment Of Floodplain Lakes In The Peace-Athabasca Delta (Alberta, Canada), Tanner Owca

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The effects of natural resources exploitation in northern Canada on downstream aquatic ecosystems is a concern. Assessing these effects requires comprehensive monitoring practices to better inform stakeholders and environmental stewardship decisions. Here, a monitoring approach is developed and applied to assess metals concentrations in lake surface sediments of the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), northern Alberta, Canada. Since the ecological integrity of the PAD is strongly tied to river floodwaters that are critical for replenishing the delta, and the PAD is located downstream of the Alberta oil sands, concerns have been raised over the potential transport of metal contaminants to the PAD …

Connectedness To Nature And Pro-Environmental Behaviour From Early Adolescence To Adulthood: A Comparison Of Urban And Rural Canada, Daniel Anderson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous research has demonstrated that emotional connectedness to nature (ECN) is one of the strongest predictors of pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). This study investigated the influence of age, gender and living context on ECN and PEB in two Canadian samples.

Study participants completed an environmental survey, which assessed demographic data as well as their levels of ECN and PEB. Project I, which contained 1251 participants, investigated what group factors (age, urban vs. rural living context, male vs. female) contributed to ECN and PEB, as well as whether ECN mediated the relationship between age and PEB. Project II, which contained 84 adolescents, …