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In an era of escalating and intersectional crises, the toxic drug poisoning crisis stands out as a devastating and persistent phenomenon. Where we write from in British Columbia (BC), Canada, over 13,000 deaths have occurred in the eight years since the toxic drug poisoning crisis was declared a provincial health emergency. While many of these deaths have occurred in large urban centres, smaller rural communities in British Columbia are also grappling with the profound impacts of the toxic drug poisoning crisis and are struggling to provide adequate support for their vulnerable populations. In response to these challenges, the Walk With Me research project has emerged in the Comox Valley of Vancouver Island, BC, employing community-engaged methodologies grounded in pluralist knowledge production. Walk With Me seeks to understand the unique manifestations of the toxic drug poisoning crisis in small communities, identifying local harm reduction interventions that can foster community resilience, and aiming to catalyze sustainable change by amplifying the voices of those directly affected by the crisis to advocate for policy changes. This paper outlines the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of the Walk With Me project as a harm reduction initiative, which holds community partnerships and diverse ways of knowing at its heart. It presents the community-engaged research framework used by the project to address overlapping health and social crises, offering practical examples of its application in various research projects across sites and organizations. The paper concludes with a reflection on the impacts of Walk With Me to date, highlighting the lessons learned, challenges encountered, and opportunities for future research and action. Overall, this article captures the urgent need for community-engaged approaches to address the toxic drug poisoning crisis and other multidimensional crises facing society, particularly in smaller and rural communities, underscoring the potential for meaningful change through collaborative, grassroots efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population physical activity promotion (PPAP) is one of the most effective noncommunicable disease prevention strategies, yet coordination is lacking around the world. Whole-of-system approaches and complex systems methods are called for to advance PPAP. This paper reports on a project which (1) used an Attributes Framework with system mapping (group model building and causal loop diagramming of feedback loops) and (2) identified potential leverage points to address the challenge of effective coordination of multisectoral PPAP in British Columbia. Methods: Key findings from stakeholder interviews and workshops described the current system for PPAP in terms of attributes and dimensions in the framework. These were translated into variables and used in group model building. Participants prioritized the importance of variables to address the coordination challenge and then created causal loop diagrams in 3 small groups. One collective causal loop diagram was created, and top priority variables and associated feedback loops were highlighted to explore potential leverage points. Results: Leverage points included the relationships and feedback loops among priority variables: political leadership, visible policy support and governance, connectivity for knowledge translation, collaborative multisector grants, multisector collaboration, and integrating co-benefits. Leveraging and altering "vicious" cyclical patterns to increase coordinated multisector PPAP are key. Conclusions: The Attributes Framework, group model building and causal loop diagrams, and emergent feedback loops were useful to explore potential leverage points to address the challenge of multisectoral coordination of PPAP. Future research could apply the same methods in other jurisdictions and compare and contrast resultant frameworks, variables, feedback loops, and leverage points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many species of fishes around the world are soniferous. The types of sounds fishes produce vary among species and regions but consist typically of low-frequency (< 1.5 kHz) pulses and grunts. These sounds can potentially be used to monitor fishes non-intrusively and could complement traditional monitoring techniques. However, the significant time required for human analysts to manually label fish sounds in acoustic recordings does not yet allow passive acoustics to be used as a viable tool for monitoring fishes. In this paper, we compare two different approaches to automatically detect fish sounds. One is a more traditional machine learning technique based on the detection of acoustic transients in the spectrogram and the classification using Random Forest (RF). The other is using a deep learning approach and is based on the classification of overlapping segments (0.2 s) of spectrogram using a ResNet18 Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Both algorithms were trained using 21,950 manually annotated fish and non-fish sounds collected from 2014 to 2019 at five different locations in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. The performance of the detectors was tested on part of the data from the Strait of Georgia that was withheld from the training phase, data from Barkley Sound, British Columbia, and data collected in the Port of Miami, Florida, United States. The CNN performed up to 1.9 times better than the RF (F1 score: 0.82 vs. 0.43). In some cases, the CNN was able to find more faint fish sounds than the analyst and performed well in environments different from the one it was trained in (Miami F1 score: 0.88). Noise analysis in the 20--1,000 Hz frequency band shows that the CNN is still reliable in noise levels greater than 130 dB re 1 μPa in the Port of Miami but becomes less reliable in Barkley Sound past 100 dB re 1 μPa due to mooring noise. The proposed approach can efficiently monitor (unidentified) fish sounds in a variety of environments and can also facilitate the development of species-specific detectors. We provide the software FishSound Finder, an easy-to-use open-source implementation of the CNN detector with detailed documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floodplain wetland ecosystems experience significant seasonal water fluctuation over the year, resulting in a dynamic hydroperiod, with a range of vegetation community responses. This paper assesses trends and changes in land cover and hydroclimatological variables, including air temperature, river discharge, and water level in the Upper Columbia River Wetlands (UCRW), British Columbia, Canada. A land cover classification time series from 1984 to 2022 was generated from the Landsat image archive using a random forest algorithm. Peak river flow timing, duration, and anomalies were examined to evaluate temporal coincidence with observed land cover trends. The land cover classifier used to segment changes in wetland area and open water performed well (kappa of 0.82). Over the last 4 decades, observed river discharge and air temperature have increased, precipitation has decreased, the timing of peak flow is earlier, and the flow duration has been reduced. The frequency of both high-discharge events and dry years have increased, indicating a shift towards more extreme floodplain flow behavior. These hydrometeorological changes are associated with a shift in the timing of snowmelt, from April to mid-May, and with seasonal changes in the vegetative communities over the 39-year period. Thus, woody shrubs (+ 6 % to + 12 %) have expanded as they gradually replaced marsh and wet-meadow land covers with a reduction in open-water area. This suggests that increasing temperatures have already impacted the regional hydrology, wetland hydroperiod, and floodplain land cover in the Upper Columbia River valley. Overall, there is substantial variation in seasonal and annual land cover, reflecting the dynamic nature of floodplain wetlands, but the results show that the wetlands are drying out with increasing areas of woody/shrub habitat and loss of aquatic habitat. The results suggest that floodplain wetlands, particularly marsh and open-water habitats, are vulnerable to climatic and hydrological changes that could further reduce their areal extent in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In British Columbia (BC), there are challenges accessing specialized spinal cord injury care and resources. This paper evaluated the impact of spinal cord injury health educational workshops delivered in regional communities that were informed by persons with lived experience. A community survey was conducted with 44 persons with lived experience in a BC region to identify priority SCI health-related topics. Twenty-five topics were ranked from 1–14, with bowel and bladder management ranked 1 and 4, sexual health ranked 5, and pressure injuries ranked 7. Clinical perspectives on the priorities were collected from 102 clinicians in the BC region, who independently ranked 14 of these SCI topics and considered the former 4 topics to be lower clinical priority (ranked 11–14). These priorities informed a series of SCI clinical education workshops held at healthcare facilities in three regional cities. The goals were to improve clinicians' knowledge and confidence levels when managing spinal cord injury health and to facilitate person-centred care. Positive feedback demonstrated that educational workshops supported by lived experience perspectives effectively enhanced the clinicians' understanding of spinal cord injury and their priorities. Future plans include engaging more administrators as part of this initiative and conducting workshops in other regions of BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic contamination is commonly reported in urban and rural soils, as well as in fresh and ocean waters. Canada's government has attempted to limit the contamination of single-use plastic by banning the manufacturing and selling of specific types of plastic. In British Columbia, current regulations governing commercial composting state that when compost has less than 1% of its dry weight representing foreign materials (including plastic), it can be sold and used in soils. However, due to the low density of plastic and its potential to break down into microparticles, this amount may be enough to become toxic when used in agricultural soils. This paper studies contamination of plastic in garden soils and summarizes how this can affect the environment with a preliminary examination of a garden soil sample. The examination showed that the garden soil sample contained mainly low-density polyethylene, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics (identified through ATR-FTIR) in oxidized and unoxidized forms that can come from commercial composting and hypothesizes that this plastic could break down into microplastic particles. In order to limit the amount of plastic contamination in agricultural soils, it is necessary to modify current compost regulations in order to treat plastic differently than other foreign materials (glass, metal, wood). