Digital Commons Network^™

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Holy Estrangement: The Poetics Of Estrangement In John Donne's Divine Poems And Sermons, Anton Bergstrom

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines literary estrangement, that is the act and effect of making the familiar strange in a literary work, in the religious poems and sermons of the poet-preacher John Donne (1572–1631). My study uncovers and explores what Donne "estranges," how he achieves this, and for what purpose, as well as the practices and modes of thinking that shaped his poetics. In Donne's religious verse and prose, making the familiar and traditional tropes, images, doctrines, and events of Christianity strange forms active readers and revitalizes those elements, imbuing them with newfound interest, significance, and affective power.

My study offers a …

A Threat Assessment Of Radicalized Extremist Right-Wing White Nationalist Subcultures In Canada: A Social Media Analysis, Dylon Groom

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As literature and media findings suggest, right-wing extremism has been a growing threat to the security of Canada. This qualitative research study seeks to develop a better understanding of the way Canadian right-wing white nationalists develop online in order to aid future radicalization research. After the tragic attacks on September 11^th, 2001, radicalization research has largely been focused on Islamist extremism. By utilizing a conventional content analysis approach to the open-sourced white nationalist discussion forum, stormfront.org, this thesis bridges the gap between the understanding of Islamist extremism and right-wing white nationalists. Ten Canadian white nationalists active on the …

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 …

Essays On Risk Management Of Insurance Companies, Olga Kanj

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the risk management of insurance companies. It consists of three essays, which study the risk management of property and casualty (P/C) insurance companies. The first essay examines the impact of board diversity on firms’ risk-taking strategies using Canadian P/C insurance companies. The findings show that board ethnic diversity significantly decreases company risk as measured by reinsurance, asset risk, and leverage risk. Ethnic background values of the board members could be the reason behind this effect, board members with ethnic backgrounds from countries with high (low) Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) decrease (increase) the risk. Results also show that …

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 …

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 …

Exploring The Relationship Between Gender, Race, And Space, And Toronto Community Housing Policy, Anita Rachel Ewan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation presents the racial-gendered lived experiences of Black women living in Toronto Community Housing (TCH; subsidized housing). This research found that Black women and their families are disproportionately faced with challenges due to barriers caused by housing policy and procedures that also affect the overall development and wellbeing of their children. It also highlights the ways in which Black women continue to thrive and survive in the face of detrimental and derelict living conditions; accomplished through community development and support initiatives, and fostering strong communities.

This is a qualitative research project that includes an art-based method. Utilizing a feminist …

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 …

No.05: Food Security And The Changing Landscape Of Food Retailing In Nanjing, China, Zhenzhong Si, Jonathan Crush

Hungry Cities Partnership

■ The expansion of supermarkets and online food markets are changing the complexion of food retailing in Nanjing. At the same time, traditional forms of retail display considerable resilience.

■ Nanjing has low levels of food insecurity overall as measured by the HFIAS and HDDS. The one in five households who are food insecure are primarily low-income and female-centred.

■ Concerns over food safety are a major characteristic of all consumers in Nanjing irrespective of income and food security status.

■ Policy implications include ensuring food access for households with higher levels of food insecurity, promoting trustworthy food sources in …

No.04: Enabling Informal Food Vending In Urban South Africa, Godfrey Tawodzera, Jonathan Crush

Hungry Cities Partnership

■ Food vending is an important component of the South African economy, where it provides employment, income, livelihoods and contributes to the food security of poorer households.

■ Policies towards the informal food sector in most South African cities are restrictive and often punitive, and undermine the critical contributions of informal food vending.

■ To maximize their impacts, informal food vendors need an enabling policy environment with less red tape, better infrastructure, greater financial and other supports, and public recognition of their positive role in the urban food system.

