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Strategies To Improve Health Coverage And Narrow The Equity Gap In Child Survival, Health, And Nutrition, Mickey Chopra

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Implementation of innovative strategies to improve coverage of evidence-based interventions, especially in the most marginalised populations, is a key focus of policy makers and planners aiming to improve child survival, health, and nutrition. We present a three-step approach to improvement of the effective coverage of essential interventions. First, we identify four different intervention delivery channels—ie, clinical or curative, outreach, community-based preventive or promotional, and legislative or mass media. Second, we classify which interventions’ deliveries can be improved or changed within their channel or by switching to another channel. Finally, we do a meta-review of both published and unpublished reviews to …

Poverty, Work And Social Networks: The Role Of Social Capital For Aboriginal People In Urban Australian Locales, Julie Lahn

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

In this article, I present the key findings from a project entitled “The Social Context of Indigenous Poverty”. The research involved a series of interviews with Aboriginal people in urban SE Australia on issues of poverty, social capital and social exclusion. In the article I draw together Aboriginal perspectives on the meaning of poverty to reflect on the relevance of social capital concepts for understanding Aboriginal economic disadvantage and hence, the merits of policy framed in these terms.

Ideas Matter: A Comparative Analysis Of Two Neighbourhood Regeneration Programs Associated With The Administrations Of Two Toronto Mayors Between 2005 And 2012, Kathy Wiele

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines how the neighbourhood regeneration programs of David Miller and Rob Ford in Toronto compare based on the approaches to public administration taken by each mayor. It uses a comparative analysis of the two cases with a specific focus on Miller’s Priority Neighbourhoods (PNs) and Ford’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs). The findings reveal that the two programs are based on different approaches to public administration, with Miller emphasizing the community development approach and Ford favouring the economic model of public administration.

Little Liberals: A Child-Centred Approach To The Inculcation Of Values, Alison M. Braley-Rattai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In a liberal-democracy, the proper role of parents and of the state in forming children’s beliefs involves several separate but interrelated debates: These concern the conceptual space that children occupy within liberal theory, the basis of the ‘control rights’ adults are said to have over children, and the tension between the values of autonomy and diversity, which are foundational values for a liberal-democracy. To clarify these debates, competing paradigms are identified in political theories that address them: A dual-interest view and a child-centred view. The former ‘balances’ the interests that parents and children have in the child-rearing relationship, and the …

The Quest For Universal Health Coverage: Achieving Social Protection For All In Mexico, Felicia Marie Knaul, Eduardo GonzáLez-Pier, Octavio GóMez-DantéS, David GarcíA-Junco, HéCtor Arreola-Ornelas, Mariana Barraza-LloréNs, Rosa Sandoval,, Francisco Caballero, Mauricio HernáNdez-Avila, Mercedes Juan, David Kershenobich, Gustavo Nigenda, Enrique Ruelas, Jaime SepúLveda, Roberto Tapia, Guillermo SoberóN, SalomóN Chertorivski, Julio Frenk

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Mexico is reaching universal health coverage in 2012. A national health insurance programme called Seguro Popular, introduced in 2003, is providing access to a package of comprehensive health services with financial protection for more than 50 million Mexicans previously excluded from insurance. Universal coverage in Mexico is synonymous with social protection of health. This report analyses the road to universal coverage along three dimensions of protection: against health risks, for patients through quality assurance of health care, and against the financial consequences of disease and injury. We present a conceptual discussion of the transition from labour-based social security to social …

Determinants Of Municipal Waste Diversion In Ontario, Brock Ceci

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the impact of socio-economic characteristics on the rate of waste diversion in 196 municipalities across the province of Ontario. It uses 2006 data from Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) and Statistics Canada to look at a specific list of variables, including the percentage of rented households in the municipality, the percentage of individuals who hold a university degree, the population density and the level of urbanization, and the region in which the municipality is located. The findings reveal that socio-economic characteristics explain only a portion of what determines the rate of waste diversion in Ontario municipalities.