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper situates Indigenous social reproduction as a duality; as both a site of primitive accumulation and as a critical, resurgent, land-based practice. Drawing on three distinct cases from British Columbia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and Bua, Fiji, we illustrate how accounting techniques can be a key mechanism with which Indigenous modes of life are brought to the market and are often foundational to the establishment of markets. We argue that accounting practices operate at the vanguard of primitive accumulation by extracting once invaluable outsides (e.g. Indigenous land and bodies) and rendering these either valuable or valueless for the social reproduction of settler society. The commodification of Indigenous social reproduction sustains the conditions that enable capitalism to flourish through primitive accumulation. However, we privilege Indigenous agency, resistance and resurgence in our analysis to illustrate that these techniques of commodification through accounting are not inevitable. They are resisted or wielded towards Indigenous alternatives at every point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) of British Columbia suggested that a paradigm shift from weight to well-being could address the unintended consequences of focusing on obesity and improve the outcomes of efforts to address the challenges facing both individuals and our healthcare system. In this paper, we jointly used artificial intelligence (AI) and participatory modeling to examine the possible consequences of this paradigm shift. Specifically, we created a conceptual map with 19 experts to understand how obesity and physical and mental well-being connect to each other and other factors. Three analyses were performed. First, we analyzed the factors that directly connect to obesity and well-being, both in terms of causes and consequences. Second, we created a reduced version of the map and examined the connections between categories of factors (e.g., food production, and physiology). Third, we explored the themes in the interviews when discussing either well-being or obesity. Our results show that obesity was viewed from a medical perspective as a problem, whereas well-being led to broad and diverse solution-oriented themes. In particular, we found that taking a well-being perspective can be more comprehensive without losing the relevance of the physiological aspects that an obesity-centric perspective focuses on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented heat wave occurred over the Pacific Northwest and southwest Canada on 25–30 June 2021, resulting in all-time temperature records that greatly exceeded previous record maximum temperatures. The impacts were substantial, including several hundred deaths, thousands of hospitalizations, a major wildfire in Lytton, British Columbia, Canada, and severe damage to regional vegetation. Several factors came together to produce this extreme event: a record-breaking midtropospheric ridge over British Columbia in the optimal location, record-breaking midtropospheric temperatures, strong subsidence in the lower atmosphere, low-level easterly flow that produced downslope warming on regional terrain and the removal of cooler marine air, an approaching low-level trough that enhanced downslope flow, the occurrence at a time of maximum insolation, and drier-than-normal soil moisture. It is shown that all-time-record temperatures have not become more frequent and that annual high temperatures only increased at the rate of baseline global warming. Although anthropogenic warming may have contributed as much as 1°C to the event, there is little evidence of further amplification from increasing greenhouse gases. Weather forecasts were excellent for this event, with highly accurate predictions of the extreme temperatures. Significance Statement: This paper describes the atmospheric evolution that produced an extreme heat wave over the Pacific Northwest during June 2021 and puts this event into historical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson, F.; Douglas, K.; Li, Z.; Meijer, A.; Stacey, C.D.; Kung, R., and Podhorodeski, A., 2024. A generalized semiautomated method for seabed geology classification using multibeam data and maximum likelihood classification. Journal of Coastal Research, 40(1), 1–16. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. This paper presents a GIS-based model to perform semiautomated seabed classification that can act as a first-pass, pseudoclassified surficial geological map. The user can then edit the output into a finalized map in less time than by manual classification. The model uses maximum likelihood classification with unsupervised classification through iterative self-organizing clusters. This model is fully contained within the ArcGIS software suite as a ModelBuilder workflow composed of geoprocessing tools and Python script tools. Model inputs tested include different combinations of multibeam echosounder–derived data: slope, backscatter, and terrain ruggedness. Furthermore, to test the assumption of Gaussian distribution of input data required for maximum likelihood classification, Box–Cox power transformations were applied to slope and backscatter data and were used as model inputs. To illustrate the performance of the model, two locations are highlighted as case studies: Milbanke Sound and Spiller Channel, located on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. Association between model outputs and ground-truth classes was generally weak to moderate when measured using Cramér's V association scores. Overall, the slope and backscatter parameter model had the highest scores of association. Results from an overlay analysis comparing model outputs with user-confirmed polygons show that the slope and backscatter model performs best in regions with distinct changes in the hardness of sediments but that in fjord regions dominated geologically by steeper bathymetric change, the slope parameter model may perform better. However, all model outputs had difficulty delineating bedrock units. The model has the flexibility to identify certain seabed habitat features as well, including glass sponge reefs—biologically active bioherms that have led to marine protected area designations in other areas of British Columbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous peoples in Canada have suffered from ongoing impacts of colonization. Narrowing the scope to First Nations people in British Columbia, their perspective on health and wellness spans from individual to kin, to land, economy, socialization, and cy-cles that exist in life. Such intricacies have been impacted by colonial systems wherein many Indigenous people have left their traditional lands and communities to pursue other opportunities or to flee unsettling circumstances. This paper uses Indigenous methodologies to collect qualitative data on the experiences of some First Nations peoples when relocating off-reserve as it relates to their health and wellness. The participants of this study were Elders connected to the Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre, located on Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) territory, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Elders were selected as the sample group based on the traditional perspective of their knowledge and wisdom. Six common themes from Elders' experiences were connection, way of living, education and employment, colonialism, land, and quality of health care. Further, axial coding found four action-based themes that can be applied from the research: racism, relevance, restrictions and resources--creating the 'four Rs' as recommendations for larger health systems in British Columbia, Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While performing fieldwork in Fort St. John (July 2019-August 2020), I attended two traditional funerals organised by Doig River First Nation, a Dane-zaa First Nation of North-eastern British Columbia. As per the Dane-zaa tradition, drumming, singing, and dancing around the fire were key components of both funerals. Nevertheless, there was an essential difference between the two ceremonies. The 2019 funeral celebrated for Janice Askoty was a blended ceremony where traditional practices were performed alongside a Christian liturgy. Such a ceremony underlined existing tensions between community members regarding faith and systems of beliefs. These tensions were absent in the 2020 funeral celebrated for Annie Oker, where there was no Christian liturgy. Drawing on my observations and using the concept of syncretism, in this paper, I highlight how indigenous cultural practices, symbols, and beliefs have been integrated with Christian practices to the point that new blended practices have been established. At the same time, I point out how some traditional practices (i.e. drumming, singing, and dancing around the fire) have not been modified by external influences, surviving until now. In conclusion, I describe how colonialism's legacy still manifests itself during funerary celebrations and how community members perceive, face, and counter it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How fires burn across British Columbia (BC), Canada is shaped by settler coloniality, timber capitalism, state forestry regimes, criminalization of burning, and Indigenous resistance. Despite the urgency of confronting the fire suppression paradox embedded in settler colonial fire management laws and practices, approaches to studying fire in Canada that foreground