Enhancing Ontario’S Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing In A Changing Climate — Rural Community Practitioners Workbook, Bryce Gunson, Brenda Murphy

Social and Environmental Justice Faculty Publications

This practitioner workbook draws together the insights from a three-year (2016-19) Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) funded research study. The purpose of the research project was to 1) assess the potential of inter-community service cooperation (ICSC) as a possible tool to address the impacts of climate change (CC) in small (500-7500 pop.) Ontario rural communities south of the Sudbury region and 2) understand the extent to which such collaboration and the impacts of CC are, or could be, embedded within the community’s infrastructure (asset) management processes (AMP). While the conclusions of this workbook are generalized to …

Enhancing Ontario’S Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing In A Changing Climate — Policy Brief, Brenda Murphy, Bryce Gunson

Social and Environmental Justice Faculty Publications

This policy brief draws together the insights from a three-year (2016-19) Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) funded research study. The purpose of the research project was to 1) assess the potential of inter-community service cooperation (ICSC) as a possible tool to address the impacts of climate change (CC) in small (500-7500 pop.) Ontario rural communities south of the Sudbury region and 2) understand the extent to which such collaboration and the impacts of CC are, or could be, embedded within the community’s infrastructure (asset) management processes (AMP). While the conclusions of policy brief are generalized to …

Enhancing Ontario’S Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing In A Changing Climate — Final Report: Swot Analysis And Key Insights, Brenda Murphy, Bryce Gunson

Social and Environmental Justice Faculty Publications

This final report draws together the insights from the three-year Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (2016-2019) study. The quote above succinctly draws together the vision behind this project: Enhanced, efficient service cooperation that contributes to a sustainable and prepared infrastructure system, while protecting the environmental capital upon which rural economies frequently depend. The purpose of the research project was to 1) assess the potential of inter-community service cooperation (ICSC) as a possible tool to address the impacts of climate change (CC) in small (500-7500 pop.) Ontario rural communities south of the Sudbury region and 2) understand the …

Enhancing Ontario’S Rural Infrastructure Preparedness: Inter-Community Service Sharing In A Changing Climate — Interim Report 2: Provincial Survey Results, Brenda Murphy, Bryce Gunson

Social and Environmental Justice Faculty Publications

Rural communities draw from their history of doing more with less, strong social networks and an intimate relationship with the natural environment to achieve economic innovation, positive social capacity development and environmental sustainability. These spaces also experience challenges including preparing for the impacts of climate change (CC). Ontario has already felt some of these effects leading to millions of dollars of damage to the province’s infrastructure. Exacerbated by an aging infrastructure built by now outdated assumptions, the vulnerability to CC will likely increase and the built-in coping range may not be adequate to handle future climate extremes.

The purpose of …

Shale Play: Poems And Photographs From The Fracking Fields By Julia Spicher Kasdorf And Steven Rubin, Kelly Shepherd

The Goose

Review of Julia Spicher Kasdorf and Steven Rubin's Shale Play: Poems and Photographs from the Fracking Fields

Faith, Loss And Meaning: Frameworks Of Meaning As A Practical Approach To Spirituality In The Therapy Room, Lauren Price

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Review Of "War Beyond Words: Languages Of Remembrance From The Great War To The Present" By Jay Winter, Bryan Mcclure

Canadian Military History

Review of War Beyond Words: Languages of Remembrance from the Great War to the Present by Jay Winter.

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 …

Work And Madness: Overworked Men And Fears Of Degeneration, 1860s-1910s, Amy Milne-Smith

History Faculty Publications

The very things that provided a Victorian man’s status, his self worth, and his identity could also lead him to lose his mind. This paradox is at the heart of this essay. Men breaking down under the pressure of hard work was disruptive in a society that was dependent on that overwork. This idea preoccupied Victorians, who worried that the pace of modern life could lead to broken nerves, low spirits, nervous collapse, and even suicide. Both doctors and sufferers believed that overtaxing one’s brain could lead to a complete mental breakdown requiring institutionalization. As asylums filled up with incurable …

