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This paper examines the impact of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) on community investment (CI), otherwise known as corporate philanthropic expenditures, among Canada's leading private sector companies. The study investigates whether there have been discernible shifts in CI relative to net profit after tax (NPAT) before and after the introduction of the SDGs in 2015, and whether corporations' commitment to the SDGs and/or membership in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) have resulted in material increases to CI expenditures. The analysis is based on descriptive statistics, comparing the mean and standard deviation of CI as a percentage of NPAT across 58 firms included in our study. The findings reveal a minor decrease in CI as a percentage of NPAT following the introduction of the SDGs and lower average CI amounts among corporations committed to the SDGs and firms with UNGC membership. This paper offers an interpretive analysis of the results, highlighting the implications of potential greenwashing and the importance of corporate transparency. Further, we emphasize the need for policies to ensure genuine corporate financial commitment to socioeconomic and environmental causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geometrically, a complex dynamical network (CDN) can be regarded as the interconnected system composed of the node subsystem (NS) and the link subsystem (LS) coupled with each other. Guided by this idea, in order to achieve the goal of each node following asymptotically its own reference target in a CDN, this paper investigates the model following adaptive control (MFAC) problem of NS via the dynamics of links, which implies that the LS plays the important dynamic auxiliary role in the MFAC realization of nodes. Meanwhile, we focus on the condition that the links state information is unavailable, due to sensor practical application and measurement cost constraints. To obviate this restriction, we construct the asymptotical state observer for the LS. Next, to achieve the control goal of this paper, an appropriate Lyapunov candidate function is selected, by which the MFAC scheme for NS is synthesized based on the state observer of LS. Finally, the simulation example is performed to demonstrate the theoretical results in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the gendered rebalancing of enrolments in higher education (HE) in the West, the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines persists. Gendered selectivity of field of study influences higher education student migration (HESM) and in turn sheds light on HE participation. Framed by gender intersectionality theories both in HE studies and migration scholarship, this paper uses innovative data to analyse the intersectional effect of gender and field of study on HESM in Canada. Based on Statistics Canada's postsecondary student information system for the 2019/20 academic year, Canadian interregional flow matrixes structured by gender, field and level of study are constructed and analysed. The results show compelling evidence of the influence of gendered differences in HESM when intersected with field and level of study. Notably, women pursuing STEM studies migrate significantly more than any other grouping (i.e. gender, field and level of study groupings). The paper concludes with a discussion of policy implications for the influence of HESM on community demographic make‐up and local labour markets, as well as future research including the need to understand gendered dimensions of migration intentions and motivations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeat photography offers distinctive insights into ecological change, with ground‐based oblique photographs often predating early aerial images by decades. However, the oblique angle of the photographs presents challenges for extracting and analyzing ecological information using traditional remote sensing approaches. Several innovative methods have been developed for analyzing repeat photographs, but none offer a comprehensive end‐to‐end workflow incorporating image classification and georeferencing to produce quantifiable landcover data. In this paper, we provide an overview of two new tools, an automated deep learning classifier and intuitive georeferencing tool, and describe how they are used to derive landcover data from 19 images associated with the Mountain Legacy Project, a research team that works with the world's largest collection of systematic high‐resolution historic mountain photographs. We then combined these data to produce a contemporary landcover map for a study area in Jasper National Park, Canada. We assessed georeferencing accuracy by calculating the root‐mean‐square error and mean displacement for a subset of the images, which was 4.6 and 3.7 m, respectively. Overall classification accuracy of the landcover map produced from oblique images was 68%, which was comparable to landcover data produced from aerial imagery using a conventional classification method. The new workflow advances the use of repeat photographs for yielding quantitative landcover data. It has several advantages over existing methods including the ability to produce quick and consistent image classifications with little human input, and accurately georeference and combine these data to generate landcover maps for large areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2016–17 an important consensus was established regarding the use of the diagnostic label 'developmental language disorder' (DLD) to describe children with a persistent language problem having a functional impact on communication or learning and in the absence of any other biomedical condition. Despite this consensus, past research has revealed ongoing uncertainty regarding when to use the DLD label among speech–language pathologists (SLPs). Aims: In response to this uncertainty, a survey of SLPs was conducted aimed at investigating which types of clinical language profiles, and specific assessment results, were viewed as warranting the diagnostic label DLD. Methods & Procedures: SLPs were presented with 10 childhood language profiles and assessment results. Participants reviewed each case and described if they felt a diagnosis of DLD was warranted, which presented symptoms were consistent/inconsistent with DLD and if further information/testing was desired. Additionally, participants provided details regarding their personal diagnostic processes. Outcomes & Results: Results indicated a general consensus among SLPs as to when the DLD label should be applied. However, free‐text responses demonstrated considerable variation between clinicians regarding symptoms of importance, points of contention/confusion in language profiles and minimal assessment results viewed as necessary in the diagnostic process. Conclusions & Implications: This detailed look at the assessment/diagnostic process for DLD provides valuable insight into how to build further practice consistency in the provision of the diagnostic label DLD, especially in cases of complex language profiles and assessment results. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: The label DLD should be used as a diagnostic label to describe children with persistent language problems having a functional impact on communication or learning and in the absence of any biomedical condition. However, in current clinical practice, actual use of the label is inconsistent and SLPs face a number of challenges in diagnosing DLD. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This investigation provides clarity regarding which complexities in paediatric language profiles are most challenging for SLPs when determining if a child does/does not have DLD. Additionally, details regarding current assessment beliefs and practices are explored. What are the practical and clinical implications of this work?: By providing a detailed look at the diagnostic processes of practising SLPs, valuable insight is provided into how to build further practice consistency and confidence in the provision of the diagnostic label DLD, especially in cases of complex language profiles and assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare systems and health professionals are facing a litany of stressors that have been compounded by the pandemic, and consequently, this has further perpetuated suboptimal mental health and burnout in nursing. The purpose of this paper is to report select findings from a larger, national study exploring gendered experiences of mental health, leave of absence (LOA), and return to work from the perspectives of nurses and key stakeholders. Given the breadth of the data, this paper will focus exclusively on the qualitative results from 53 frontline Canadian nurses who were purposively recruited for their workplace insight. This paper focuses on the substantive theme of "Breaking Point," in which nurses articulated a multiplicity of stress points at the individual, organizational, and societal levels that amplified burnout and accelerated mental health LOA from the workplace. These findings exemplify the complexities that underlie nurses' mental health and burnout and highlight the urgent need for multipronged individual, organizational, and structural interventions. Robust and timely interventions are needed to restore the health of the nursing profession and sustain its future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses panel data for Canada from 1976 to 2018, across 10 provinces, to reassess the relationship between mortality rates and economic fluctuations. The key contribution of our paper lies in examining the extent to which this relationship is driven by the employment rate (extensive margin) versus average hours worked (intensive margin). We find evidence of procyclical mortality for females at the aggregate level; aggregate male mortality remains largely unaffected by economic fluctuations. Our findings also reveal temporal heterogeneity, as the extensive margin becomes the driving force for female mortality rates during the more recent period (1990 onwards). These findings remain robust when accounting for personal income and pollution. Finally, we find some support for a procyclical relationship for individuals in the working age groups, while mortality exhibits a countercyclical pattern for children (age 0 to 14) and the elderly (age 65 and above). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a registered psychotherapist and art therapist, my clinical training was primarily based on North American clinical approaches influenced by traditional Euro and western‐centric clinical theories of human behavior. I completed my training feeling certain that traditional clinical mental health practices were not an appropriate fit for racialized communities and could have negative implications for their healing and well‐being. As clinicians, it is our moral obligation to support and enhance the quality of life for marginalized groups. We can do this by challenging our values and knowledge that have been defined and influenced by structures (i.e., education, training, etc.) embedded in these colonial teachings. For this paper, I used a heuristic self‐inquiry research method to investigate these concerns. I interviewed other racialized psychotherapists practicing in Turtle Island (currently mostly occupied by the political entities of Canada and the United States) with the aim to learn how and if decolonization can be used in therapy practice. With this research, I (1) identified a gap in care for racialized communities, (2) questioned if or how a decolonizing approach to care should be considered, (3) explored my discomfort with practitioners in the field that claim their position on decolonizing therapy, practice, and approaches, and lastly (4) propose other ways of knowing that can inform new ways of practicing therapy. The results of this research helped to problematize the language and use of decolonizing therapeutic practices while learning about other concepts that may be relevant yet distinct, such as principles of coloniality/decoloniality. Those of us, therapists or researchers, wanting to disrupt the current practice of therapy need to work together, share knowledge, and challenge each other, so that we can transform the way we practice as psychotherapists. This paper is my contribution to this conversation. Highlights: I interviewed racialized psychotherapists to learn how and if decolonization can be used in therapy.Traditional psychology can lead to ineffective mental health care for racialized communities.I propose other ways of knowing that can inform new therapy practices for racialized communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As opioid fatalities rise in North America, the need to improve the supports available to those who are dependent on opioids and pregnant has become more urgent. This paper discusses the social organisation of drug treatment supports for those who are pregnant, using Canadian clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) as a case study. Pregnant patients are a priority population for MMT, both in Canada and internationally; the regulatory bodies that oversee MMT in Canada are the provincial Colleges of Physician and Surgeons and Health Canada. The paper analyses MMT CPGs published by these agencies, comparing their general recommendations to those specific to pregnant patients. We demonstrate that the guidelines address few treatment considerations for pregnant patients, other than improved birth outcomes and child welfare, despite acknowledging their more complex needs. Drawing on social science studies of gender and drugs, we argue that MMT CPGs therefore perpetuate the intensified surveillance and foetal prioritisation that have long generated barriers to care for opiate‐dependent pregnant patients. We also discuss how and why the CPGs ultimately only reinforced these current limitations in the drug treatment sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social scientists, geographers, criminologists, and health scientists are often tasked with finding data to best capture the impact of "community context" on individual outcomes, including residential services, physical resources, and social institutions. One outlet for such data in Canada is Digital Map Technologies Inc. (DMTI) Spatial, which offers a national repository of over one million businesses and recreational points of interest. The database is generated through CanMap Streetfiles, which includes geocodes of each point's precise location. These data are available to researchers from their university data library and Esri Canada, but primarily available to private sector and government markets. That said, the goal of the current paper is to encourage researchers to access this rich yet under‐utilized data source. Each service, business, or resource in the DMTI Spatial database is assigned to a respective category using Standard Industrial Classification codes and North American Industrial Classification System codes. It is not clear, however, which is the more reliable coding criteria. We provide an overview of our review of DMTI Spatial data and take‐away suggestions for using this valuable resource for future research on meso‐level residential markers. Key messages: The goal of this paper is to outline existing data source(s) and measures from DMTI Spatial that might help capture meso‐level residential institutions.We recommend "best practices" for using DMTI Spatial data in researchers' own work to capture neighbourhood resources/amenities, or the social infrastructure of the community using either Standard Industrial Classification codes or North American Industrial Classification System codes.We conclude that Standard Industrial Classification codes in DMTI Spatial enhanced points of interest data are more complete—and more accurate—than North American Industrial Classification System codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: The evidentiary standards and epistemic models of clinical care, especially those of evidence‐based medicine, are dissimilar to those used in philosophy and examination of how the two systems intersect may help clinicians make more informed treatment decisions. Aims and Objectives: This paper examines the use of ethical frameworks in routine clinical decision‐making, using the example of acute stroke treatment decisions to demonstrate that ethical evaluation is integral to clinical practice. Method: Utilising acute stroke care as a lens through which to examine the phenomenon of ethical evaluation in medical practice, we offer a philosophical analysis of the presence of ethical evaluation in medicine. Results and Conclusion: We find that the medical establishment should embrace ethical evaluation as intrinsic to medical practice and that medical training and treatment guidelines should reflect this reality. Patients deserve clarity and transparency about how physicians make determinations about their treatment, and physicians should be prepared to offer explanations for those decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Dental regulatory bodies aim to ensure the health and safety of dentists, dental staff patients and the public. An important responsibility during a pandemic is to communicate risk and guidelines for patient care. Limited data exist on the perceptions and experiences of dentists navigating new guidelines for mitigating risk in dental care during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to use a qualitative approach to explore how dentists in Canada experienced and perceived their regulatory bodies' communication about COVID‐19 risks and guidelines during the pandemic. Methods: Participants were Canadian dentists (N = 644) recruited through the email roster of nine provincial dental associations or regulatory bodies. This qualitative analysis was nested within a prospective longitudinal cohort study in which data were collected using online questionnaires at regular intervals from August 2020 to November 2021. To address the objective reported in this paper, a conventional qualitative content analysis method was applied to responses to three open‐ended questions included in the final questionnaire. Results: Participants encountered challenges and frustrations amid the COVID‐19 pandemic, grappling with diverse regulations and communications from dental bodies. While some bodies offered helpful guidance, many participants felt the need for improved communication on guidelines. Dentists urged for expedited, clearer and more frequent updates, expressing difficulty in navigating overwhelming information. Negative views emerged on the vague and unclear communication of COVID‐19 guidelines, contributing to confusion and frustration among participants. Conclusion: As COVID‐19 persists and in planning for future pandemics, these experiential findings will help guide regulatory bodies in providing clear, timely and practical guidelines to protect the health and safety of dentists, dental staff, patients and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective in this paper is to examine the growth of the price of farm milk quotas in Canada, to shed light on their patterns of growth within the last 15 years. Our quota price model is based on the Gordon growth model, supplemented by some important characteristics of the milk quota market. Our explanatory variables include the quota rental price, interest rate, and expectations of both price and quantity growth, all for the province of Alberta over the 2009–2023 time period. Our economic model of quota prices performs well by giving results with the predicted signs for all variables in our model and high levels of statistical significance except for expectations of quantity allocations when entered separately. The model has two variants, one with the expectation of growth in quota rents and the other with the expectation of growth in the quota asset price. Econometric issues related to time series problems are dealt with. The model allows calculation of policy risk, which shows an interesting pattern over this time period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international market for plant‐based ‘milk‐alternatives’ (PBMA) is growing tremendously. There are concerns pertaining to their suitability for vulnerable people as they differ from natural milk in nutritional composition, flavour and digestibility. Currently, there exists no clear‐cut definition/identity/standards in almost all countries (except Canada) for them as well as for lab‐grown milk. The present paper focuses on novel areas of issues and challenges associated with their suitability to feed infants. It also