Indigenous law and de-center settler colonial governance is scarce. As political ecologists and geographers working and living in the context of unceded and ancestral lək̓ʷəŋən, W̱SÁNEĆ, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səlilwətaɬ, and syilx territories, we engage with Indigenous feminist scholarship to expose how coloniality and gender intersect in attempts to erase Indigenous sovereignty to structure and naturalize provincial fire policy and its emplaced impacts on Indigenous legal orders. Our analysis contextualizes settler-colonial provincial fire management policy in the purview of Indigenous legal orders to foreground how racial-colonial and gendered politics are obscured when colonial fire and wildfire practices are naturalized. Revisiting key moments in the political development of fire suppression across so-called BC, we contend that the suppression paradox is embedded in and reproduces a colonial logic that widens existing social and economic gaps. These gaps are uniquely gendered, as settler coloniality operates upon patriarchal lines that have actively attempted to erase Indigenous women and Two-Spirit peoples, including the laws and legal authorities that they possess and practice. Considering the 1910 Fulton Commission, we highlight an example of how women and Indigenous people were excluded from the political decision-making structures that shaped colonial fire management practices in BC. These gendered and racialized exclusions bear directly on the exclusion of Indigenous women and gender-diverse folx, and Indigenous legal orders guided by matriarchal lines of fire knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. hatcheries in British Columbia (BC) have been the major activity of the Salmonid Enhancement Program since 1977. However, the present diminished abundance of Pacific salmon and loss of fisheries in BC called for a review of hatchery effectiveness. The Pacific Salmon Foundation conducted a review resulting in 15 reports publicly available on the Pacific Salmon Foundation marine science website. The review includes evaluations of effectiveness of hatchery production, evidence of interactions with natural salmon populations (including rebuilding natural populations with hatchery‐produced salmon), and future opportunities via genomics. Beyond the estimation of juvenile production and contribution to catches and spawning escapements, the ability to assess effectiveness was limited. The assessments of interactions provided a few examples of positive outcomes, but most were negative. The lack of comparative assessments in purely wild populations seriously limits interpretations of hatchery–wild interactions. Future evaluations of the hatchery effectiveness require more quantitative and integrated assessments of hatchery and wild salmon, open data sharing for public review or research, and related studies could benefit from application of new genomic technologies. This paper presents recommendations to address these needs and calls for regularized reviews of the Salmonid Enhancement Program and its net value to sustainability of BC's Pacific salmon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, has begun developing liquified natural gas (LNG) mega projects that can transport Canadian resources to foreign markets across the Pacific region. These projects have gained significant profile due to high-level debates over their environmental, social and economic impacts. While LNG projects are required to undergo environmental impact assessment procedures, there is growing recognition of the need to ensure that positive social, economic and environmental impacts are fairly distributed to local communities. Similar to other extractive industries, many corporations leading the development of these projects engage in negotiations over so-called "impact benefit agreements (IBAs)"—legal agreements between a corporation, a government and/or a community that details how projects can benefit the local community and on what timeline so as to build social license to operate and investor confidence. This contribution details the findings of a qualitative study highlighting the perspectives of First Nations, provincial and federal government, and industry leaders to examine what makes an IBA successful and from whose perspective. The paper provides an introduction to IBA structures and processes, a brief review of the legal context, a qualitative methodology co-developed between academic researchers and Indigenous community leaders, and describes key criteria to inform future successful IBA agreements that create equitable multi-party benefits in an era of Indigenous reconciliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers play an essential role in fostering linguistic security in their classrooms. The aim of this study is to identify the language ideologies articulated by teachers in the Francophone schools of the English-dominant context of British Columbia (Canada) in order to explore how the different practices they implement to foster the use of French in their multilingual classrooms and foster linguistic security may interact and expose contradictions. The findings are based on a thematic analysis of interviews with twenty-one French-speaking high school teachers. I argue that linguistic ideologies provide a useful locus for studying the tensions produced by institutional policies and practices and the possible impact on the students' feelings of linguistic insecurity. Building on excerpts from the interviews, the findings indicate that the practices the teachers use to implement the French-language policy in their classrooms must be examined further as they might be harming the efforts they are making to increase linguistic security. This paper is intended to contribute to the ongoing conversation about the practical process of engaging with linguistic insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the "Challenging Labour" / «Le défi du travail» conference held at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, in October 2022, two plenary sessions invited scholars to engage in a dialogue on important historical and theoretical issues in the field of labour and working-class history/studies. One of these, on the entanglement of capitalism and colonialism, featured a paper delivered by Bryan D. Palmer and a response from hagwil hayetsk (Charles Menzies). These presentations are revised for publication here along with a rejoinder from Palmer in what is Labour/Le Travail's first "Forum" section. The aim of this section is to foster conversation, with scholars meaningfully engaging with each other's work across disciplinary, methodological, theoretical, or other kinds of differences in approach and understanding. The merit of this kind of dialogue is well demonstrated here by Palmer and hayetsk, and the editors would invite more such conversations for publication in this section in future issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dairy farms have become more reliant on technology. The overall aim of this study was to better understand how dairy farmers view technology and its effects on animal care, including their views on the prospect of integrating gene-editing technology in the future. Virtual-semistructured interviews were conducted with dairy farmers (n = 11) from British Columbia and Alberta. To facilitate discussion, the participants were asked to develop and discuss a timeline describing when and why various technologies were adopted on their farm. Although farmers defined technology broadly and affecting multiple aspects of farm management, this paper focuses on their views regarding how technology can affect animal care. Following thematic analysis of the data, the following 3 themes emerged: (1) the changing role of the farmer (including intergenerational considerations and learning new technology), (2) the effect of technology on the cow and her relationship with the farmer and, (3) technology as the future of the farm. The discussions also highlight the concerns that some farmers have regarding challenges associated with reduced human-animal interactions and effective use of the large amounts of data that are collected through technology. We also specifically asked the participants their views about gene editing as a potential future technology. Most of the participants did not specifically address their views on gene editing, but they spoke about the effect on genetic technologies more generally, often making references to genomic testing. However, some questioned how this technology may affect farmers more generally and spoke about how it could affect human-animal relationships. These results illustrate differences among farmers in the way they view technology and how this can affect the dairy cattle they care for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The geoduck show‐factor is the probability an individual geoduck is detectable to a diver during a stock assessment survey. It is one of the values used to estimate the abundance of geoducks. This paper presents estimates of show‐factor according to data collected during 21 approximately monthly surveys over a 32‐month period. The new estimates are compared against other long‐term studies of show‐factor and against estimates made from shorter term (approximately daily surveys over a period of approximately 1 week) studies. Methods: Data were collected from three plots near Marina Island, British Columbia, and three novel methods were used for the analysis. Two of the methods estimate show‐factors at the time of data collection, while the third method treats show‐factor as a function of the time of year. All three methods generate probabilistic results. Result: Each method of show‐factor analysis indicated a strong seasonal effect. Show‐factors were highest from March to June and lowest from October to December. The difference between the high and low show‐factors was at least a factor of two. The three methods generated estimates of show‐factor that are generally lower than the values previously used as part of stock assessment on the coast of British Columbia. Conclusion: If this difference between long‐ and short‐term show‐factor can be generalized to the many commercial beds on the coast of British Columbia, the abundance of geoducks has been underestimated and the fishery is even more cautious than currently believed. As of