Public Participation In Municipal Budget Decision Process: City Of Toronto’S 2011 Core Service Review, Jiaqing He

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the impact of public participation on decision-making, with a specific focus on the City of Toronto’s 2011 Core Service Review. It uses both qualitative and quantitative data gathered from the case. Quantitative data is collected through the feedback forms the City used for public consultation during the Core Service Review, while qualitative data is collected from both the feedback forms and the roundtable discussions held across Toronto in 2011. The findings reveal that, from a process perspective, government efforts were directed at enlarging participation through a well-designed mechanism and project promotion, while the impact analysis found that …

Water Pricing In Ontario: Is The Price Right For Water?, John Presta

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether major municipalities in Ontario have changed their water rate structure in order to raise additional resources for their capital and operating requirements. The data presented has been gathered from a sample of medium and large urban areas and is based on a questionnaire, interviews, and municipal websites. The findings reveal that municipalities in Ontario have had to increase their water rates since the Walkerton tragedy in order to become compliant with new regulations and to address capital infrastructure replacement programs, but there is no evidence that they have changed their water use rate structure in order …

Toronto’S Private Tree By-Law: Performance Measurement Design And Cost-Benefit Analysis, Arthur Beauregard

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper presents a practical application of designing and implementing a robust performance measurement system by applying the principle of integrated management to Toronto’s private tree by-law. The robust performance measurement system is assessed based on the following five criteria: satisfying accountability reporting requirements to elected officials and to the public at large; facilitating policy and program effectiveness measurement; supporting management reviews that help inform service quality and efficiency improvements; guiding staff from the apex of management down to front line service delivery personnel on specific goals and deliverables; and increasing staff productivity, satisfaction, and motivation by providing meaningful feedback …

Gov 2.0: Exploring The Use Of Web 2.0 Tools By Local Government In Southwestern Ontario, Chandra Dougall

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines how local governments in Ontario are using Web 2.0 technologies, with a specific focus on whether or not Web 2.0 is being used by local government as a medium for citizen engagement. It uses interviews to uncover whether or not the selected municipalities in Southwestern Ontario are using social media for citizen engagement purposes, in addition to a policy review of their social media policies. The six municipalities that were selected include: South Huron, London, Dufferin County, Kitchener, Central Elgin, and one municipality that chose to remain anonymous. The findings reveal that municipalities in Southwestern Ontario are …

Involuntary Resettlement In Hydroelectric Projects: A Comparison Of Chinese And Canadian Case Studies And Implications For Best Practice, Qian Liao

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the political systems of China and Canada with respect to involuntary resettlement induced by hydroelectric projects. It uses case studies from the two countries – namely the Three Gorges Dam in China and a series of dams in James Bay, Quebec – to analyze the similarities and differences found under each system. The findings reveal that, with regards to similarities, in both countries, certain marginalized groups were further disadvantaged as a result of resettlement and the organized resettlement practices in the two countries are relatively short, although the history of dam construction is relatively long. With regards …

No Less A Firefighter: Creating Safe, Healthy, And Inclusive Work Environments For Women Firefighters In Ontario, Heidy Van Dyk

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines why there are so few women employed as professional firefighters in Ontario municipalities by identifying the workplace hazards and risk factors related to safety, health, and inclusion in their work environments. Data collected from an online questionnaire administered to 24 women who currently work or have previously worked as professional firefighters was analyzed using a conceptual framework based on the three elements of safety, health, and inclusion. In addition, interviews were conducted with participants who voluntarily requested to participate. The findings reveal that women firefighters are exposed to workplace hazards and risk factors either by directly experiencing, …

Examining The Effects Of Policies On The Delivery Of Shelter Services To Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence, Camille J. Burnett

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Problem: Shelters for abused women function within a broad context that includes intersecting social structures, policies and resources, which may constrain and limit the options available to abused women and tacitly reinforce the cycle of abuse.

Method: This feminist, qualitative study drew on in-depth interviews and focus groups conducted with 37 staff and 4 executive directors from 4 shelters in Ontario, Canada, along with a critical discourse analysis of salient policy texts in order to explore how salient policies and structures shape shelter service delivery and may indirectly contribute to the health and quality of life of women who access …

Canada Curbs Aboriginal Health Leadership, Paul C. Webster

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Technology Transfer And Innovation Policy At Canadian Universities: Opportunities And Social Costs, Samuel Trosow, Michael B. Mcnally, Laura E. Briggs, Cameron Hoffman, Cassandra D. Ball, Adam Jacobs, Bridget Moran

FIMS Publications

This report, supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Knowledge Synthesis Grant, critically examines the role of universities in transmitting knowledge in the forms of technology transfer mechanisms, intellectual property agreements and other knowledge diffusion policies. In reviewing and synthesizing the recent literature on the topic, we seek to provide some initial evidence-based policy recommendations in order to generally strengthen Canada‘s innovation ecosystem and more specifically to maximize the return on the nation‘s investment in higher education research and development.

