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Historically, governmental responses to homelessness in Canada have defaulted to the most basic of services such as food and shelter. Even under exceptional circumstances, such as the current coronavirus pandemic, governments still demonstrate reluctance to guarantee permanent, adequate and affordable housing to all. In this policy review we argue that this pattern suggests that reticence is an apt term for describing homelessness responses in Canada and that this condition is rooted in the continued dominance of liberalism in Canadian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the cannabis industry has adapted to public health emergency orders which had direct and indirect consequences on cannabis consumption. The objective of this scoping review was to describe the patterns of consumption and cannabis-related health and safety considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Methods: For this scoping review, we searched four electronic databases supplemented with grey literature. Peer-reviewed or pre-print studies using any study design and grey literature reporting real-world data were included if published in English between March 2020 and September 2021 and focused on cannabis and COVID-19 in Canada. A content analysis was performed. Results: Twenty-one studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Study designs included cross-sectional surveys (n = 17), ecological study (n = 1), conceptual paper (n = 1), longitudinal study (n = 1), and prospective cohort study (n = 1). Most were conducted solely in Canada (n = 18), and the remaining included global data. Our content analysis suggested that cannabis consumption during the pandemic varied by reasons for use, consumers' age, gender, and method of consumption. Health and safety impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemics included increased mental illness, increased emergency visits, and psychosocial impacts. Discussion: This scoping review suggested that the impact of the pandemic on cannabis consumption in Canada is more complex than simplistic assumptions of an increase or decrease in consumption and continues to be difficult to measure. This study has explored some of those complexities in relation to reasons for use, age, gender, method of consumption, and health impacts. This scoping review is limited by focusing on the breadth compared to depth. Conclusions: Legalizing nonmedical use of cannabis in Canada in 2018 has had its challenges of implementation, one of which has been the changing context of the society. The findings of this study can help inform cannabis policy updates in Canada as the country is reaching its fifth year of legalizing nonmedical use of cannabis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the spring of 2020, remote Indigenous communities in the far northwestern region of Saskatchewan, Canada, experienced a COVID-19 outbreak that required the collaboration of local leaders, Indigenous governments, and other multi-sectoral organizations. This study shares the stories of those involved in the response and illustrates the challenges, successes, and recommendations for future emergency preparedness. A total of 22 participants were interviewed from the impacted communities, government agencies, and organizations in public health, public safety, and law enforcement between May and August of 2021. Qualitative interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis resulting in the following themes: 1) Challenges, 2) Consequences, 3) Successes, and 4) Recommendations. A final knowledge translation event was held with key stakeholders, including public health professionals and community members, to co-create final recommendations for future public health responses in remote Indigenous communities. Our findings underscored the importance of community leadership, local investment, public health preparedness, and relationship-building between organizations and jurisdictions. Lessons and recommendations from these stories can be applied to future pandemic preparedness in the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quick response research conducted by social scientists in the aftermath of a disaster can reveal important findings about hazards and their impacts on communities. Research to collect perishable data, or data that will change or be lost over time, immediately following disaster has been supported for decades by two programs in the United States, amassing a collection of quick response studies and an associated research culture. That culture is currently being challenged to better address power imbalances between researchers and disaster-affected participants. Until recently, Canada has not had a quick response grant program. In order to survey the state of knowledge and draw from it in helping to shape the new program in Canada, this article systematically analyzes the body of research created by the two US programs. The results reveal a wide-ranging literature: the studies are theoretically, conceptually, topically, and methodologically quite unique to one another. This diversity might appropriately reflect the nature of disasters, but the finding that many studies are not building on previous quick response research and other insights indicate opportunities for how a new grant program in Canada can contribute to growing a robust subdiscipline of disaster research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes discourses of preparedness and public safety in the context of the colonial history of emergency measures in Canada. An argument is made for how current measures of pandemic preparedness produce the social responsibilization of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological research on the predictors of disaster preparedness has mainly focused on individual-level factors, although the social environment plays an important role. Our goal is to provide a systemic perspective to help improve risk communication and risk management for natural disaster risks. We examined how community-level social capital related to individual-level disaster preparedness in immigrants compared with Canadian-born individuals. We characterised participants' communities' social capital by conceptually linking two national