yet, long‐term data have not been collected on a coastwide basis and conclusions cannot be more definitive. Impact statementBased upon data collected from a single location, over 32 months, under a new protocol, there are likely more undetected geoducks than previously expected. The geoduck fishery is likely even more sustainable than previously believed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Incorporating the perspectives of patients and public into the conduct of research has the potential to make scientific research more democratic. This paper explores how being a patient partner on an arthritis patient advisory board shapes the patienthood of a person living with arthritis. Methods: An analysis was undertaken of the narratives of 22 patient research partners interviewed about their experiences on the Arthritis Patient Advisory Board (APAB), based in Vancouver, Canada. Results: Participants' motivations to become involved in APAB stemmed largely from their desire to change their relationship with their condition. APAB was a living collective project in which participants invested their hope, both for their own lives as patients and for others with the disease. Conclusions: Our findings highlight how the journeys of patient partners connect and integrate seemingly disparate conceptions of what it means to be a patient. One's experience as a clinical 'patient' transforms into the broader notion of civic patienthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detrital zircon from three coarse-grained marine siliciclastic rocks was analyzed for U–Pb, Lu–Hf, and trace element compositions to constrain the timing of deposition and sediment provenance of the Cunningham Lake formation (formerly siliciclastic unit of the Sitlika assemblage) in north-central British Columbia. This strategy tests previously proposed sedimentary linkages between the Cache Creek terrane and the westerly rocks of the Stikine terrane. All three samples indicate maximum depositional ages at ca. 205–202 Ma (Rhaetian). The samples contain a predominant ca. 225–215 Ma detrital population, sourced from proximal contemporaneous volcanic arcs, and minor Permian to Middle Triassic and Carboniferous arc-derived detrital populations. The absence of Precambrian grains is consistent with the strongly suprachondritic zircon compositions (εHf(t) = +7 to +20), and indicates exclusively juvenile sources for the Cunningham Lake formation. Late Triassic sources of zircon are not known in the Cache Creek terrane and, except within western Stikine terrane, are uncommon among the Intermontane terranes that amalgamated with the Cache Creek terrane during Late Triassic–Early Jurassic. The Stikine suite (ca. 230–214 Ma) and coeval volcanic rocks in western Stikinia are the most probable sources of Late Triassic detritus for the Cunningham Lake formation. Stikinia's Paleozoic basement is the probable source of Carboniferous detrital zircon. Volcanic arc–backarc complexes in the Cache Creek terrane are the most likely sources of Permian to Middle Triassic detritus in the Intermontane terranes. Accordingly, the siliciclastic rocks of the Cunningham Lake formation represent an overlap sedimentary succession that links Stikinia to the Cache Creek terrane by the latest Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important, but generally overlooked source in intraspecific variability of characters used in tardigrades taxonomy is sexual dimorphism. Dioecious tardigrades species with unisexual or bisexual populations are common, but external sexual dimorphism is rarely observed. The discovery and integrative analysis of a Diploechiniscus species population with high sexual dimorphism from Calvert Island (Canada) has allowed its description as a new species. Diploechiniscus dimorphus n. sp. is characterized by a different chaetotaxy in males and females, and by enlarged cephalic sensory appendages in the males. The discovery of this new species shows that it is important to consider sexual dimorphism as a source of intraspecific variability in tardigrade taxonomy due to its implications on the use of traits commonly used to delineate species such as chaetotaxy. Lastly, the finding of individuals of Diploechiniscus horningi (Schuster and Grigarick, 1971), a species previously synonymized with Diploechiniscus oihonnae (Richters, 1903), allows us to prove that it is genetically a separate species and to reinstate it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While well-being of school principals is becoming an increasing concern in public education, the understanding of well-being and its manifestation is still lacking in research. This research tackles the nuances and complexities surrounding the notion of well-being and sheds light on its conceptualisation, manifestation, and contributing factors. Data for this research come from an online survey among public school principals in the province of British Columbia, Canada. This survey research utilised reliability, factor, correlation analysis, and structural equation modelling (SEM) and examined how well-being of school principals is manifested along different well-being dimensions and what underlying relationships exist between each dimension in relation to principals' overall well-being and their demographics. The results reaffirm that well-being is a multidimensional construct, encompassing dimensions that speak to different but interrelated aspects of a principal's well-being state, among which emotional and psychological well-being has been revealed as a vital component in principals' overall well-being. The findings have significant implications on health and well-being related support for school principals in order to prepare them for the increasingly demanding job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unprecedented changes to cancer care in many countries, impacting cancer patients' lives in numerous ways. This study examines the impact of changes in cancer care on patient's health-related quality of life (HRQL), which is a key outcome in cancer care. The study aims to estimate patients' self-reported HRQL before and during the pandemic and identify predictive factors for their physical and mental wellbeing. Method: The study employed the large-scale Outpatient Cancer Care (OCC) Patient Experience Survey, including the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey, to evaluate cancer patients' experiences and HRQL before (January to May 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (May to July 2021). Paired t-tests were conducted to compare differences in Physical Component Scores (PCS) and Mental Component Scores (MCS) before and during the pandemic. Multivariable linear regressions were employed to investigate the factors (sociodemographic, clinical, and patient-reported experience) influencing PCS and MCS during the pandemic. Results: PCS decreased significantly during the pandemic, while MCS remained stable. Lower PCS contributors included older age, more telehealth visits, self-reported hospitalization, and a longer time since the last cancer diagnosis. Higher PCS was associated with urban residence, higher MCS during the pandemic, and perceived active Healthcare Provider (HCP) involvement. For MCS, lower scores related to female gender and more telehealth visits, while higher scores were associated with being white, higher education, high MCS before the pandemic, and perceived active HCP involvement. Conclusion: The OCC Patient Experience Survey provides a unique patient level data set measuring HRQL pre- and post- the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights challenges faced by cancer patients during the pandemic, with a significant reduction in PCS. However, the stability in MCS suggests effective coping mechanisms. Sociodemographic, clinical, and telehealth-related variables play a complex role in shaping both PCS and MCS. Perceived HCP involvement emerges as a crucial factor correlating with higher PCS and MCS. Navigating the post-pandemic era necessitates interventions fortifying patient-provider relationships, optimizing healthcare support systems, such as telehealth services, and prioritizing mental-well-being given its impact on both PCS and MCS. Plain English summary: This study delves into the impact of changes in cancer care and COVID-19 measures on the well-being of cancer patients. As cancer care shifted during the pandemic, we aimed to understand how it affected patients' quality of life. The study discovered that physical well-being significantly decreased, especially for older patients with more telehealth visits, while mental well-being remained stable, indicating effective coping strategies. Factors like the number of telehealth visits, healthcare provider engagement, and pre-pandemic mental health status played pivotal roles in shaping the mental and physical well-being of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study emphasizes the challenges faced by cancer patients during the pandemic and highlights the importance of supportive interventions for patient-provider relationships and prioritizing mental-wellbeing in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinical mastitis (CM) treatment decision-making is a multifaceted process that remains relatively understudied, despite CM being one of the most prevalent diseases on dairy farms worldwide, contributing greatly to the use of antimicrobials in the dairy industry. This study aimed to gain insights into decision-making mechanisms employed by dairy farmers in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, when dealing with CM. Methods: Interviews were held with 15 dairy farmers in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to develop both the decision-pathway and overarching themes influencing the CM decisions by farmers in this region. Results and discussion: The analysis generated a decision-making process that begins with identification and classification of CM, guided by visual characteristics of milk and the udder, available milk production and quality data, presence of systemic signs, and additional diagnostics. Subsequently, CM cases are assessed based on the likelihood of cure, value of the cow, and herd goals to decide whether antimicrobial treatment is desired. Next, a treatment choice is made by evaluating severity and urgency of the case, availability of drugs and timing of the