School Closures In Ontario: A Case Of Conflicting Values?, Richard Wm Irwin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Responding to financial pressures and declining school enrolments, the Ontario government in 2006 developed a new policy on school-closures establishing specific criteria to determine the value of a school to a community and requiring every school board to involve the local community in any school-closure decision. Despite these provisions, the implementation of this policy at the local level created anger and active resistance from community members.

Focussing on two school-closures within an Ontario school board, using ethnographic methods, this study explores how one board implemented the provincial-policy, specifically the impact this had on those directly affected. Informed by neoliberalism-communitarianism debates, …

Bridging The Gap Between Theory And Practice In Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments For Remote Indigenous Communities In Northern Australia, Donna Green, Stephanie Niall, Joe Morrison

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper considers the Australian federal government’s approach to climate adaptation policy for remote northern Indigenous communities through the close examination of a seminal Scoping Study. This approach is taken to illustrate the lag between adaptation theory and practice, and to highlight important considerations to enable the development of a just and effective policy. The analysis suggests that policy in this area would benefit from the further consideration of three factors, namely the role of uncertainty in climate policy, the need for meaningful consultation with communities, and the benefit of integrating contextual and bottom-up assessment of vulnerability with decision-making in …

Evaluation Of A Culturally Adapted Training In Indigenous Mental Health And Wellbeing For The Alcohol And Other Drug Workforce, Racheal Hinton, Tricia Nagel

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Indigenous Australians have high rates of mental illness comorbid with substance misuse. The complex needs of this client group create challenges for the alcohol and other drug (AOD) workforce. This paper describes the outcomes of an Indigenous-specific “Yarning about Mental Health” training for the AOD workforce to strengthen knowledge and skills in mental health approaches and in their engagement with Indigenous clients. The training provides culturally adapted strategies and tools for understanding mental health, promoting wellbeing, and delivering brief interventions in the substance misuse setting. A nonexperimental evaluation which incorporated pre-post questionnaires was conducted with workshop participants attending one of …

Gender, Culture And Intervention: Exploring Differences Between Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Children’S Responses To An Early Intervention Programme, Gary W. Robinson, William B. Tyler, Sven R. Silburn, Stephen R. Zubrick

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Evaluation of a group parenting programme in the Northern Territory of Australia showed significant differences in benefits for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal boys and girls. The analysis considers whether boys and girls from different cultural backgrounds present with different problems; whether parental expectations for boys and girls differ and whether the intervention activates different responses in different settings. Conclusions suggest that there is a need to closely examine the ‘cultural logic’ of interventions, the appropriateness of their assumptions about child development and hypothesised mechanisms of change in different settings.

Growing Up Our Way : The First Year Of Life In Remote Aboriginal Australia, Sue Kruske, Suzanne Belton, Molly Wardaguga, Conceptual Narjic

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

In this study, we attempted to explore the experiences and beliefs of Aboriginal families as they cared for their children in the first year of life. We collected family stories concerning child rearing, development, behavior, health, and wellbeing between each infant’s birth and first birthday. We found significant differences in parenting behaviors and childrearing practices between Aboriginal groups and mainstream Australians. Aboriginal parents perceived their children to be autonomous individuals with responsibilities toward a large family group. The children were active agents in determining their own needs, highly prized, and included in all aspects of community life. Concurrent with poverty, …

The Role Of Assertive Outreach In Ending 'Rough Sleeping', Rhonda Phillips, Cameron Parsell

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Utilising Indigenous Seasonal Knowledge To Understand Aquatic Resource Use And Inform Water Resource Management In Northern Australia, Emma Woodward, Sue Jackson, Marcus Finn, Patricia Marrfurra Mctaggart

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Indigenous ecological knowledge can inform contemporary water manage- ment activities including water allocation planning. This paper draws on results obtained from a 3-year study to reveal the connection between Indigenous socio-economic values and river flows in the Daly River, Northern Territory. Qualitative phenological knowledge was analysed and compared to quantitative resource-use data, obtained through a large household survey of Indigenous harvesting and fishing effort. A more complete picture of Indigenous resource- use and management strategies was found to be provided by the adoption of mixed methods. The quantitative data revealed resource-use patterns including when and where species are harvested. The …

Who’S The Boss? Post-Colonialism, Ecological Research And Conservation Management On Australian Indigenous Lands, Wayne Barbour, Christine Schelesinger