raises concerns and priority areas for the regulators to develop policies regarding establishing standards and regulations for varied parameters to assure safety, health and wellness of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contends with queer joy as an epistemology to highlight an affective experience that grounds a basis for revising dominant approaches to sexual ethics. Drawing on findings from a mixed‐methods study with 100 2SLGBTQ+ young adults from Canada and the US, we argue that queer and trans people mobilize queer sexual joy as an epistemology of script breaking that led participants to explore freedom and play, enjoy novel forms of care and communality, and to challenge oppression. We found that 2SLGBTQ+ young adults are undermining dominant sexual cultures which perpetuate gender‐based violence through cisheteronormative logics of objectification and dominance. Rather than simply producing misery, normative sex and gender regimes produced a disorientation among 2SLGBTQ+ young adults which was fruitful for breaking sexual scripts and developing approaches to sex and relationships grounded in greater authenticity, creativity, reciprocity, play, and joy. We propose that by taking queer joy as a way of knowing, we may learn how queer and trans people negotiate the performativity of gender and sex, their own bodily knowledge, and the epistemic injustices that have precluded this knowledge from being valued. Pushing against the "joy deficit" in sociology that constrains the field to the study of the misery that minority communities face, this paper not only demonstrates what sociologists might learn from the texture of queer and trans lives, but also how these lessons can help to undermine cisheteronormativity as a root cause of gender‐based violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying sources of barriers to occupational mobility is central to evaluating the efficiency of the labor market. In this paper, we present an augmented Roy model in which workers self‐select into occupations, subject to labor market barriers that are specific to their socio‐linguistic group. Our findings provide evidence of differences in labor market outcomes across gender and linguistic groups in Canada. We argue that these differences could be attributed to barriers to labor mobility and that the reduction of these disparities would result in higher aggregate productivity in the country. In the augmented Roy model, the frictions result in inefficient allocation of labor across occupations. The study quantifies the change in aggregate productivity that would result from reducing the friction. The elimination of the frictions increased aggregate output on average by 6.2% and 4.4% in 1991 and 2011, respectively. This finding highlights the importance of reducing language barriers and gender inequality in the labor market. We provide policy recommendations for mitigating the disparities in socioeconomic outcomes between gender and linguistic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gini coefficient for disposable income for Canada in 2019 was approximately the same level it was at in 1995. Underlying this flat recent long‐term pattern is an increase in the level of market earnings inequality in the 1980s and 1990s that Canada shared with other countries followed by a continuing period of flatness in that measure as well. This trend interacted with changes in policy that have, at times, offset earnings inequality trends and at other times exacerbated them. In this paper, we describe these trends and the combination of market and policy forces that drove them. We conclude that explanations rooted in ongoing technology or globalisation forces are less relevant than explanations based on deeper structural changes in the labour market. Those changes affecting earnings inequality were ultimately fully offset by changes in the tax and transfer system as well as labour market policies such as the minimum wage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people's voices detailing how they experienced engagement with the criminal justice system following child sexual abuse, what was helpful or unhelpful and how services can be improved to minimise secondary victimisation and maximise the potential for healing are largely absent from the research literature. This paper draws on semi‐structured interviews with a culturally diverse sample (n = 47) of young people aged 14 to 25 across Ireland and Canada about their experiences of disclosure and engagement with systems. Data were collected pertaining to experiences engaging with law enforcement personnel using thematic analysis with a trauma‐informed lens. The research identified three key themes: the importance of feeling safe through kindness, transparency and being believed; the importance of having a say; and the importance of timely court processes. The study builds on the small body of qualitative research illustrating young people's lived experiences of engaging with the criminal justice system and provides empirical support for promoting a trauma‐informed approach in how police engage with young people. Guidance is offered for police professionals on how to engage with adolescents following sexual abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Two‐Spirit, trans, nonbinary and other gender‐diverse (2STGD) donors face challenges in donation. While many blood operators aim to address these challenges, to date, no empirical study with these donors has been conducted to guide their efforts. This paper reports 2STGD donors' views on a two‐step approach asking donors their gender and sex assigned at birth (SAAB), and expanding gender options in donor registration. Materials and Methods: A qualitative community‐based study was conducted with 2STGD donors (n = 85) in Canada. Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews were conducted from July to October 2022, audio‐recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed using a thematic analytic framework. Results: Participants were divided on their views of a two‐step approach asking gender and SAAB. Themes underlying views in favour of this approach included the following: demonstrating validation and visibility, and treating 2STGD donors and cisgender donors alike. Themes underlying views not in favour or uncertain included potential for harm, compromising physical safety, and invalidation. All participants were in favour of expanding gender options if blood operators must know donors' gender. Conclusion: Results indicate that a two‐step approach for all donors is not recommended unless the blood operator must know both a donor's gender and SAAB to ensure donor and/or recipient safety. Gender options should be expanded beyond binary options. Ongoing research and evidence synthesis are needed to determine how best to apply donor safety measures to nonbinary donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This collaborative paper explores the interconnections between climate change and the mental health and well‐being of Indigenous women in Western Canada. As the impacts of climate change intensify globally, vulnerable populations, particularly Indigenous communities, face disproportionate and multifaceted challenges. Centering on Indigenous women in Western Canada, this study explores how the climate crisis magnifies Indigenous communities' mental health disparities. Drawing from the Indigenist feminist research approach, the investigation focuses on Indigenous women's lived experiences, perceptions, and land‐based coping strategies amidst climate challenges, while simultaneously addressing the unique social, cultural, and historical factors influencing their mental health vulnerabilities within the context of climate change. The findings shed light on the complex relationships between environmental degradation, ongoing colonial impacts on traditional practices, and the mental well‐being of Indigenous women. Concluding with implications for policy and community‐led interventions, this research contributes to the discourse on the intersectionality of climate change impacts and mental health, particularly focusing on Indigenous women in Western Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western democracies are experiencing a widespread shift towards greater recognition of transgender rights in public policy, yet the timing of change differs across states. To explain this variation, I present a novel theoretical framework called "policy momentum." Unlike existing work on policy diffusion, which typically emphasizes domestic or international processes, I theorize how the combined pressure from each level creates the conditions for policy change to occur. Empirically, I contrast the creation of national human rights policies to protect transgender individuals in Canada (2017) and Australia (2013). Using process‐tracing and within‐case analyses, and drawing on elite interviews, primary documents, and Hansard records, I demonstrate the decisive interaction of subnational legislative changes with an emerging global norm to produce transgender policy change. This paper thus contributes to our understanding of LGBTQ+ public policy while also providing a framework for explaining the conditions for cross‐national policy change more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In celebration of the journal's 50th anniversary, the aim of the study was to review the whole collection of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (CDOE) publications from 1973 to 2022 and provide a complete overview of the main publication characteristics. Methods: The study used bibliometric techniques such as performance and science mapping analysis of 3428 articles extracted from the Scopus database. The data were analysed using the 'Bibliometrix' package in R. The journal's scientific production was examined, along with the yearly citation count, the distribution of publications based on authors, the corresponding author's country and affiliation and citation count, citing source and keywords. Bibliometric network maps were constructed to determine the conceptual, intellectual and social collaborative structure over the past 50 years. The trending research topics and themes were identified. Results: The total number of articles and average citations has increased over the years. D Locker, AJ Spencer, A Sheiham and WM