case. Finally, definition of treatment success and progression over time following the treatment decision guides the termination of treatment. Three overarching themes were generated that shape the decision-making process: 'Personal attributes', including personal approach and experiential knowledge; 'Inter-actor dynamics', such as shared decision-making and dynamics among producers, veterinarians, and milkers; and 'Moving beyond protocols', which highlights the dynamic nature of mastitis decision-making. These insights have the potential to inform the development of effective interventions to improve CM antimicrobial use that align with the reality of farming operations within Western Canada, and potentially beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downed woody debris is important for biodiversity, forest regeneration, and carbon, nutrient, and water cycling, and past studies have examined how the coarse fraction is affected by climate or harvesting. In a field study in Douglas-fir dominated forests, we expand existing knowledge by investigating the interacting effects of climate and harvesting on downed woody debris of all sizes. Across a 900-km long latitudinal gradient in British Columbia, we found that coarse woody debris (CWD, >7.5 cm diameter) in humid climates contained 700% greater carbon stocks, had 500% greater volume, and was more diverse than in arid climates. Pre- and post-harvest, small and fine woody debris comprised a higher proportion of total woody debris carbon stocks in arid than moist climates, especially after clearcutting and seed tree treatments. Harvesting generally decreased total CWD volume, but it was not depleted on any site. Harvesting substantially reduced the volume of large, highly decomposed CWD except at the two most arid sites, and losses of large CWD increased with increasing tree removal. These losses were accompanied by a pulse of fresh, small diameter CWD and SWD which are short-term organic nutrient sources but have less habitat value than larger pieces and contribute to fuel loads. Because CWD was less abundant in arid than humid mature forests, care must be taken on arid sites to avoid its depletion during harvesting, especially clearcutting, where future woody debris inputs will not occur for decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deploying negative emission technologies has become crucial for limiting the global temperature rise to approximately 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels. DAC technologies are being explored as one of the prospective options. These technologies have been thoroughly investigated as a potential project to capture CO 2 emissions and provide purified air, natural gas, or fuel oil. An applied approach, on the other hand, was not taken into consideration while evaluating the influence that this technology has on emissions. For this reason, British Columbia provides a substantial chance to examine emissions that were produced after the DAC actions were put into place in 2015. In this study, the difference-in-differences methodology is employed for the very first time to compare the emissions that are produced by the transport sectors in British Columbia with those emitted by other provinces in Canada. The role that GDP and population play in the release of emissions is also taken into consideration in this paper. Based on the research results, it can be observed that the implementation of DAC initiatives has yielded notable effects. Evidence shows that the DAC effort has led to an average reduction of 0.08 in logarithmic CO 2 emissions in the transport sector. By accounting for GDP and population, the empirical results indicate that DAC technology reduced CO 2 emissions in British Columbia compared to provinces without DAC facilities. DAC initiatives are expected to become increasingly prevalent between the mid-2030s and 2040s. Overall policy implications suggest that there is a need for DAC technologies to collaborate with alternative mitigation technologies, or alternative technologies should collaborate with DAC technologies that are more efficient to achieve the targeted goals in a short time. • The study offers empirical evidence of DAC technology's impact, providing insights beyond theoretical conjectures. • Based on the research results, it can be seen that the implementation of DAC facilities has yielded notable effects. • DAC technology in British Columbia has led to a significant and negative impact on CO 2 emissions compared to other provinces without DAC facilities. • The study highlights the differential effectiveness of DAC across transport sectors, pointing toward a need for tailored implementation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass sponge gardens are important biogenic habitats that support fish communities in Pacific Canada. However, glass sponges (class Hexactinellida) are delicate and susceptible to damage from fishing gear such as downriggers. In this study we document changes in a fish community before –and after damage from a presumed fishing event that resulted in a reduction of 58.9% of the available sponge habitat in a small cloud sponge garden in British Columbia. This habitat loss coincided with a decline of 76.9% of the relative abundance of rockfish, an economically important group of fishes, at the garden. This decline was particularly pronounced in small size classes with the disappearance of juvenile rockfish after the sponge loss. Although based on a single site, this is the first documentation of how anthropogenic damage in a sponge aggregation may impact the associated fish community. Damage from fishing gear is likely most pronounced in small sponge aggregations, like nearshore gardens, where a single event may result in a disproportionately large loss of available fish habitat. Slow regrowth of sponges suggests the habitat availability may be permanently altered at these sites and can coincide with shifts in the localized fish community that may be long lasting on a local scale. Currently sponge gardens do not have any direct spatial protections in the Pacific Northwest, and this work highlights the importance of considering them in future protection initiatives. • Paper Highlights. • Glass sponge gardens are biogenic habitats susceptible to damage from fishing gear. • Sponge loss from fishing coincided with a decline in associated rockfish abundance. • Rockfish declines were most pronounced in juvenile rockfish size classes. • Protection measures should consider sponge gardens to conserve sponges and rockfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of e-waste collection and management trends across six Canadian provinces, focusing on e-waste collection rates, provincial stewardship model attributes, program strategies and budget allocations from 2013 to 2020. Temporal and regression analyses were conducted using data from Electronic Product Recycling Association reports. A group characterization based on geographical proximity is proposed, aiming to explore the potential outcomes of fostering collaboration among neighboring provinces. The analysis emphasizes the significant impact of stewardship model attributes on e-waste collection rates, with Quebec emerging as a standout case, showcasing a remarkable 61.5% surge in collection rates. Findings from group analysis reveal a positive correlation between per capita e-waste collection rate and the growth of businesses and collection sites in Western Canada (Group A - British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba). This highlights the potential benefits of a coordinated waste management approach, emphasizing the importance of shared resources and collaborative policies. Saskatchewan and Manitoba allocated only 6.6% and 7.0% of their respective budgets to e-waste transfer and storage. British Columbia's observed steady decrease of e-waste collection rate. In Group A, stewards handled 2.18–13.95 tonnes of e-waste during the study period. The cost per tonne of e-waste tended to be lower when more e-waste is managed per steward, suggesting the potential benefits of an integrated e-waste collection and management system. [Display omitted] • Six Canadian e-waste stewardship models from 2013 to 2020 were examined. • E-waste collection rates were gradually declining in Canada jurisdictions. • Collection site density, expenditure, efficiency may have affected collection rates. • Eastern and western stewardships had different operational characteristics. • Region-specific collaborative approach may improve stewardship effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food systems impact different aspects of sustainability and human life, such as pollution, health, climate change, biodiversity loss, water shortage, and soil infertility. However, in many places, food systems are neither resilient nor sustainable. Integrated planning approaches can help to overcome fragmented strategies and policies in ways that improve the sustainability and resilience of food systems. This study explores such an approach by applying a climate-biodiversity-health (CBH) nexus to local and regional food systems in the Comox Valley region, British Columbia, Canada. The CBH nexus is used as an analytical lens to identify systems relationships among food systems, climate change, biodiversity and health issues and strategies in the region. The employs a place-based approach entailing semi-structured interviews with provincial, regional, and local stakeholders in order to develop a holistic understanding of planning challenges, strategies and their outcomes through the CBH lens. Outcomes of this work include a system map that can be used as a framework for elucidating how various strategies align or conflict with different CBH imperatives and can be used to support integrated community sustainability planning and policy-making efforts. The framework is developed within the Comox Valley context, but it can be adapted to other communities. This paper details the development of this framework, the interconnections between different components, and how this framework can be adopted in other communities. • Applying a context-based lens and place-based approach that engages stakeholders can be beneficial for integrated planning in food systems. • This study applies a Climate-Biodiversity-Health nexus in the Comox Valley's food systems. • Semi-structured interviews and a case