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

The involvement of Indigenous people in the national conservation effort is increasingly being acknowledged and valued in Australia. Ecological research can play an important role in reinforcing the efforts of Indigenous land managers; and interest from Indig- enous and non-Indigenous ecologists and land managers to work together on ecological issues of common concern is increasing. Although there are many examples of successful collaborations there are also many instances where expectations, particularly of the Indige- nous partners, are not met, and this is less frequently communicated. This paper, written from the perspective of an Arrernte researcher in partnership with his non-Indigenous …

Do Indigenous Australians Age Prematurely? The Implications Of Life Expectancy And Health Conditions Of Older Indigenous People For Health And Aged Care Policy, Philippa R. Cotter, John R. Condon, Tony Barnes, Ian P.S. Anderson, Leonard R. Smith, Teresa Cunningham

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective. To assess whether Indigenous Australians age prematurely compared with other Australians, as implied by Australian Government aged care policy, which uses age 50 years and over for population-based planning for Indigenous people compared with 70 years for non-indigenous people.

Methods. Cross-sectional analysis of aged care assessment, hospital and health survey data comparing Indigenous and non-indigenous age-specific prevalence of health conditions. Analysis of life tables for Indigenous and non-indigenous populations comparing life expectancy at different ages.

Results. At age 63 for women and age 65 for men, Indigenous people had the same life expectancy as non-indigenous people at age 70. …

Using First Nations Children's Perceptions Of Food And Activity To Inform An Obesity Prevention Strategy, Ashlee-Ann E. Pigford, Noreen D. Willows, Nicholas L. Holt, Amanda S. Newton, Geoff D.C. Ball

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

‘Caring For Country’: A Review Of Aboriginal Engagement In Environmental Management In New South Wales, J. Hunt

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This article discusses some emerging models of Indigenous engagement in environmental management in New South Wales and urges expansion of such engagement. NSW Aboriginal people own only around one per cent of the state’s land, which suggests that land ownership and rights-based approaches to Aboriginal participation in environmental management are insufficient in NSW. Alternative approaches that recognise Aboriginal responsibilities to ‘care for country’ are needed. This article reviews opportunities for Aboriginal people to be involved in environmental and natural resource management activities, noting some of the constraints. It suggests some ways to extend such Aboriginal engagement, emphasising both employment creation …

Conservation Planning In A Cross- Cultural Context: The Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Project In The Kimberley, Western Australia, Heather Moorcroft, Emma Ignjic, Stuart Cowell, John Goonack, Sylvester Mangolomara, Janet Oobagooma, Regina Karadada, Dianna Williams, Neil Waina

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This article illustrates how a conservation planning approach combined Indigenous knowledge and Western science to support Indigenous Traditional Owners to make decisions about managing their ancestral lands and seas, and communicate more strategically with external stakeholders

Ontario Business Improvement Areas: Opportunities Gained And Lost, Michael De Rond

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in the Durham Region are taking advantage of the opportunity for greater exposure and increased profits using indicators that measure five BIAs and one business association throughout the area. They include: the Pickering Village BIA; the Downtown Ajax BIA; the Downtown Oshawa BIA; the Port Perry BIA; the Downtown Orono BIA; and the Brooklin Business Association. The findings reveal that, with the notable exception of the Port Perry BIA, the BIAs in the Durham Region are not taking full advantage of opportunities for development and they do not have the same level …

Enacting Accountability: Networked Governance, Canadian Ngos And The Fctc, Raphael Lencucha, Anita Kothari, Ronald Labonte

Anita Kothari

Accountability is a pressing challenge within the present system of international lawmaking. Scholars continue to examine the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to encourage the accountability of governments during this process. The negotiation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) provides an important context to examine accountability as it is and was inherently influenced by corporate interests and government economics, and involved extensive NGO participation. We conducted in depth interviews and document analysis to examine the role of Canadian NGO representatives in the negotiation of the FCTC. We highlight two sets of findings about Canadian …

Y Now: An Update Of Generation Y In The Municipal Workplace, Christopher Kalimootoo

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether the municipal corporate culture has adapted to Generation Y or whether Generation Y has assimilated into the municipal corporate culture. The conclusions presented are based on two surveys. The first survey was administered to municipal supervisors in Central and Southern Ontario to determine if their municipality has implemented the recommendations from the literature regarding the transition of Generation Y in the workforce, such as mentoring, feedback, and communication and the use of technology. The second survey was completed by Generation Y municipal employees in the same regions to determine their reaction to any workplace changes that …