surveys using postal codes. We performed sequential linear multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between community social capital and individual disaster preparedness. Results revealed three components of social capital: societal trust, interaction with friends, and neighbourhood contact. Societal trust positively predicted the extent to which immigrants and Canadian-born individuals knew someone who would search for them post-disaster. Interestingly, results revealed that Canadian-born individuals were more likely to uptake emergency planning when living in a community with strong societal trust, while the reverse was true for immigrants. Results suggest that some components of social capital may have an effect on certain preparedness behaviours. Societal trust could have both positive and negative effects on emergency planning depending on individuals' immigrant status. Risk communication and risk management should consider social capital as part of the framework for effective disaster preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 3, 2016, a wildfire swept into the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta. This natural disaster was significant in both its scale and impact, as the fire prompted a sudden onset evacuation of 88,000 persons. As we reflect on the 150th Commemoration of Canada's confederation, this 2016 natural disaster ranks as Canada's most costly disaster. The fire resulted in over $3.5 billion in insured losses. Approximately 2400 buildings were destroyed. In looking towards the future, climate change impacts are expected to cause wildfires that will be progressively worse. This paper explores the Fort McMurray wildfire through the lens of the four pillars of emergency management: response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness. By exploring aspects of Canada's most recent mass evacuation, the country can better ready itself for a future where fire will be one of the primary natural disasters reshaping Canadian landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In June 2013, a severe flooding of the Bow and Elbow Rivers affected southern Alberta, a province in Canada. The flood was subsequently described to be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. Among the hardest hit communities was the Siksika First Nation, located on the Bow River banks about 100 kilometers east of the city of Calgary. A community-university partnership was formed to qualitatively document the Siksika First Nation community-based response to the health and social impacts to their community resulting from the flood. Our findings informed the development of a culturally appropriate framework for disaster and emergency planning in First Nations communities. The Siksika Nation's work to mitigate the impacts from the flood followed a holistic and socio-ecological approach that took the determinants of Indigenous peoples' health into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological first aid (PFA) is a tool to assist responders address stress and other psychological and emotional needs of survivors immediately after disaster or traumatic events. This paper highlights the importance of didactic and simulation based PFA training as preparation for disaster work. A total of 90 social work students, practitioners, and human service professionals from Calgary, Edmonton, and Lethbridge in Alberta Canada attended the training. Pre and post survey questionnaire were administered. Findings showed that the PFA training programs significantly improved participants' PFA knowledge and perceived competence. PFA training enhanced their confidence, disaster preparedness, and the self-care strategies needed to promote psychological resiliency among individuals and families in disaster situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has documented that immigrants tend to experience more negative consequences from natural disasters compared to native-born individuals, although research on how immigrants perceive and respond to natural disaster risks is sparse. We investigated how risk perception and disaster preparedness for natural disasters in immigrants compared to Canadian-born individuals as justifications for culturally-adapted risk communication and management. To this end, we analyzed the ratings on natural disaster risk perception beliefs and preparedness behaviors from a nationally representative survey ( N = 1,089). Factor analyses revealed three underlying psychological dimensions of risk perception: external responsibility for disaster management, self-preparedness responsibility, and illusiveness of preparedness. Although immigrants and Canadian-born individuals shared the three-factor structure, there were differences in the salience of five risk perception beliefs. Despite these differences, immigrants and Canadian-born individuals were similar in the level of risk perception dimensions and disaster preparedness. Regression analyses revealed self-preparedness responsibility and external responsibility for disaster management positively predicted disaster preparedness whereas illusiveness of preparedness negatively predicted disaster preparedness in both groups. Our results showed that immigrants' risk perception and disaster preparedness were comparable to their Canadian-born counterparts. That is, immigrant status did not necessarily yield differences in risk perception and disaster preparedness. These social groups may benefit from a risk communication and management strategy that addresses these risk perception dimensions to increase disaster preparedness. Given the diversity of the immigrant population, the model remains to be tested by further population segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On June 23, 2012, the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario, collapsed suddenly, killing two people, injuring many more, and destroying many of the community’s services, including the public library. After describing the events leading up to, during, and following the destruction of Elliot Lake Public Library, I discuss five opportunities for community and institutional renewal that are not currently being realized by the library. The destruction of the library need not be an entirely negative experience but, rather, a