study approach are used to elucidate how the nexus can be effectively applied to a particular place and context. • The case study's system maps are developed to illustrate how the research domains impact each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drivers of global change are creating strongly contrasting early life conditions for developing offspring, which may have carry-over effects on lifetime fitness. We tested for “silver-spoon” effects of natal conditions (environmental conditions and maternal quality) and individual quality (pre-fledging) on the lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of aerial insectivorous adult tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) hatched in distinct populations with contrasting environments in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Canada. In both populations, LRS of adults was influenced by environmental conditions they experienced as developing nestlings, but silver-spoon effects were context-dependent, indicating population-specific responses to the local environment. Higher natal temperature in Saskatchewan had positive silver-spoon effects on the LRS of adult swallows, but the opposite was observed in British Columbia, likely because the highest temperatures local recruits experienced as nestlings occurred during heat extremes. In Saskatchewan, where wetter conditions reflect higher wetland abundance and food supply, we detected a negative effect of good natal wetland conditions on adult LRS, contrary to our hypothesis. However, since current breeding wetland conditions are a strong driver of adult fitness, and adults experiencing high natal wetland abundance generally bred when wetland abundance was lower, we suspect any potential benefits of natal wetland abundance on LRS were overridden by wetland conditions during breeding. As hypothesized, wetter natal conditions in British Columbia, which reflect an unfavorable environment for developing nestlings, had negative silver-spoon effects on the LRS of adults. No maternal or pre-fledging quality effects were detected at either site. Therefore, LRS of individuals within distinct populations is influenced, at least in part, by carry-over effects of the natal environment that vary locally. Consequently, natal environmental conditions that affect fitness, with putative population-level consequences, may underly spatially-varying population trends of regionally distinct populations within a species’ range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient-centred measurement (PCM) emphasizes a holistic approach wherein the voices of patients are reflected in the standardized use of patient-reported outcome and experience measures and are represented throughout the continuum of measurement activities. Given the challenges of routinely integrating patient self-reports into clinical care decisions, the perspectives of all healthcare system stakeholders, especially patients, is necessary to advance the science of PCM. The purpose of the analysis we report on here was to identify patient-driven research priorities for advancing the science of PCM. Methods: We analyzed data from seven focus groups that were conducted across British Columbia, Canada and that included a total of 73 patients, using qualitative inductive analysis and constant comparative methods. Results: We found that the patients conveyed a desire for PCM to contribute to healthcare decisions, specifically that their individual healthcare needs and related priorities as they see them are always front and centre, guiding all healthcare interactions. The patients' commentaries highlighted intersecting priorities for research on advancing the science of PCM that would help transform care by (1) enhancing the patient-provider relationship, (2) giving voice to patients' stories, (3) addressing inclusivity, (4) ensuring psychological safety, (5) improving healthcare services and systems to better meet patient needs, and (6) bolstering healthcare system accountability. Conclusions: These priorities provide direction for future research efforts that would be positioned to make progress towards better health, better care, and better use of resources for individuals and for society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is a process which enables patients to communicate wishes, values, fears, and preferences for future medical care. Despite patient interest in ACP, the frequency of discussions remains low. Barriers to ACP may be mitigated by involving non-physician clinic staff, preparing patients ahead of visits, and using tools to structure visits. An ACP care pathway incorporating these principles was implemented in longitudinal generalist outpatient care, including primary care/family medicine and general internal medicine, in two Canadian provinces. This study aims to understand clinician experiences implementing the pathway. Methods: The pathway was implemented in one family practice in Alberta, two family practices in British Columbia (BC), and one BC internal medicine outpatient clinic. Physicians and allied health professionals delivered structured pathway visits based on the Serious Illness Conversation Guide. Twelve physicians and one social worker participated in interviews or focus groups at the end of the study period. Qualitative data were coded inductively using an iterative approach, with regular meetings between coders. Results: Clinicians described experiences with the ACP care pathway, impact at the clinician level, and impact at the patient level. Within each domain, clinicians described barriers and facilitators experienced during implementation. Clinicians also reflected candidly about potential for future implementation and the sustainability of the pathway. Conclusions: While the pathway was implemented slightly differently between provinces, core experiences were that implementation of the pathway, and integration with current practice, were feasible. Across settings, similar themes recurred regarding usefulness of the pathway structure and its tools, impact on clinician confidence and interactions with patients, teamwork and task delegation, compatibility with existing workflow, and patient preparation and readiness. Clinicians were supportive of ACP and of the pathway. Trial registration: The study was prospectively registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03508557). Registered April 25, 2018. https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03508557. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To eliminate cervical cancer in Canada by 2040, defined as an annual age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) lower than 4.0 per 100 000 women, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) identified 3 priorities for action: increasing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage, implementing HPV-based screening and increasing screening participation, and improving follow-up after abnormal screen results. Our objective was to explore the impact of these priorities on the projected time to elimination of cervical cancer in British Columbia. Methods: We used OncoSim-Cervical, a microsimulation model led and supported by CPAC and developed by Statistics Canada that simulates HPV transmission and the natural history of cervical cancer for the Canadian population. We updated model parameters to reflect BC's historical participation rates and program design. We simulated the transition to HPV-based screening and developed scenarios to explore the additional impact of achieving 90% vaccination coverage, 95% screening recruitment, 90% ontime screening, and 95% follow-up compliance. We projected cervical cancer incidence, ASIR, and year of elimination for the population of BC for 2023–2050. Results: HPV-based screening at current vaccination, participation, and follow-up rates can eliminate cervical cancer by 2034. Increasing on-time screening and follow-up compliance could achieve this target by 2031. Increasing vaccination coverage has a small impact over this time horizon. Interpretation: With the implementation of HPV-based screening, cervical cancer can be eliminated in BC before 2040. Efforts to increase screening participation and follow-up through this transition could potentially accelerate this timeline, but the transition from cytology- to HPV-based screening is fundamental to achieving this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The challenges of evidence-informed decision-making in a public health emergency have never been so notable as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions about the decision-making process, including what forms of evidence were used, and how evidence informed—or did not inform—policy have been debated. Methods: We examined decision-makers' observations on evidence-use in early COVID-19 policy-making in British Columbia (BC), Canada through a qualitative case study. From July 2021- January 2022, we conducted 18 semi-structured key informant interviews with BC elected officials, provincial and regional-level health officials, and civil society actors involved in the public health response. The questions focused on: (1) the use of evidence in policy-making; (2) the interface between researchers and policy-makers; and (3) key challenges perceived by respondents as barriers to applying evidence to COVID-19 policy decisions. Data were analyzed thematically, using a constant comparative method. Framework analysis was also employed to generate analytic insights across stakeholder perspectives. Results: Overall, while many actors' impressions were that BC's early COVID-19 policy response was evidence-informed, an overarching theme was a lack of clarity and uncertainty as to what evidence was used and how it flowed into decision-making processes. Perspectives diverged on the relationship between 'government' and public health expertise, and whether or not public health actors had an independent voice in articulating evidence to inform pandemic governance. Respondents perceived a lack of coordination and continuity across data sources, and a lack of explicit guidelines on evidence-use in the decision-making process, which resulted in a sense of fragmentation. The tension between the processes involved in research and the need for rapid decision-making was perceived as a barrier to using evidence to inform policy. Conclusions: Areas to be