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The results and interpretations of published Canadian field studies on the reproductive status of fish in waters receiving pulp and paper mill effluent discharges were reviewed. Most of the information was obtained from indicator measurements such as gonad size, fecundity, and serum steroid levels in wild fish sampled at reference and effluent-exposed sites. Difficulties in selecting appropriate sampling sites, natural variability, and the ecological relevance of the indicator measurements were identified as major complicating factors for the interpretation of the field data. Consequently, it was not possible to conclude to what extent, if any, widespread effects on fish reproduction are being caused by pulp and paper mill effluents or that specific manufacturing processes are causing such effects. Further research on the normal variability and predictive capability of reproductive indicators, for example, using an integrated approach (i.e., laboratory testing, mesocosm studies, and field work), is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the political history of the failed struggle to require companies to justify their plant closing decisions in Canada's industrial heartland of Ontario. Demands for the public review of plant closing decisions began, locally, in the auto town of Windsor in the 1950s and 1960s and reached Toronto with the closure of Dunlop Tire in 1970. Another wave of closures struck in 1980, this time reaching deep into rural and small-town Ontario as well as larger industrial towns and cities, generalizing concern. The resulting Select Committee on Plant Shutdowns and Employee Adjustment, created by the Ontario legislature, took it upon itself to conduct the kind of public review of recent closures that was long demanded. Due to the strength of the political opposition to any interference with management rights, it was essential that proponents could point to precedents in Western Europe. Trade unionists also grounded their argument in favour of government regulation in the moral economy idea that long-service workers accrued a proprietary right to their jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After briefly reviewing the production of nuclear energy and waste in Canada, this paper uses two small Ontario towns as case studies to examine the treatment of low-level radioactive waste and the communities’ responses and narratives to it. Both towns, Port Hope and Kincardine, have long histories of dealing with such waste. Using interviews, relevant websites and past accounts, this paper employs a discourse analysis to understand the differences in risk perceptions and living with the presence of these materials. Ideas from landscape narratives are employed to show that responses in Port Hope are dominated by death, elegy and crime, whereas those in Kincardine are predominately linked to progressivism and optimism. We explore the characteristics of each case to highlight the reasons for these differences. We conclude by emphasizing the potential role of narrative analysis in informing policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concentrates on a seminal figure in the history of Canadian education who has never previously been the subject of historical examination: Duncan McArthur. As Deputy Minister, then Minister of Education, in Ontario between 1934 and 1942, he guided the province’s public schools during a period of dramatic reorganisation within a context transformed throughout the interwar years by modernity, economic instability, urbanisation and industrialisation. Under McArthur’s leadership, revised programmes of study formally introduced the rhetoric of progressive education into Canada’s most populous public school system. This rhetoric wove together three distinct themes – meliorism, efficiency and child study – articulating a progressivist educational vision for Ontario’s teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reconciling diverse forest values within policy and decision-making processes is an ongoing challenge in forestry. The use of environmental impact assessment (EIA) provides potential for improving forest management and making it more responsive to diverse interests. This paper examines EIA in Canadian and Finnish forest planning. In Finland there has been a reluctance to see EIA as a tool for forest planning while in Canada some provinces have long applied EIA to forest management. Ontario, Canada, provides one example of applying EIA to forest planning at a range of scales in order to advance integrated planning and help conflict management. The paper provides a brief analysis of the Finnish forest planning system, an illustration of the Ontario EIA forest management experience, and then considers the application of EIA to Finnish forest management. The paper concludes that EIA may be workable for Finnish state forests and would likely enhance planning and management, but given the existing institutional frameworks EIA would be difficult to apply to private forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buzzelli M. (2005) What explains firm transience in house‐building? A regional analysis of Ontario, Canada, 1991 and 1996, Regional Studies 39 , 699–712. This paper presents cross‐sectional analyses of firm exit (1991) and entry (1996) in house‐building using a geographic information system of firms in Ontario's 48 counties (regions). Ordinary least‐squares and logit regressions of entry and exit rates reveal several regional determinants, some specific to the housing market (prior construction) and others usually found in regional studies of firm dynamics (population density, market growth, incomes, immigration, unemployment and home ownership). The results suggest that housing policy may be best administered at the regional scale – the scale at which builders typically operate in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the intersection between agriculture and tourism in which production and consumption come together in the form of wine tourism. Wine tourism is an experience which can be conceptualized at different geographical scales and which involves visitor perceptions of physical landscapes and built environment, as well as human interactions. Survey research in Niagara, Ontario wineries is used to provide a general profile of visitors to the winery region and to examine visitor assessment of the wine tourism experience from both a human service quality and an environmental contextual perspective. Overall, the rural landscape is found to be highly important in visitor enjoyment of the wine tourism experience. Niagara is a region of rapid wine tourism growth and this study raises issues in terms of the symbiosis between wineries and tourists and the quality of the wine tourism experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the regional firm-size structure of housebuilding in Canada based on a case study of the province of Ontario. Using an innovative database of builders in Ontario and geographic information systems, measures of regional firm-size structure are developed and are modeled with data from the Canadian census. The results corroborate established models in the city systems and industrial organization