catalyst for refocusing the library’s role and improving its services and facilities in order to better meet the changing information needs of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Experience increases hazard prioritization and the number of responses in place. • Less physically visible hazards are underestimated by coastal municipalities. • Information and expertise are crucial for municipalities' hazard response capacity. • Resolving municipalities' identified needs and priorities could support hazard responses. • Integrated coastal governance and management could strengthen local response capacity. As climate and anthropogenic changes increase the vulnerability of coastal areas around the world, the threat (and reality) of coastal hazards grows. These threats arise particularly at a local level, calling out for more knowledge on how to best support coastal municipalities to deal with natural and human-induced hazards. This study seeks to add to the understanding through an examination of local-level experience with hazard planning and responses carried out by coastal municipalities, producing insights on how to reduce their vulnerability and support their resilience. It explores the factors influencing coastal municipalities' management of relevant hazards to achieve comprehensive multi-hazard risk reduction and adaptation. We do so through a national survey of Canada's coastal municipalities which assessed experience with hazards, risk perception, hazard prioritization, and the extent and specifics of hazard responses. We characterize the determinants of coastal municipalities' behaviour and intervening factors, and conduct regression analyses to explain coastal municipalities' risk perception, hazard prioritization, implementation of management processes for dealing with hazards, and the number of implemented or planned hazard responses. Six key factors were identified that influence hazard responses at the municipal level: experience with hazards; competing priorities; hazard visibility; access to resources (financial and technical capacity) and governance (institutional setting and political capacity). We conclude that municipal hazard responses can be reinforced by increasing the effectiveness of risk communication, promoting participatory processes, providing support for municipalities' identified needs and priorities, ensuring municipalities have access to relevant information and expertise, and implementing integrated coastal governance and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complexity is a useful frame of reference for disaster management and understanding population health. An important means to unraveling the complexities of disaster management is to recognize the interdependencies between health care and broader social systems and how they intersect to promote health and resilience before, during and after a crisis. While recent literature has expanded our understanding of the complexity of disasters at the macro level, few studies have examined empirically how dynamic elements of critical social infrastructure at the micro level influence community capacity. The purpose of this study was to explore empirically the complexity of disasters, to determine levers for action where interventions can be used to facilitate collaborative action and promote health among high risk populations. A second purpose was to build a framework for critical social infrastructure and develop a model to identify potential points of intervention to promote population health and resilience. A community-based participatory research design was used in nine focus group consultations ( n = 143) held in five communities in Canada, between October 2010 and March 2011, using the Structured Interview Matrix facilitation technique. The findings underscore the importance of interconnectedness of hard and soft systems at the micro level, with culture providing the backdrop for the social fabric of each community. Open coding drawing upon the tenets of complexity theory was used to develop four core themes that provide structure for the framework that evolved; they relate to dynamic context, situational awareness and connectedness, flexible planning, and collaboration, which are needed to foster adaptive responses to disasters. Seven action recommendations are presented, to promote community resilience and population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how training or exercises are assessed in local government emergency management organisations. Design/methodology/approach – An investigative review of the resources available to emergency managers across North America and within New Zealand, for the evaluation and monitoring of emergency management training and exercises was conducted. This was then compared with results from a questionnaire based survey of 48 local government organisations in Canada, USA, and New Zealand. A combination of closed and open ended questions was used, enabling qualitative and quantitative analysis. Findings – Each organisation's training program, and their assessment of this training is unique. The monitoring and evaluation aspect of training has been overlooked in some organisations. In addition, those that are using assessment methods are operating in blind faith that these methods are giving an accurate assessment of their training. This study demonstrates that it is largely unknown how effective the training efforts of local government organisations are. Research limitations/implications – Further study inspired by this paper will provide a clearer picture of the evaluation of and monitoring of emergency management training programs. These results highlight that organisations need to move away from an ad hoc approach to training design and evaluation, towards a more sophisticated and evidence-based approach to training needs analysis, design, and evaluation if they are to maximise the benefits of this training. Originality/value – This study is the first investigation to the authors' knowledge into the current use of diverse emergency management training for a range of local government emergency offices, and how this training impacts the functioning of the organisation's emergency operations centre during a crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster planning is an important, but often neglected, part of leading an organization. Currently there exists little data on the level of disaster preparedness of organizations in the Canadian hospitality industry. In this article we present the results of a survey of a representative sample of organizations in this industry to assess the level of disaster preparedness. Results reveal an overall low level of preparedness. Implications of these results are discussed and recommendations for research and practice are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify and examine how policy intervention can help Canada's Inuit population adapt to climate change. The policy responses are based on an understanding of the determinants of vulnerability identified in research conducted with 15 Inuit communities. A consistent approach was used in each case study where vulnerability is conceptualized as a function of exposure-sensitivity to climatic risks and adaptive capacity to deal with those risks. This conceptualization focuses on the biophysical and human determinants of vulnerability and how they are influenced by processes and conditions operating at multiple spatial-temporal scales. Case studies involved close collaboration with community members and policy makers to identify conditions to which each community is currently vulnerable, characterize the factors that shape vulnerability and how they have changed over time, identify opportunities for adaptation policy, and examine how adaptation can be mainstreamed. Fieldwork, conducted between 2006 and 2009, included 443 semi-structured interviews, 20 focus groups/community workshops, and 65 interviews with policy makers at local, regional, and national levels. Synthesizing findings consistent across the case studies we document significant vulnerabilities, a function of socio-economic stresses and change, continuing and pervasive inequality, and magnitude of climate change. Nevertheless, adaptations are available, feasible, and Inuit have considerable adaptive capacity. Realizing this adaptive capacity and overcoming adaptation barriers requires policy intervention to: (i) support the teaching and transmission of environmental knowledge and land skills, (ii) enhance and review emergency management capability, (iii) ensure the flexibility of resource management regimes, (iv) provide economic support to facilitate adaptation for groups with limited household income, (v) increase research effort to identify short and long term risk factors and adaptive response options, (vi) protect key infrastructure, and (vii) promote awareness of climate change impacts and adaptation among policy makers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

(Canada’s) Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence Report entitled: “Emergency Preparedness in Canada: How the fine arts of bafflegab and procrastination hobble the people who will be trying to save you when things get really bad...” was released for public consumption on September 2, 2008. The title clearly gives the substance of the report away. This article is meant to provide a general comment on the Report’s recommendations 6, 8, and 9 in two parts, namely: “Lessons Learned” and “First Responder.” Finally, this article offers an opinion on “Competencies.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global threat of terrorism raises questions about preparedness and risk communication in the context of public health and security. Although experts discriminate between chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CNRNE) terrorist events, little is known about how the Canadian public represents these forms of terrorism. A stratified random sample of 1502 Canadians participated in a telephone survey on CBRNE terrorism. A word association technique was used to assess first words or images that came to mind while thinking about different types of terrorist scenarios. Content analysis of this data revealed a number of potential uncertainties and misconceptions regarding different types of terrorism scenarios. Despite most frequently providing agents in response questions surrounding chemical or biological terrorism, respondents frequently confounded agents of biological and chemical nature. Similarly, different aspects of nuclear events were not consistently distinguished. Most notably, however, a sizable proportion of respondents had difficulty providing word associations to the different types of terrorist events or only provided vague responses that closely mirrored the scenario in question. Finally, images regarding the potential impacts of scenarios were infrequent. Implications for risk communication and preparedness are discussed; in particular, the need to provide the public with more detailed information regarding the nature of different forms of CBRNE terrorism and how to best prepare for a potential event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canadian emergency management planners have historically ignored the self-motivated evacuation procedures of people who cannot initially choose the safest evacuation areas. In densely developed urban areas, open spaces can be seen as ideal evacuation areas and should thus be included in shelter planning. In this study, the public open spaces in Great Victoria were selected as the study area and evaluated using GIS technologies. A multi-criteria TOPSIS evaluation model was used to conduct comprehensive quantitative evaluations of the open spaces' safety, accessibility, and availability. Through hybrid process, service area, and POI aggregation coupling analyses, a model is created that provides an overall evaluation at the district level. In addition to providing a model for evaluating open spaces as emergency shelters, applicable to most Canadian cities, this study emphasizes the importance and disadvantages of open space emergency shelters in Canada, which have heretofore been ignored by decision makers. In Great Victoria, we found that the distribution of open spaces does not match the dynamics of the population distribution, meaning that through inadequate preparation some districts lack a safe evacuation place—this in an area where people are at high risk of earthquake disasters and their subsequent effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]