considered in planning for future emergencies include: information flow between policy-makers and researchers, coordination of data collection and use, and transparency as to how decisions are made—all of which reflect a need to improve communication. Based on our findings, clear mechanisms and processes for channeling varied forms of evidence into decision-making need to be identified, and doing so will strengthen preparedness for future public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moss samples were collected from trees and rocks in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada, and examined for the presence of tardigrades. Specimens from 24 taxa were found in 17 out of the 22 examined samples. New species records for British Columbia are provided and undescribed Grevenius and Crenubiotus species were found; a division in four morphogroups of Grevenius, based on number and presence of placoids, is provided to aid in the future identification. In addition, three specimens of a new species belonging to a potential new undescribed Diploechiniscus species were identified. The finding of Macrobiotus occidentalis occidentalis also provides the occasion to transfer the latter one to the genus Diaforobiotus, for which a new dichotomous key for the identification of its species is given and to redefine the family Richtersiusidae. The DNA sequences of selected taxa are also provided. The high number of tardigrade species collected from a relatively low number of samples highlight how still unexplored is tardigrade diversity, particularly in still-largely insular island systems like Haida Gwaii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous oral traditions of the Líl̓wat Nation recount observations of Qw̓elqw̓elústen (Mount Meager), a Garibaldi Volcanic Belt volcano in southwestern British Columbia, Canada; and associated eruptive activity, mass-wasting, and outburst flooding. We present Líl̓wat observations relating to Qw̓elqw̓elústen's ∼2360 cal year B.P. eruption and its aftermath, a devastating outburst flood down the Lillooet valley. The Copper Canoe story correlates with the event sequence of pyroclastic damming of the Lillooet River and an outburst flood traveling far downstream, interrupting salmon runs and displacing people. Other stories suggest an eruptive plume and fumaroles. Recounted valley-floor changes, with proximal scouring and downstream filling of marshes allowing human resettlement, closely parallel and augment geological evidence, showing that oral traditions are equally important in holding landscape history. Oral traditions portray dramatic landscape changes, some by the Transformers, said to have traveled this land to make imperfect things right. Geologically documented debris-flow delta progradation and infill of the upper 50 km of Lillooet Lake since ∼12 000 cal B.P. underscore the land's dynamism and the need for both sources to inform planning for future eruptive, mass-wasting, and flooding events. Traditional landscape knowledge, like Western science, is observational and evidence-based, though interpretations can differ given Indigenous belief in a sentient landscape, capable of acting with intention. Binding of stories to geographical locations has functioned as a powerful mnemonic device to preserve orally transmitted information across many generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dinosaur skeletal material from the mid-Cretaceous of Canada is rare; however, the Cenomanian-aged Dunvegan Formation of northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta is rich with ichnofossils attributed to nodosaurid ankylosaurs. A long bone (Hudson's Hope Museum specimen HH 2017.010.002) collected in 1993 from the Murray River of northeastern British Columbia is identified here as an ankylosaur femur. Femoral measurements of the bone plotted against femoral measurements of major dinosaur clades, combined with observations on femoral features, indicate that the bone belongs to an ankylosaur. The specimen is too damaged to assign to Nodosauridae or Ankylosauridae. HH 2017.010.002 represents the first limb bone material recovered from the Dunvegan Formation; previous ankylosaur material described from the Dunvegan Formation includes associated vertebrae and ribs from British Columbia and osteoderms from Alberta, as well as the presumed nodosaurid footprints Tetrapodosaurus borealis Sternberg, 1932. The Cenomanian is a time of great ecological change in North America, including the possible extirpation of ankylosaurid ankylosaurs. Fossils from the Dunvegan Formation can thus yield important insight into the responses of fauna to this major transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canoe Reach is a region of high geothermal potential on a segment of the Southern Rocky Mountain Trench fault (SRMTF) with highly metamorphosed and structurally complex wall rocks, near Valemount, British Columbia. This study contains analyses of magnetotelluric data collected at Canoe Reach accounting for electrical anisotropy, which is not often considered during geothermal exploration. Isotropic and anisotropic 3D inversions are used due to signs of electrical anisotropy in the Canoe Reach magnetotelluric data and the presence of visibly anisotropic geological structure. At Canoe Reach North, the anisotropic model is preferred for its simpler structure and consistency with the mapped geology. An anisotropic feature in the footwall of the steeply southwest-dipping SRMTF has a low resistivity in the fault-perpendicular direction and a high resistivity in the vertical direction, which is more easily explained by conductive minerals than by fluids in the highly metamorphosed gneiss. An exploration well in the SRMTF footwall encountered two graphite seams with thicknesses ≥1 m, supporting the interpretation of anisotropic resistivity due to conductive minerals. A strong resistivity contrast across the SRMTF suggests juxtaposition of different lithologies, challenging existing interpretations of SRMTF displacement at Canoe Reach. At Canoe Reach South, anisotropic features near the Canoe River thermal spring with a high resistivity in the fault-perpendicular direction and low resistivity in the vertical direction are consistent with fault core and damage zone models. Magnetotelluric data may be sensitive to permeability anisotropy of fault zones, and the use of electrically anisotropic inversions should be considered for these settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow water equivalent (SWE) is a key variable in climate and hydrology studies. Yet, current SWE products mask out high-topography areas due to the coarse resolution of the satellite sensors used. The snow remote sensing community is hence pushing towards active-microwave approaches for global SWE monitoring. Designing a SWE retrieval algorithm is not trivial, as multiple combinations of snow microstructure representations and SWE can yield the same radar signal. Retrieval algorithm designs are converging towards forward modeling approaches using an educated first guess on the snowpack structure. Snow highly varies in space and time, especially in mountain environments where the complex topography affects atmospheric and snowpack state variables in numerous ways. In Canada, automatic weather stations are too sparse, and high-resolution numerical weather prediction systems have a maximal resolution of 2.5 km × 2.5 km, which is too coarse to capture snow spatial variability in a complex topography. In this study, we designed a subgridding framework for the Canadian High Resolution Deterministic Prediction System (HRDPS). The native 2.5 km × 2.5 km resolution forecast was subgridded to a 100 m × 100 m resolution and used as the input for snow modeling over two winters in Glacier National Park, British Columbia, Canada. Air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and wind speed were first parameterized regarding elevation using six automatic weather stations. We then used Alpine3D to spatialize atmospheric parameters and radiation input accounting for terrain reflections, and we performed the snow simulations. We evaluated modeled snowpack state variables relevant for microwave remote sensing against simulated profiles generated with automatic weather station data and compared them to simulated profiles driven by raw HRDPS data. The subgridding framework improves the optical grain size bias by 18 % on average and the modeled SWE by 16 % compared to simulations driven with raw HRDPS forecasts. This work could improve the snowpack radar backscattering modeling by up to 7 dB and serves as a basis for SWE retrieval algorithms using forward modeling in a Bayesian framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food systems are complex and multifaceted, comprising a diverse range of actors, processes, and interactions. Participatory system mapping can be employed to help understand this complexity and support the development of sustainable and resilient food systems. This article shares a participatory mapping approach that has been developed as part of the Climate–Biodiversity–Health (CBH) Nexus project in the Comox Valley, British Columbia, Canada. This research pursues two main aims: (1) to ground truth in the CBH system map of food systems, developed with the participation of stakeholders; and (2) to explain how participatory system mapping can be employed to clarify the complexity of food systems in a clear and concise manner for all stakeholders. This research contributes to the literature on participatory system mapping, including critiques of its practical utility, by employing participatory approaches to visualize multi-dimensional and multi-level system maps with an emphasis on verifying that they are clear, understandable/useful, and reliable for diverse stakeholder audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Established in Vancouver in 2008, British Columbia’s Downtown Community Court (DCC) is Canada’s first community court. Set up specifically to address offences stemming from mental illness, substance use and poverty, the court brings together justice, health and social services, offering a tailored response to the cycle of reoffending and public safety concerns in the city’s core. Focusing on the perspectives of legal actors, we examine the court as an unexpected site of health intervention. This qualitative interview-based