literatures in that industrial concentration is negatively associated with regional population size, economic diversity, and economic performance. Small housebuilding firms abound in large, diverse and economically vibrant regions, especially large urban regions, and thereby maintain industrial deconcentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antiretroviral medications are expensive, and people living with HIV often experience challenges accessing and paying for medication due to various obstacles. We used concept mapping to explore the challenges people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada, face when accessing medication. In brainstorming, 68 participants generated 447 statements in response to the focus prompt "Some people living with HIV have trouble getting and paying for prescription drugs because ... ". These were consolidated into 77 statements, which were sorted (n = 30) and rated (n = 32) on importance and commonality. A ten-cluster concept map consisting of individual- and health system-related clusters was generated. Clusters included: (1) Stigma, (2) Medication-Related Issues, (3) Individual Challenges, (4) Basic Needs, (5) Immigration, (6) Coverage, (7) Trillium Drug Program, (8) Access to Services, (9) System-Level Issues and (10) Access to Professional Services. Statements in Coverage and Basic Needs were rated most important and common although there was variability by Ontario residence and drug coverage mechanisms. Strategies to address challenges were generated in Interpretation (n = 25 participants). Given that continuous access to antiretroviral therapy is necessary to fully realize treatment benefits, policies and interventions that address these challenges are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary objective: This study represents the first large-scale research on high school philosophy in a public education curriculum in North America. Our objective was to identify the impacts of high school philosophy, as well as the challenges of teaching it in its current format in Ontario high schools. Research design: The qualitative research design captured the perspectives of students and teachers with respect to philosophy at the high school level. All data collection was structured around central questions to provide insight into the dynamics of their shared process of teaching/learning. Methods and procedures: We conducted semi-structured with interviews philosophy teachers (n = 9), classroom observations (n = 142), and student focus groups at 16 diverse high schools. Transcripts were coded according to themes. Results: Our findings reflect the complicated nature of philosophy as a discipline characterized by abstract thinking. Participants found it mind-opening, yet challenging, providing educational opportunities that are largely absent in conventional schooling. They saw multiple connections between philosophy and other subjects, but also appreciated its distinctive benefits. Teachers relied primarily on textbooks and contemporary media to deliver the curriculum. We found that a teacher's background in philosophy may influence what is taught in philosophy courses and how, especially given the flexibility of the provincial curriculum. Conclusions: The findings suggest that philosophy is a unique, beneficial subject that teachers enjoy teaching and students greatly value, characterizing it as both difficult and rewarding. Our study revealed that considerable differences exist in how philosophy is taught and learned around the province. The flexibility of the provincial curriculum appears to be an invitation for creative and responsive teaching; however, philosophy teachers' weak preparation can, by their own admission, be a hindrance to effective curriculum delivery. Studying philosophy enhances students' thinking about other academic areas of study and in some cases opens them up to new ways of thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the discussion on communities’ economic development efforts by providing empirical evidence from cities in Ontario, Canada. This article provides information on activities that cities in Ontario are emphasizing to foster economic development. Analysis of study data suggests that economic development efforts are generally institutionalized, as evidenced by the high number of cities adopting written economic development plans. This finding contrasts the “act now, think later” approach previously reported. However, the vast majority of economic development practices are traditional and conservative due to such reasons as the regulated institutional environment within which the cities operate, similar economic challenges that confront them, and the historical and geographical links that bind the majority of the cities. The article concludes by suggesting key avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since 2005 there has been a surge of cultural planning initiatives in Canada, especially in the Province of Ontario. However, very little research has been conducted in the more established cultural planning contexts of Australia, Great Britain and the United States let alone in Canada to support the assertions that underlie much of the movement's continued success. In particular, there has been an absence of research on the actual outcomes of the cultural planning strategy. This article examines whether the wide range of strategic goals presented in most cultural plans are being met. The method for assessing the effectiveness of cultural plans involved analyzing which strategic objectives were implemented as recorded in progress reports and as reported on by cultural planners. The research findings show that cultural plans are being effectively implemented and the majority of strategic goals contained within most cultural plans are being achieved. In addition, it is observed that the strategic objectives being implemented are not limited to traditional arts sector concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The politics of midwifery in Ontario, Canada, offers rich insights into feminist policy and policy analysis, illuminating both challenges and opportunities for social change. In this article, I employ the discourse coalitions framework to investigate the claims-making process during early debates of midwifery. I argue that early midwifery advocates framed the debate around the issue of patriarchal politics, connecting the 'colonization of wombs' with gender inequality more generally. Once entering mainstream public dialogue, however, the rhetorical power of the scientific-medical discourse proved too strong, prompting midwifery advocates to employ frames congruent with its principles, including competence, safety, and expertise. The effect was twofold: first, it created an observable cleavage between pragmatic and radical midwives and midwife supporters; second, the resulting legislation, rather than offering a challenge to the scientific-medical model, actually served to reproduce it. In doing so, it has effectively objectified the birthing woman, replacing the physician as primary decision-maker with an 'expert midwife', while obscuring and potentially silencing claims for reproductive autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]