No. 37: Validation Of The Hcp Survey Tool For Measuring Urban Food Insecurity: An Item Response Theory Approach, Vonai Charamba, Ndeyapo Nickanor, Lawrence Kazembe

Hungry Cities Partnership

There is some controversy on the applicability of the summand-based Household Food Security Assessment Score (HFIAS) and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) as measures of food insecurity in urban areas in the Global South. These measures were primarily designed for measurement in rural communities where food insecurity itself was first identified and is still predominantly conceptualized. The objective of the research reported in this paper is to assess the internal and external validity of the HFIAS and the HDDS in determining food insecurity levels in an urban context, using HCP data for urban households in Windhoek, Namibia. Validation was performed …

No. 32: Wet Market Vendor Profits In Nanjing, China: A Spatial Analysis, Xinxan Qi, Taiyang Zhong, Zhenzhong Si, Xianjin Huang, Jonathan Crush

Hungry Cities Partnership

Wet markets play an important role in urban food security in many Asian countries. Existing research pays more attention to the wet market food accessibility of urban residents and less on the business operations and profits of wet market vendors. Based on a survey of 1,119 small food enterprises in Nanjing, this study employs the spatial analytical method Geodetector to explore spatial variations in vendor profits in Nanjing. The study shows obvious spatial differentiation in the profits of wet market vendors across the city and draws several conclusions. Profitability is mainly related to the demographic features of vendors, their business …

No. 17: Inclusive Growth And Small-Scale Food Vending In Nanjing, China, Zhenzhong Si, Taiyang Zhong

Hungry Cities Partnership

This report should be read in conjunction with HCP Report No.1: The Urban Food System of Nanjing, China (Si et al 2016) and HCP Report No. 9: The State of Household Food Security in Nanjing, China (Si and Zhong 2018). The first report provides contextual background on the history, demography, and economy of Nanjing. It also contains a review of existing studies on Nanjing’s changing food system. The second summarizes the results of the household food security survey conducted in Nanjing in 2015. It provides essential information on the food purchase patterns of urban residents and highlights the importance of …

No. 15: The State Of Household Food Security In Kingston, Jamaica, Robert Kinlocke, Elizabeth Thomas-Hope, Adonna Jardine-Comrie, Beth Timmers, Therese Ferguson, Cameron Mccordic

Hungry Cities Partnership

This report provides an analysis of results from a household food security survey conducted in Kingston, Jamaica, by the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP). It documents the state of food insecurity in households across selected communities in the Kingston Metropolitan Area. It should be read in conjunction with HCP Report No. 4: The Urban Food System of Kingston, Jamaica (Thomas- Hope et al 2017), which provides more detailed background and context for the results discussed here.

No. 14: The State Of Household Food Security In Bangalore, India, Jyothi Koduganti, Charrlotte Adelina, Mohanraju Js, Shriya Anand

Hungry Cities Partnership

This report presents and analyzes the findings of a household food security survey conducted by the IIHS and the Hungry Cities Partnership in Bangalore, India, from April to September 2016. Surie and Sami (2017) provide essential contextual background for this report on Bangalore’s history, demography, economy, and changing food system. This report describes the survey and presents and discusses its findings. It then analyzes the food security situation and food system functions in Bangalore. The report thus provides solid background information for future research on Bangalore’s food system and lays the foundation for comparative studies with the other cities of …

No. 27: Social Protection And Urban Food Systems, Gareth Haysom, Issahaka Fuseini

Hungry Cities Partnership

This discussion paper examines development implications for food and nutrition when cash transfer interventions intersect with food system changes, particularly in urban areas where food is predominantly accessed through the market. South Africa is used as a case study because of its advanced social protection system as well as the rapid food system changes it is experiencing that are similar to those in other cities in the Global South. The authors consider the possible nutritional transition-related consequences for society, as well as the livelihood-related consequences for the poor when cash transfer systems, such as that of the South African social …