study explores how judges, crown counsels and defence lawyers perceive their role and that of the court in relation to the health and wellbeing of court clients. Our findings show that legal personnel typically see health as a central part of the court’s intervention and similarly view client health as a critical part of their own jobs. Respondents describe the court’s ability to engage with those facing complex health and legal issues as unique, attributing it to its legal professionals’ holistic view of their roles, the court’s strategic community location and its unusual structure, which facilitates information sharing and attracts personnel invested in its mandate. The article identifies three primary needs: 1) enhanced education on client health for legal professionals, 2) nuanced metrics to evaluate the court’s health impacts and, 3) longitudinal client-centred research to measure the DCC’s long-term effects on health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distinguishing features of a previously unknown amphibious Isoetes discovered in coastal British Columbia, Canada are described. Although occurring in an ephemeral, vernal, seaside rock pool habitat thought to be indicative of I. nuttallii, field observations and morphological investigations determined these plants to be a distinctive taxon possessing small and boldly ornamented megaspores, relatively large microspores, and a regionally unique short velum coverage of the sporangia. It is reminiscent, particularly in spore ornamentation, of the aquatic, mid-season I. maritima and is known from one site (possibly two) where no living plants are presently evident. A unique combination of uncommon morphological features, restricted geographic range, rare habitat, and early growth season distinguishes these plants as distinct from all known Isoetes taxa. Isoetes salishensis, sp. nov. is proposed as an addition to the growing list of flora and fauna endemic to or centered on the Salish Sea area of southwestern British Columbia and northwestern Washington State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Surface gravity inversion attempts to recover the density contrast distribution in the 3D Earth model for geological interpretation. Since airborne gravity is characterized by large data volumes, large-scale 3D inversion exceeds the capacity of desktop computing resources, making it difficult to achieve the appropriate depth/lateral resolution for geological interpretation. In addition, gravity data are finite and noisy, and their inversion is ill posed. Especially in the absence of a priori geological information, regularization must be introduced to overcome the difficulty of the non-uniqueness of the solutions to recover the most geologically plausible ones. Because the use of Haar wavelet operators has an edge-preserving property and can preserve the sensitivity matrix structure at each level of the multilevel method to obtain faster solvers, we present a multilevel algorithm for large-scale gravity inversion solved by the re-weighted regularized conjugate gradient (RRCG) algorithm to reduce the inversion computational resources and improve the depth/lateral resolution of the inversion results. The RRCG-based multilevel inversion was then applied to synthetic cases and airborne gravity data from the Quest-South project in British Columbia, Canada. Results from synthetic models and field data show that the RRCG-based multilevel inversion is suitable for obtaining density contrast distributions with appropriate horizontal and vertical resolution, especially for large-scale gravity inversions compared to Occam's inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niraparib was recently funded in Canada for the maintenance treatment of ovarian cancer following platinum-based chemotherapy. However, the drug's safety profile in the real world remains uncertain. We conducted a cohort study to describe the patient population using niraparib and the proportion that experienced adverse events between June 2019 and December 2022 in four Canadian provinces (Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia [BC], and Quebec). We used administrative data and electronic medical records from Ontario Health, Alberta Health Services, and BC Cancer, and registry data from Exactis Innovation. We summarized baseline characteristics using descriptive statistics and reported safety outcomes using cumulative incidence. We identified 514 patients receiving niraparib. Mean age was 67 years and most were initiated on a daily dose of 100 or 200 mg/day. Grade 3/4 anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia occurred in 11–16% of the cohort. In Ontario, the three-month cumulative incidence of grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia was 11.6% (95% CI, 8.3–15.4%), neutropenia was 7.1% (95% CI, 4.6–10.4%), and anemia was 11.3% (95% CI, 8.0–15.2%). Cumulative incidences in the remaining provinces were similar. Initial daily dose and proportions of hematological adverse events were low in the real world and may be related to cautious prescribing and close monitoring by clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella Dublin is a bovine-adapted bacterial pathogen that primarily affects dairy cattle. The incidence of S. Dublin has been increasing across North America, including strains that are multidrug resistant. In British Columbia, the Ministry of Agriculture's Animal Health Center (AHC) reported an increase in cases since 2015, warranting an investigation into how S. Dublin is spreading within the province. The objectives of this study were to make use of historical data collected from dairy farms across the province to (1) describe S. Dublin cases diagnosed at the AHC between 2007 and 2021, (2) identify risk factors for S. Dublin transmission across British Columbia dairy farms, and (3) identify any potential biases associated with passive laboratory-based data that may apply to our results. We found that S. Dublin cases diagnosed at the AHC have been increasing over time. Over half of the cases had respiratory symptoms; however, clinical signs tended to be highly variable. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was mirrored by florfenicol treatment and was suggested to be due to using a first-line antibiotic for more common causes of pneumonia when presented with an S. Dublin case. Calves were 38 times more likely to have S. Dublin when compared to adults (odds ratio = 38.43, confidence interval = 7.26–203.64), and given the sample population (postmortem cases), it is reasonable to conclude clinical disease is most severe in this age group. Farm premise accounted for a large amount of variability within our model (92% of unexplained variance), suggesting that farm-level management practices may be the most important risk factor for S. Dublin infection. In total, only 54% of BC dairy farms submitted to the laboratory between 2007 and 2021; however, proximity to the laboratory did not appear to influence submissions as proportionally; farms within the Fraser Valley submitted as frequently as farms from other regions. We strongly suggest that future work explore factors associated with farm management practices, given our findings regarding the clustering by premises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on functional outcomes in long-term care (LTC) home residents after COVID-19 infection is limited. In the current study, we examined outcomes in 1,310 LTC residents with a positive COVID-19 test in the period from March 2020 to April 2022 ("COVID" group). We also reviewed outcomes in residents in the same LTC homes without a history of COVID-19 during the same period ("No-COVID" group, n = 2,301). In a retrospective longitudinal design, we explored activities of daily living (ADLs), cognitive function, and clinical care needs over time. Change was assessed from the last assessment before contracting COVID-19 to three assessments subsequent to COVID-19, over on average seven months after infection. We found deterioration over time in ADLs and cognitive performance in both groups. The change in ADLs and clinical care needs was slightly greater in the COVID than the No-COVID group from baseline to the first follow-up assessment; in subsequent assessments, the change was similar in both groups. Overall, we observed similar functional outcomes among surviving residents in the two groups, with initially greater deterioration in ADLs and clinical care needs in residents with a history of COVID-19 followed by a trajectory resembling the one in the No-COVID residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrite is the most common sulfide mineral in hydrothermal ore-forming systems. The ubiquity and abundance of pyrite, combined with its ability to record and preserve a history of fluid evolution in crustal environments, make it an ideal mineral for studying the genesis of hydrothermal ore deposits, including those that host critical metals. However, with the exception of boiling, few studies have been able to directly link changes in pyrite chemistry to the processes responsible for bonanza-style gold mineralization. Here, we report the results of high-resolution secondary-ion mass spectrometry and electron microprobe analyses conducted on pyrite from the Brucejack epithermal gold deposit, British Columbia. Our δ34S and trace element results reveal that the Brucejack hydrothermal system experienced abrupt fluctuations in fluid chemistry, which preceded and ultimately coincided with the onset of ultra-high-grade mineralization. We argue that these fluctuations, which include the occurrence of extraordinarily negative δ34S values (e.g., -36.1%) in zones of auriferous, arsenian pyrite, followed by sharp increases of δ34S values in syn-electrum zones of nonarsenian pyrite, were caused by vigorous, fault valve-induced episodic boiling (flashing) and subsequent inundation of the hydrothermal system by seawater. We conclude that the influx of seawater was the essential step to forming bonanza-grade electrum mineralization by triggering, through the addition of cationic flocculants and cooling, the aggregation of colloidal gold suspensions. Moreover, our study demonstrates the efficacy of employing high-resolution, in situ analytical techniques to map out individual ore-forming events in a hydrothermal system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]