Thomson were the most frequently published authors, and PE Petersen, GD Slade and AI Ismail published papers with the highest citations. The most published countries were the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil and Canada, frequently engaging in collaborative efforts. The most common keywords used were 'dental caries', 'oral epidemiology' and 'oral health'. The trending topics were healthcare and health disparities, social determinants of health, systematic review and health inequalities. Epidemiology, oral health and disparities were highly researched areas. Conclusion: This bibliometric study reviews CDOE's significant contribution to dental public health by identifying key research trends, themes, influential authors and collaborations. The findings provide insights into the need to increase publications from developing countries, improve gender diversity in authorship and broaden the scope of research themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High latitude ionospheric density structures such as polar cap patches and arcs are capable of deflecting high frequency (HF) radio waves to off‐great circle paths, and are likely detrimental to technologies dependent on HF radio propagation. In this study, nearly 2.5 years of 4.6–14.4 MHz data from a multi‐frequency HF radio link between Qaanaaq, Greenland and Alert, Canada are used to investigate high‐latitude off‐great circle propagation in the polar cap. After an example of HF radio propagation affected by polar cap patches is shown in detail, a statistical analysis of the occurrence and impacts of off‐great circle deflections in the polar cap is presented. Off‐great circle propagation is shown to be increasingly common with increasing frequency up to 11.1 MHz, such that averaged over 1 year, received 11.1 MHz signals experienced deflections >30° from the great circle direction 65.6% of the time. The occurrence of these deflections across the year is shown to be at a maximum in the winter, while occurrence across the day varies with season. Trends across both time of day and time of year for 11.1 and 14.4 MHz deflections are consistent with polar cap patch occurrence trends. Off‐great circle deflections are shown to be associated with increased time‐of‐flights, a larger range of positive and negative Doppler shifts, increased Doppler spreads, and lower signal‐to‐noise ratios. These results are discussed in the context of ionospheric phenomena in the polar cap, and implications for over‐the‐horizon radars operating at high latitudes. Plain Language Summary: High frequency (HF) radio waves can travel long distances by bouncing between the ground and the ionosphere; an upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere, allowing them to be used for communications and surveillance in remote locations. However, strong space weather can change the paths these radio waves take, causing problems for HF radio technologies. In this paper, radio transmissions sent between Qaanaaq, Greenland and Alert, Canada are studied in order to better understand how often HF radio waves are deflected by space weather at high latitudes, and what effect these deflections have on the signals themselves. After a brief example of what space weather deflections look like, transmissions sent over a whole year are studied to determine how deflections depend on radio frequency, time of day, and time of year. Then, the effects these deflections have on other signal properties is studied. It is found that deflections are very common at high latitudes, especially in the winter. Deflections tend to increase the travel time of signals, change their frequency, and reduce their signal strength. These results are shown to be connected to polar cap patches and arcs; which are common space weather phenomena near the poles. Key Points: Off‐great circle propagation occurring in the polar cap is studied using years of data from an HF radio link in the polar capLarge (greater than 30°) deflections from the great circle are shown to be very common, especially in the winterThese deflections are shown to affect HF radio signals in ways that are consistent with interactions with polar cap patches and arcs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing community capacity towards resilience is key to reducing climate disaster risk, especially in Black immigrant communities in Canada. While there are many extreme climate change events occurring, such as hailstorms, floods, snowstorms, forest fires, droughts, and heat waves in western Canada, there is no known study that has explored resilience within sub‐Saharan African immigrant communities to climate disaster risks in western Canada. All these extreme climate change events have devastated Black populations threatening their ability to cope with disaster risks. Following a decolonial phenomenology methodological framework research approach; our study explores sub‐Saharan African immigrant communities' adaptation strategies to address climate disaster risk in western Canada. In this research, our main purpose was to investigate whether community resilience strategies implemented by the two provinces (Saskatchewan and Alberta) meet the unique needs of sub‐Saharan African Immigrants. By exploring local communities' perspectives on climate change, we highlighted the relevance of inclusivity in climate capacity building to reduce disaster risk and cope with climate change‐related disasters in the localities. Our findings revealed that personal experiences with climate change risks significantly influenced communities' strength and resilience and contributed to their resilience strategies. We view this paper as a first step in developing a community‐led climate change resilience research agenda that will have a practical application for the community in the face of climate change in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Seedling recruitment is a vital process for forest regeneration and is influenced by various factors such as stand composition, climate, and soil disturbance. We conducted a long‐term field experiment (18 years) to study the effects of these factors and their interactions on seedling recruitment. Location: Our study focused on five main species in boreal mixed woods of eastern Canada: trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), white spruce (Picea glauca), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and white cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Methods: Sixteen 1‐m2 seedling monitoring subplots were set up in each of seven stands originating from different wildfires (fire years ranging from 1760 to 1944), with a soil scarification treatment applied to every other subplot. Annual new seedling counts were related to growing‐season climate (mean temperature, growing degree days and drought code), scarification, and stand effects via a Bayesian generalized linear mixed model. Results: Soil scarification had a large positive effect on seedling recruitment for three species (aspen, birch and spruce). As expected, high mean temperatures during the seed production period (two years prior to seedling emergence) increased seedling recruitment for all species but aspen. Contrary to other studies, we did not find a positive effect of dry conditions during the seed production period. Furthermore, high values of growing degree days suppressed conifer seedling recruitment. Except for white cedar, basal area was weakly correlated with seedling abundance, suggesting a small number of reproductive individuals is sufficient to saturate seedling recruitment. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of considering multiple factors, such as soil disturbance, climate, and stand composition, as well as their effects on different life stages when developing effective forest management strategies to promote regeneration in boreal mixed‐wood ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) frequently experience cognitive, emotional, physical and communication deficits that require long‐term rehabilitation and community support. Although access to rehabilitation services is linked to positive outcomes, there can be barriers to accessing community rehabilitation related to system navigation, referral processes, funding, resource allocation and communications required to ensure access. Aims: This study aimed to identify barriers to accessing insurer funding for rehabilitation and healthcare services, for adults with TBI injured in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). Methods: We used a co‐design approach to collaborate with persons with lived experience to design a survey of adults who sustained a TBI in an MVC. The survey examined access to insurer funding for rehabilitation services and was disseminated through brain injury networks in Ontario, Canada. Results: Respondents (n = 148) identified multiple barriers to accessing rehabilitation services through insurer funding, including delays of more than 2 years (49%), mandatory duplicative assessments (64%) and invasion of privacy (55%). Speech‐language therapy and neuropsychological services were denied most frequently. Negative experiences included insurers' poor understanding of TBI symptoms, denials of services despite medical evidence demonstrating need and unsupportive insurer interactions. Although 70% of respondents reported cognitive‐communication difficulties, accommodations were rarely provided. Respondents identified supports that would improve insurer and healthcare communications and rehabilitation access. Conclusion & Implications: The insurance claims process had many barriers for adults with TBI, limiting their access to rehabilitation services. Barriers were exacerbated by communication deficits. These findings indicate a role for Speech‐language therapists in education, advocacy and communication supports during the insurance process specifically as well as rehabilitation access processes in general. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: There is extensive documentation of the long‐term rehabilitation needs of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their challenges in accessing rehabilitation services over the long term. It is also well known that many individuals with TBI have cognitive and communication deficits that affect their interactions in the community, including with healthcare providers, and that SLTs can train communication partners to provide communication supports to individuals with TBI in these communication contexts. What this study adds: This study adds important information about barriers to accessing rehabilitation, including barriers to accessing SLT services in the community. We asked individuals with TBI about challenges to accessing auto insurance funding for private community services, and their responses illustrate the broader challenges individuals with TBI face in communicating their deficits, conveying service needs, educating and convincing service administrators and self‐advocating. The results also highlight the critical role that communication plays in healthcare access interactions, from completing forms to reviewing reports and funding decisions, to managing telephone calls, writing emails and explaining to assessors. What are the clinical implications of this work?: This study shows the lived experience of individuals with TBI in overcoming barriers to accessing community rehabilitation. The results show that best practices in intervention should include evaluating rehabilitation access, which is a critical step in patient‐centred care. Evaluation of rehabilitation access includes evaluating referral and navigation, resource allocation and healthcare communications, and ensuring accountability at each step, regardless of model of service delivery or funding source. Finally, these findings show the critical role of speech‐language therapists in educating, advocating and supporting communications with funding sources, administrators and other healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Territorial inequalities have long been a subject of study and concern in Canada. In the face of large structural changes such as industrial shifts and the decarbonization of our economies, there is an urgency to understand such inequalities and design effective policy interventions for those places facing persistent economic decline. This paper shares a novel composite index that measures economic disparity across Canadian Census Subdivisions (CSDs) using Census data from 2001 through 2016 and the 2011 National Household Survey. Named the "Index of Economic Disparity," it is comprised of an equally weighted average of four sub‐indices that assign percentile rankings for all CSDs based on whether they experience persistent and substantial decline in key economic areas: population, labour force outcomes, working‐age share of population, and industrial diversity. The variation of outcomes across geographies—urban and rural—highlights the importance of place‐based policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to assess the resilience of the economy of Australia following the Covid‐19 pandemic that hit the global economy in Q4 2019, in years 2020, 2021 and 2022. Quarterly growth rates (annualised) of the Real GDP of Australia and Canada are forecasted between Q2 2022 and Q4 2050. Two sets of forecasts are generated: forecasts using historical data including the pandemic (from Q1 1961 to Q1 2022) and excluding the pandemic (from Q1 1961 to Q3 2019). The computation of the difference of their averages is an indicator of the resilience of the economies during the pandemic, the greater the difference the greater the resilience. Used as a benchmark, Canada's economy shows a slightly lower resilience to the Covid‐19 pandemic (+0.37%) than Australia's economy (+0.39%) based on Q2 2022–2050 forecasts. However, driven by stronger growth than Canada, the average estimate of the Q2 2022–Q4 2050 quarterly (annualised) growth rate forecasts of Australia is expected to be +2.09% with the Q1 1961–Q1 2022 historical data while it should be +1.61% for Canada. Supported by higher growth, Australia's Real GDP is expected to overtake Canada's in Q1 2040. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transgender individuals are discriminated against in health care environments and consistently experience poorer health outcomes than their cisgender counterparts. Enhancing physician training in transgender‐specific health is critical to closing the transgender health gap. Methods: We conducted a scoping review to identify transgender health training objectives in Internal Medicine and Internal Medicine Subspecialty residency programmes in Canada and the United States. A systematic search was conducted from 1946 to 15 February 2022. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were written in English, included transgender training objectives, and were aimed at resident physicians in Internal Medicine or Internal Medicine Subspecialty training programmes in Canada or the United States. Findings: We found 4048 papers, of which 11 were included for analysis. Transgender health training objectives were synthesised into five themes, including (1) terminology, physiology, and gender presentation, (2) gender‐affirming care and communication, (3) hormonal and surgical management, (4) routine health management and maintenance, and (5) equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical care. The majority of objectives pertained to equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical care, namely, respectful communication and non‐judgemental care of transgender patients. Discussion Our findings provide a comprehensive overview of published transgender health objectives in Canada and the United States and highlight existing gaps in postgraduate medical education for Internal Medicine and Subspecialty programmes. Conclusions: We argue a need for standardisation of transgender‐related residency training and suggest that postgraduate Internal Medicine programmes can utilise this review as a framework to begin enhancing transgender health education for their residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: In many countries, sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) continue to be screened based on their sex or gender and the sex or gender of their sexual partner. However, there is growing support that screening based on specific sexual behaviors that pose risk of transfusion transmissible infection is a better approach to donor screening. Study Design and Methods: This paper reports results from Phase 1 (qualitative) of a mixed‐methods study on Canadian blood and plasma donors' views on expanding eligibility for gbMSM by changing to sexual behavior‐based screening. Semistructured interview data with 40 donors (whole blood = 20, plasma = 20; male = 21, female = 18, nonbinary = 1; mean age = 46.2; 10% participation rate) in Canada were analyzed using a thematic approach. Results: All participants, except one, supported the change as they anticipated that at least one of three outcomes would be achieved: increasing blood supply, enhancing equity, and improving or maintaining the safety of blood supply. One donor who was more skeptical of the change questioned the scientific evidence for the change and indicated mistrust of state institutions. The discussion considers implications for blood operators' communication strategies that can be used to reduce donor discomfort with the changes to donor screening. Conclusion: In a nonrandom, purposive sample of 40 Canadian blood and plasma donors, most participants held favorable views regarding expanding the eligibility of gbMSM donors based on sexual risk behavior. Understanding donors' views on increasing eligibility may inform Canadian Blood Services and other blood operators as they develop their communications plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low‐Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (LRDGs) aim to reduce the harms caused by alcohol. However, considerable discrepancies exist in the 'low‐risk' thresholds employed by different countries. Argument/analysis: Drawing upon Canada's LRDGs update process, the current paper offers the following propositions for debate regarding the establishment of 'low‐risk' thresholds in national guidelines: (1) as an indicator of health loss, years of life lost (YLL) has several advantages that could make it more suitable for setting guidelines than deaths, premature deaths or disability adjusted years of life (DALYs) lost. (2) Presenting age‐specific guidelines may not be the most appropriate way of providing LRDGs. (3) Given past overemphasis on the so‐called protective effects of alcohol on health, presenting cause‐specific guidelines may not be appropriate compared with a 'whole health' effect derived from a weighted composite risk function comprising conditions that are causally related to alcohol consumption. (4) To help people reduce their alcohol use, presenting different risk zones associated with alcohol consumption instead of a single low risk threshold may be advantageous. Conclusions: National LRDGs should be based on years of life lost and should be neither age‐specific nor cause‐specific. We recommend using risk zones rather than a single drinking threshold to help people assess their own risk and encourage the adoption of behaviours with positive health impacts across the alcohol use spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International student migration (ISM) is one of the fastest growing categories of migrants in Canada. Drawing on the narratives of 30 international students at a Canadian university, this paper investigates international students' decisions to study overseas and the roles of social networks in shaping mobility. We find that international students negotiate information while embedded in multiple social networks consisting of family, friends, ethnocultural and religious communities, and professional relations in origin and settlement countries. These social networks exceed typical knowledge and connection functions; they act as informal migration agents, providing transnational care and guidance, and 'do' family in ways that shape mobility decisions and settlement. The information provided through these networks, however, can be inaccurate or incomplete, requiring the strategic mobilization of new networks to support migration. We conclude that international student mobility relies on building transnational networks to support knowledge transfer, provide care and offer tangible supports. Furthermore, we argue that these fluctuating local and transnational social networks should be more fully recognized in the theorizing of ISM and in strategies implemented for supporting international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of employment in resource extraction figure prominently in state rationales for resource extraction. However, in Canada, the site of study, while the worker is a key figure in rationales for extraction, this same worker disappears in state attention to extractive/mine closure. The paper's focus on Indigenous mining labour is driven by a community–university research partnership with Dene communities in the Northwest Territories facing forthcoming closure of diamond mines on their land. Approaching mine closure as a juncture that can both reproduce or resist the settler extractive economy, we argue that the Canadian state responses to the labour implications of mine closure, and its lack of coherence, express the settler‐colonial tension between the reproduction of the (Canadian) settler state and its requisite labour force, and the social reproduction of Indigenous communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Incontinence impacts the quality‐of‐life of people suffering from the disease. However, there is limited information on the prevalence of incontinence due to the stigma, lack of awareness, and underdiagnosis. Objective: This study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of overactive bladder (OAB) and nonobstructive urinary retention (NOUR). Methods: The authors conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines using Embase, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases to identify the relevant publications in the English language. Two reviewers independently assessed the articles and extracted the data. Review papers were assessed for content and references. A meta‐analysis of proportions was conducted using the RStudio software. To address the age heterogeneity, a subanalysis was conducted. Pooled data were overlayed on the Canadian population and a sample of 10 populous countries to estimate the number of people suffering from incontinence. Results: Twenty‐eight and eight articles were selected for OAB and NOUR, respectively. The pooled prevalence of OAB in men and women was 12% (95% CI: 9%–16%) and 15% (95% CI: 12%–18%), respectively. The estimated prevalence of NOUR was 15.6%–26.1% of men over 60 and 9.3%–20% of women over 60. The subanalysis pooled prevalence of OAB in men and women was 11% (95% CI: 8%–15%) and 12% (95% CI: 9%–16%), respectively. We estimated that 1.4–2.5 million women and 1.3–2.2 million men suffer from OAB in Canada. Conclusion: Urinary incontinence is an under‐reported and underdiagnosed prevalent condition that requires appropriate treatment to improve a patient's quality‐of‐life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benthic invertebrates are important trophic links in food webs and useful bioindicators of environmental conditions, but long‐term benthic organism abundance data across broad geographic areas are rare and historic datasets are often not readily accessible. This dataset provides densities of benthic macroinvertebrates collected from 1930 to 2019 during surveys in Lake Erie, a Laurentian Great Lake. The surveys were funded by the governments of the United States and Canada to investigate the status and changes in the benthic community. From the total of 21 lake‐wide and basin‐wide benthic surveys conducted in Lake Erie from 1929 to 2019, we were able to acquire data for 17 surveys, including species‐level data for 10 surveys and data by higher taxonomic groups for seven surveys. Our amassed Lake Erie dataset includes data from 11 surveys (including five with species‐level data) conducted in the western basin in 1930–2019, seven surveys (six with species‐level data) in the central basin, and eight surveys (seven with species‐level data) in the eastern basin (1973–2019). This Lake Erie dataset represents the most extensive temporal dataset of benthic invertebrates available for any of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Benthic samples were collected using Ponar or Shipek bottom dredges and taxa densities were calculated as individuals per square meter using the area of the dredge. Density data are provided for taxa in the Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Cnidaria, Nemertea, and Platyhelminthes phyla. Current taxonomy was used for most groups but, in a few cases, older taxonomic names were used for consistency with historical data. Analysis of this dataset indicates that eutrophication, water quality improvement, and dreissenid introduction were the major drivers of changes in the benthic community in the western basin, while hypoxia was a major factor in the central basin, and dreissenid introduction was the most important driver in the eastern basin. Considering the rarity of high taxonomic resolution long‐term benthic data for lake ecosystems, this dataset could be useful to explore broader aspects of ecological theory, including effects of eutrophication, hypoxia, invasive species, and other factors on community organization, phylogenetic and functional diversity, and spatial and temporal scales of variation in community structure. In addition, the dataset could be useful for studies on individual species, including abundance and distribution, species co‐occurrence, and how the patterns of dominance and rarity change over space and time. Use of this dataset for academic or educational purposes is encouraged as long as this data paper is properly cited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires have long been regarded as one chief culprit in regional air pollution, and pose great impacts on climate change. Although climate forcing of wildfire smoke has been widely investigated, its influence on synoptic systems remains unclear. Based on measurement and modeling analysis, the impact of wildfire smoke on the development of a mid‐latitude cyclone was revealed for Canadian wildfires in early June of 2023. The radiative forcing induced by smoke at surface and in the atmosphere reached up to −150 and 100 W m−2, posing opposite tendencies of atmospheric stratification over the land and ocean. Such perturbations contributed to the enhancement and stagnation of the cyclone, which favored the transport of smoke from the fire‐intensive region, indicated by nearly 40% increment of PM2.5 mass flux. With escalating wildfire risk in the future, the inclusion of smoke aerosols' impacts on meteorology in weather forecast models is of great importance. Plain Language Summary: Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that burn in the wildland vegetation, posing great challenges to regional air quality and global climate. Wildfire smoke has been known to exert great climate forcing via aerosol‐radiation interaction yet its impact on synoptic scales needs further investigation. Here, based on comprehensive observations and modeling analysis for the extreme Canadian wildfires in early June of 2023, smoke aerosol is revealed to induce significant radiative forcing and yield opposite modifications of temperature stratification over the land and ocean, resulting in intensified and stagnant mid‐latitude cyclone. Such perturbations favored the transport of smoke from fire‐intensive region to downwind cities in Canada and United States, and the subsequent long‐range transport dominated by the cyclone. Key Points: Smoke from intensive Canadian wildfires in early June of 2023 degraded the air quality of cities in eastern Canada and United StatesThe wildfire smoke enhanced the development of the mid‐latitude cyclone via smoke aerosol‐radiation interactionThe intensification and stagnation of the cyclone facilitated the transport of smoke to downwind cities in northeastern United States [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Transitions to and from Emergency Departments (EDs) can be detrimental to long‐term care (LTC) residents and burden the healthcare system. While reducing avoidable transfers is imperative, various terms are used interchangeably including inappropriate, preventable, or unnecessary transitions. Our study objectives were to develop a conceptual definition of avoidable LTC‐ED transitions and to verify the level of stakeholder agreement with this definition. Methods: The EXamining Aged Care Transitions study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed‐method design. The study was conducted in 2015–2016 in 16 LTC facilities, 1 ED, and 1 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in a major urban center in western Canada. Phase 1 included 80 participants, (healthcare aides, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, LTC managers, family members of residents, and EMS staff). We conducted semistructured interviews (n = 25) and focus groups (n = 19). In Phase 2, 327 ED staff, EMS staff, LTC staff, and medical directors responded to a survey based on the qualitative findings. Results: Avoidable transitions were attributed to limited resources in LTC, insufficient preventive care, and resident or family wishes. The definition generated was: A transition of an LTC resident to the ED is considered avoidable if: (a) Diagnostic testing, medical assessment, and treatment can be accessed in a timely manner by other means; (b) the reasons for a transfer are unclear and the transition would increase the disorientation, pain, or discomfort of a resident, outweighing a clear benefit of a transfer; and (c) the transition is against the wishes expressed by the resident over time, including through informal and undocumented conversations. There was a high level of agreement with the definition across the four participant groups. Conclusions and Implications: To effectively reduce LTC resident avoidable transitions, stakeholders must share a common definition. Our conceptual definition may significantly contribute to improved care for LTC residents. Key points: Important dimensions in assessing transition avoidability include timely diagnostic testing availability, in‐facility assessment and treatment options, clear transfer purpose, risk/benefit analysis for resident well‐being, and recognition of advanced care goals and informal care preferences.Our findings highlighted essential differences between perceptions of unnecessary and avoidable transitions.Avoidable transitions were attributed to limited resources in long‐term care, insufficient preventive care, and resident or family wishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Cultural use berries are prized foods and medicines across the United States and Canada, with almost 200 different species used by Indigenous Peoples. Berries are increasingly being impacted by environmental and land‐use change. Berry habitats, how and when berry plants reproduce, and the volume of berries available for harvest each year are shifting widely. These changes are impacting access to, availability of, and consumption of berries. Biocultural stewardship practices, like low‐intensity fire, transplanting, and thinning, can be used in response to these stressors to support berry plant health and productivity as well as a sustained relationship with this important food. Summary: Almost 200 different species of berries are used for food and medicine by Indigenous Peoples, with unparalleled nutritional and cultural significance among plant foods. Environmental and land‐use change is increasingly compromising access to, availability of, and consumption of berries. In this review, I consider (a) how climate and land‐use change are impacting cultural use berries across species and places, as documented by Indigenous Peoples and in the scientific literature, and (b) how stewardship practices are being applied to promote resilience and sustainability in berrying landscapes experiencing stress. Climate impacts on Arctic and subarctic berry species include earlier ripening, changes in taste, or increased variability in abundance. These same regions are experiencing a proliferation of shrubs, while forests throughout the lower 48 and Canada are suffering from suffocating fuel loads and stand densities that are not conducive to berry habitat for many species. In the Pacific West, berries are influenced by prolonged droughts and increasing spring and summer temperatures. Climate change impacts are amplified by shifts in land use for forestry and agriculture. Biocultural stewardship practices, like low‐intensity fire, thinning, transplanting, and cultural care, can be used to mitigate these impacts and promote berry microclimate habitats. There is opportunity for intertribal networking and knowledge sharing around berry stewardship practices that will support local and regional climate change responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past major earthquakes have demonstrated that a significant proportion of existing residential buildings are vulnerable to seismic hazards, resulting in economic and social losses. The assessment of earthquake‐induced losses is crucial for devising strategies aimed at enhancing seismic resilience through mitigation plans and emergency response measures. This study intends to provide an analytical methodology for evaluating economic losses for existing residential concrete shear wall buildings in Eastern Canada seismic zones based on Canadian‐compatible seismic capacity parameters. A sampled data set related to residential buildings in Montreal was analyzed and statistical distributions were developed that represent the proportion of buildings in different seismic design code levels and number of stories. Vulnerability analyses were performed, which involved estimating buildings' response under seismic hazard inputs according to the 2020 National Building Code of Canada and conducting loss assessment for structural components, nonstructural displacement‐sensitive components, nonstructural acceleration‐sensitive components, and contents. The results of vulnerability analyses in terms of loss ratio curves showed that the seismic performance varies between mid‐rise and high‐rise concrete shear wall buildings with different seismic design code levels, and nonstructural displacement‐sensitive components exerted the most significant influence on overall economic losses among building components. In addition, a comparison was conducted between Canadian‐compatible economic loss ratio curves and those developed based on the standard seismic capacity parameters in the Hazus technical manual and differences in predicted loss ratios were discussed. The developed loss ratio curves can be integrated into regional scale loss assessment tools for rapid estimation of earthquake‐induced economic losses for concrete shear wall buildings as a function of seismic intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The rapidly changing Arctic is ideal for investigating uncertainties in climate projections. Despite the challenges of collecting data in this region, an unprecedented large‐scale survey of shorebirds has been conducted over the last 30 years. Our study aimed to (1) develop probabilistic estimates for the change in suitable habitat for 10 Arctic shorebird species in Canada by 2075 and (2) assess the contribution of modelling decisions to the uncertainty in these estimates. Location: Arctic Canada. Methods: To evaluate uncertainty, we considered six classes of modelling decisions, yielding 216 unique projections for each species. We tested three decisions that are less commonly explored − the pool of candidate variables, a method for selecting variables, and the maximum distance of tree line dispersal, as well as the modelling algorithm, carbon emissions scenario, and global circulation model. We used a bootstrapping approach, creating a probability distribution for the proportional change in suitable habitat for each species. Results: Our findings indicated a substantial risk for 8/10 species to lose over half of their suitable breeding habitat, but this projection is much less certain than has been described previously. While much uncertainty is unexplained, we were surprised that the largest source of uncertainty among our modelling decisions was from our choice of methods for variable selection, that the other modelling decisions were relatively small sources of uncertainty, overshadowing other modelling decisions. Main Conclusions: While most scenarios predict a northward shift and significant habitat loss for Arctic‐breeding shorebirds, the Arctic Archipelago of Canada will remain an important refuge because in many other Arctic regions, there is no land farther north for these species to shift into. A comprehensive understanding of uncertainty is important for deciding if future projections can or should be used when planning climate‐resilient protected area networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Engaging with peers is gaining increasing interest from healthcare systems in numerous countries. Peers are people who offer support by drawing on lived experiences of significant challenges or 'insider' knowledge of communities. Growing evidence suggests that peers can serve as a bridge between underserved communities and care providers across sectors, through their ability to build trust and relationships. Peer support is thus seen as an innovative way to address core issues of formal healthcare, particularly fragmentation of care and health inequalities. The wide body of approaches, goals and models of peer support speaks volumes of such interest. Navigating the various labels used to name peers, however, can be daunting. Similar terms often hide critical differences. Objectives/Background: This article seeks to disentangle the conceptual multiplicity of peer support, presenting a conceptual map based on a 3‐year knowledge synthesis project involving peers and programme stakeholders in Canada, and international scientific and grey literature. Synthesis/Main Results: The map introduces six key questions to navigate and situate peer support approaches according to peers' roles, pathways and settings of practice, regardless of the terms used to label them. As a tool, it offers a broad overview of the different ways peers contribute to integrating health and community care. Discussion: We conclude by discussing the map's potential and limitations to establish a common language and bridge models, in support of knowledge exchange among practitioners, policymakers and researchers. Patient or Public Contribution: Our team includes one experienced peer support worker. She contributed to the design of the conceptual map and the production of the manuscript. More than 10 peers working across Canada were also involved during research meetings to validate and refine the conceptual map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Best practice guidelines for the recovery and return to work (RTW) of people with mental disorders recommend access to the services of an interdisciplinary team combining pharmacological, psychological and work rehabilitation interventions. In the Canadian context, primary healthcare services are responsible for providing these services for people with common mental disorders, such as depressive or anxiety disorders. However, not everyone has easy access to these recommended primary healthcare services, and previous studies suggest that multiple personal, practice‐related and organizational factors can influence the patient's journey. Moreover, previous studies documented that family physicians often work in silos and lack the knowledge and time needed to effectively manage by themselves patients' occupational health. Thus, the care and service trajectories of these patients are often suboptimal and can have important consequences on the person's recovery and RTW. Objective and Population Studied: Our study aimed to gain a better understanding of the patient journeys and the factors influencing their access to and experience with primary healthcare services while they were on sick leave due to a common mental disorder. Methods: A descriptive qualitative research design was used to understand and describe these factors. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the verbatim. Results: Five themes describe the main factors that influenced the patient's journey of the 14 participants of this study: (1) the fragmented interventions provided by family physicians; (2) patients' autonomy in managing their own care; (3) the attitude and case management provided by the insurer, (4) the employer's openness and understanding and (5) the match between the person's needs and their access to psychosocial and rehabilitation services. Conclusions: Our findings highlight important gaps in the collaborative practices surrounding the management of mental health‐related sick leave, the coordination of primary healthcare services and the access to work rehabilitation services. Occupational therapists and other professionals can support family physicians in managing sick leaves, strengthen interprofessional and intersectoral collaboration and ensure that patients receive needed services in a timelier manner no matter their insurance coverage or financial needs. Patients of Public Contribution: This study aimed at looking into the perspective of people who have lived or are currently experiencing a sick leave related to a mental health disorder to highlight the factors which they feel hindered their recovery and RTW. Additionally, two patient partners were involved in this study and are now engaged in the dissemination of the research results and the pursuit of our team research programme to improve services delivered to this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sucrose is widely administered to hospitalized infants for single painful procedures, total sucrose volume during the entire neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay and associated adverse events are unknown. In a longitudinal observation study, we aimed to quantify and contextualize sucrose administration during the NICU stay. Specifically, we investigated the frequency, nature, and severity of painful procedures; proportion of procedures where neonates received sucrose; total volume of sucrose administered for painful procedures; and incidence and type of adverse events. Neonates <32 weeks gestational age at birth and <10 days of life were recruited from four Canadian tertiary NICUs. Daily chart reviews of documented painful procedures, sucrose administration, and any associated adverse events were undertaken. One hundred sixty‐eight neonates underwent a total of 9093 skin‐breaking procedures (mean 54.1 [±65.2] procedures/neonate or 1.1 [±0.9] procedures/day/neonate) during an average NICU stay of 45.9 (±31.4) days. Pain severity was recorded for 5399/9093 (59.4%) of the painful procedures; the majority (5051 [93.5%]) were heel lances of moderate pain intensity. Sucrose was administered for 7839/9093 (86.2%) of painful procedures. The total average sucrose volume was 5.5 (±5.4) mL/neonate or 0.11 (±0.08) mL/neonate/day. Infants experienced an average of 7.9 (±12.7) minor adverse events associated with pain and/or sucrose administration that resolved without intervention. The total number of painful procedures, sucrose volume, and incidence of adverse events throughout the NICU stay were described addressing an important knowledge gap in neonatal pain. These data provide a baseline for examining the association between total sucrose volume during NICU stay and research on longer‐term behavioral and neurodevelopmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The need for new therapies to improve survival and outcomes in pediatric oncology along with the lack of approval and accessible clinical trials has led to "out‐of‐trial" use of innovative therapies. We conducted a retrospective analysis of requests for innovative anticancer therapy in Canadian pediatric oncology tertiary centers for patients less than 30 years old between 2013 and 2020. Methods: Innovative therapies were defined as cancer‐directed drugs used (a) off‐label, (b) unlicensed drugs being used outside the context of a clinical trial, or (c) approved drugs with limited evidence in pediatrics. We excluded cytotoxic chemotherapy, cellular products, and cytokines. Results: We retrieved data on 352 innovative therapy drug requests. Underlying diagnosis was primary CNS tumor 31%; extracranial solid tumor 37%, leukemia/lymphoma 22%, LCH 2%, and plexiform neurofibroma 6%. RAS/MAP kinase pathway inhibitors were the most frequently requested innovative therapies in 28% of all requests followed by multi‐targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (17%), inhibitors of the PIK3CA‐mTOR‐AKT pathway (8%), immune checkpoints inhibitors (8%), and antibody drug conjugates (8%). In 112 out of 352 requests, innovative therapies were used in combination with another anticancer agent. 48% of requests were motivated by the presence of an actionable molecular target. Compassionate access accounted for 52% of all requests while public insurance was used in 27%. Mechanisms of funding varied between provinces. Conclusion: This real‐world data collection illustrates an increasing use of "out‐of‐trial" innovative therapies in pediatric oncology. This new field of practice warrants further studies to understand the impact on patient trajectory and equity in access to innovative therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To collate and critically review international evidence on the direct health system costs of children and adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer. Methods: We conducted searches in PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus. Articles were limited to studies involving people aged 0–39 years at cancer diagnosis and published from 2012 to 2022. Two reviewers screened the articles and evaluated the studies using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist. The reviewers synthesized the findings using a narrative approach and presented the costs in 2022 US dollars for comparability. Results: Overall, the mean healthcare costs for all cancers in the 5 years post diagnosis ranged from US$36,670 among children in Korea to US$127,946 among AYA in the USA. During the first year, the mean costs among children 0–14 years ranged from US$34,953 in Chile to over US$130,000 in Canada. These were higher than the costs for AYA, estimated at US$61,855 in Canada. At the end of life, the mean costs were estimated at over US$300,000 among children and US$235,265 among adolescents in Canada. Leukemia was the most expensive cancer type, estimated at US$50,133 in Chile, to US$152,533 among children in Canada. Overall, more than a third of the total cost is related to hospitalizations. All the included studies were of good quality. Conclusions: Healthcare costs associated with cancer are substantial among children, and AYA. More research is needed on the cost of cancer in low‐ and middle‐income countries and harmonization of costs across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algal bioindicators, such as diatoms, often show subdued responses to eutrophication in Arctic lakes because climate‐related changes (e.g., ice cover) tend to be the overriding factors influencing assemblage composition. Here, we examined how sub‐Arctic ponds historically receiving high nutrient inputs from nesting seabirds have responded to recent climate change. We present diatom data obtained from 12 sediment cores in seaduck‐affected ponds located on islands through Hudson Strait, Canada. All study cores show consistently elevated values of sedimentary ẟ15N, an established proxy for tracking marine‐derived nutrients, indicating seabirds have been present on these islands for at least the duration of the sediment records (~100 to 400 years). We document diverse epiphytic diatom assemblages to the base of all sediment cores, which is in marked contrast to seabird‐free Arctic ponds—these oligotrophic sites typically record epilithic diatom flora prior to recent warming. Diatoms are likely responding indirectly to seabird nutrients via habitat as nutrients promote the growth of mosses supporting epiphytic diatom communities. This masks the typical diatom response to increased warming in the Arctic, which also results in habitat changes and the growth of mosses around the pond edges. Changes in sedimentary chlorophyll a were not consistently synchronous with large changes in ẟ15N values, suggesting that primary production in ponds is not responding linearly to changes in seabird‐derived nitrogen. Across all ponds, we recorded shifts in diatom epiphytic assemblages (e.g., increases in % relative abundance of many Nitzschia species) that often align with increases in chlorophyll a. The changes in diatoms and chlorophyll a, although variable, are most likely driven by climate change as they are generally consistent with longer ice‐free conditions and growing seasons. Together, our results show that to effectively use diatoms in animal population reconstructions across the sub‐Arctic and Arctic, a strong understanding of eutrophication and climate change, based on supplementary proxies, is also required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to examine temporal change in alpha and beta diversity of freshwater fish communities in rivers that have urbanized over the same period to understand the influence of changes in land use and river connectivity on community change. We used biological (2001–2018), land use (2000–2015), and connectivity data (1987–2017) from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We used linear mixed effects models to determine the strength of upstream land use, connectivity, and their changes over time to explain temporal change in alpha and beta diversity indices. We examined beta diversity using the temporal beta diversity index (TBI) to assess site‐specific community change. The TBI was partitioned into gains and losses, and species‐specific changes in abundance were assessed using paired t‐tests. There were more gains than losses across the study sites as measured by TBI. We found little to no significant differences in species‐specific abundances at aggregated spatial scales (study region, watershed, stream order). We found different relationships between landscape and connectivity variables with the biodiversity indices tested; however, almost all estimated confidence intervals overlapped with zero and had low goodness‐of‐fit. More fish biodiversity gains than losses were found across the study region, as measured by TBI. We found TBI to be a useful indicator of change as it identifies key sites to further investigate. We found two high value TBI sites gained non‐native species, and one site shifted from a cool‐water to warm‐water species dominated community, both of which have management implications. Upstream catchment land use and connectivity had poor explanatory power for change in the measured biodiversity indices. Ultimately, such spatial–temporal datasets are invaluable and can reveal trends in biodiversity useful for environmental management when considering competing interests involved with urban sprawl in the ongoing "Decade on Restoration." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]