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Background: A significant proportion of Canadian adults is impacted by chronic noncommunicable diseases. These conditions may be improved by peer-led health promotion interventions that target modifiable risk factors; however, to date, there is mixed evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions. Unlike other health promotion programs, Hans Kai is grounded in a holistic model of health that simultaneously addresses multiple determinants of health at different levels of human ecology. In Hans Kai, a set of informational sessions that are delivered in a group setting by healthcare professionals are followed by regular peer-led group meetings in a self-governed support group setting that is designed to promote implementation of newly learned health competences. The Hans Kai trial described here aims to evaluate the efficacy of the Hans Kai program in promoting the health and wellbeing of its participants and investigate the experiences of the Hans Kai participants and facilitators. Methods: This research will involve a mixed methods trial combining an experimental component with a qualitative component. The experimental component will involve a 6-month 2-group parallel superiority randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which 105 participants will be randomly assigned to two conditions, an intervention group (n = 70) that will participate in the Hans Kai program and a control group (n = 35) that will have access to standard care using a computer-generated random sequence; blinding will not occur. The RCT will test the impact of the program on several health outcomes and will be followed by a 12–18-month observational follow-up study that will provide data on the long-term durability of the 6-month RCT health outcomes. The qualitative component will investigate the experiences of program participants (n = 30) and facilitators (n = 15) to identify the main strengths and limitations of Hans Kai, uncover potential implementation issues, and elucidate the mechanisms through which the program works. The population of interest will include adults aged 18 + with or without chronic health conditions who self-report an interest in taking control of their own health and improving their lifestyle. In the RCT, all outcomes of interest will be measured using a multi-method approach, involving self-report questionnaires and objective indicators, and within-subject mean changes in outcomes over time between the two groups will be compared to address the RCT aims. Similarly, in the qualitative component, a multi-method approach, involving in-depth individual interviews, photovoice, and online surveys, will be used to reach a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the program strengths, how the program works, and for which people it is more effective. Adaptable components of the program will also be investigated and modified according to the feedback provided by the RCT participants. In the mixed methods integration of evidence, the qualitative findings will be used to explain the quantitative RCT results. Discussion: The RCT findings will help support the further development and use of Hans Kai as well as other peer-led health promotion interventions. Trial registration: United Stated Clinical Trial Registry ClinicalTrials.gov (registration# NCT03949725; Protocol version 2, June 22nd, 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental stewardship—a concept that describes the relationships between humans and the environment—is gaining increased attention as an approach that can address planetary sustainability issues. In‐depth empirical investigations of local environmental stewardship are needed to understand how social‐ecological context influences stewardship, as well as the arrangement of conceptual elements in applied settings. This study addresses these needs by conducting an in‐depth exploration of environmental stewardship in the Niagara Region of Canada. A single embedded case study design is employed, with environmental stewardship initiatives constituting the individual units of analysis with the case. Analysis of the spatial arrangement of a total of 89 initiatives indicated that initiatives tended to cluster closer to the Niagara River and in more populous municipalities. The significance of collaboration, tensions between the environment and economic development, and concerns about political impacts emerged as themes across contextual factors. The configuration of stewardship elements reveals interesting discrepancies between initiatives and previous stewardship research focused on larger scales, individuals, and organizations. Further analysis is encouraged to illuminate environmental stewardship in other settings as well as advance relational understanding of conceptual elements. Key Messages: Context and conceptual elements of environmental stewardship scholarship are brought together and empirically explored.A comprehensive understanding of environmental stewardship in the Niagara Region of Canada is developed.Multi‐level analysis reveals influences of the regional context as well as nuances in environmental stewardship initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the current knowledge base of family childcare through an epistemological lens. A brief literature review highlights what is known about family childcare, and standpoint theory is used to illustrate how I first became aware of the issues in the current system as a former family childcare educator. Then, an examination of the gaps in knowledge resulting from the current approach to knowledge creation in family childcare is outlined, with human ecology and social constructionism proposed as ideal paradigms for more holistic knowledge creation. Finally, a brief proposal for research designed to create a more informed path to understanding family childcare is offered to answer the question: What are the experiences of family childcare educators in Canada, and which supports and services are required to meet their unique needs? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Drawing on the self-determination theory, this cross-cultural study aims to examine the associations between the dualistic framework of work passion and work outcomes (job satisfaction, job engagement and workaholism). Design/methodology/approach: Using data from a time-lagged design with two-waves, service organizations employees of the UAE (n = 150) and Canada (n = 154) participated in the study. Hierarchical regression analysis is used to analyze the associations among the variables. Findings: The study results support the harmonious and obsessive passion relationships with the identified work outcomes. In both the UAE and Canada, harmonious and obsessive passion predicted all three hypothesized work outcomes (workaholism, job satisfaction and job engagement). The study also acknowledged various culture-specific work passion effects. Research limitations/implications: The study encompasses the dichotomy of the work passion paradigm to compare between East and West. The examination of the work passion results offers a precise method to examine in what manner the two types of passion is linked to different work outcomes. Harmonious and obsessive passion is associated with negative (workaholism) and positive (job satisfaction and job engagement) outcomes. Accordingly, the findings strengthen the conceptual outline of the passion construct. Moreover, the research highlighted the importance of enriching the organization's environment with passionate human capital. This study shall help the decision-makers to formulate the suitable strategies to imbibe passion within the work culture. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by being the first to compare the influence of harmonious and obsessive passion on work outcomes between the East and West cultures. Also, in this study, we draw upon the self-determination theory to investigate how work passion affects employees' work outcomes in a cross-cultural setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pipeline transportation of heavy oil poses significant risk to the environment and the human population. Though remarkable progress has been made in developing both qualitative and quantitative techniques for assessing pipeline risk, the potential threat to the bodies of water has not been well studied in the literature. In this study, we focus on three bodies of water, that is, river, lake, and aquifers, and propose water diffusion model for each, which are then used to evaluate the risk of the Energy East pipeline project in Canada. Each diffusion model facilitates estimating impact radius that enables determining the environmental risk, which in turn could be used as a surrogate of affected population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential relocation studies have become increasingly valuable tools for evaluating the effects of changing living environments on human health, but little is known about their application to multiple aspects of the living environment and the most appropriate methodology. This narrative review explores the utility of residential relocation as a natural experiment for studying the impact of changing urban exposures on cardio-metabolic health in high-income settings. It provides a comprehensive overview of the use of residential relocation studies, evaluates their methodological approaches, and synthesizes findings related to health behaviors and cardio-metabolic outcomes. Our search identified 43 relevant studies published between January 1995 and February 2023, from eight countries, predominantly the USA, Canada, and Australia. The majority of eligible studies were published between 2012 and 2021 and examined changes in various domains of the living environment, such as walkability, the built and social environments, but rarely combinations of exposures. Included studies displayed heterogeneity in design and outcomes, 25 involving only movers and 18 considering both movers and non-movers. To mitigate the issue of residential self-selection bias, most studies employed a "change-in-change" design and adjusted for baseline covariates but only a fraction of them accounted for time-varying confounding. Relocation causes simultaneous changes in various features of the living environment, which presents an opportunity for exposome research to establish causal relationships, using large datasets with increased statistical power and a wide range of health outcomes, behaviors and biomarkers. Residential relocation is not a random process. Thus, studies focusing on living environment characteristics need to carefully select time-varying covariates and reference group. Overall, this review informs future research by guiding choices in study design, data requirements, and statistical methodologies. Ultimately, it contributes to the advancement of the urban exposome field and enhances our understanding of the complex relationship between urban environments and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of the Canadian Ocean Literacy Survey led by the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC) and research partners. Topics discussed include the role of ocean literacy in the individual and collective actions concerning marine environments in Canada and abroad, discovery of the strong identification of Canadians as an ocean nation, and willingness of 77% of the general public to make lifestyle changes to support ocean health.

More research is needed to properly represent social-ecological system (SES) interactions that support the integrity of biological and cultural, i.e., biocultural, relationships in places experiencing environmental, economic, and social change. In this paper we offer a novel methodology to address this need through the development of place-based indicators and engagement of young people as coresearchers in two communities that rely on resource extraction industries (specifically, oil and gas) in Canada and South Africa. Young people's SES experiences were explored through a suite of participatory qualitative methods, including Q methodology, visioning exercises, ESRI Survey 123, participatory mapping and photography, and spatial image capture via unmanned aerial vehicles, i.e., drones. These methods support a biocultural approach to SES research that seeks to better understand the significant SES relationships at stake in changing environmental, economic, and social context. Here we present our research process and conclude that a focus on place supports the feedback loop between existing SES frameworks and local experiences. We suggest that this methodology can be amended for diverse localities and unique populations to support the development of efficacious policies, SES management, and community efforts toward building resilience, sustainability, and well-being of both humans and natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human infection with larvae of canine and feline roundworms belonging to the genus Toxocara can lead to devastating visceral, neural or ocular larvae migrans disease. However, such overt disease represents a fraction of cases. Far more common is covert toxocariasis, a less severe, but clinically symptomatic form of disease, and those who are exposed to infective larvae and seroconvert, but appear to be asymptomatic. Canada represents a unique epidemiological environment for Toxocara infection and exposure. Although the freezing conditions of the vast Arctic Tundra region of the North are thought unlikely to support the lifecycle of Toxocara spp., exposure and seroconversion does occur in people belonging to Inuit communities of this region. Further south, in the sub-Arctic of northern Quebec and Saskatchewan, there is a higher seroprevalence in many Canadian First Nations communities. The epidemiology of these infections is different to that seen in the non-Indigenous communities of the Humid Continental region. Poverty and climate play a major part in the risk of Toxocara seropositive status in Canada, but other factors such as unique cultural practices, population density of humans and reservoir hosts, and contact with wildlife are also factors in exposure and subsequent seroconversion in Canadian communities. This review discusses previous Toxocara seroprevalence studies performed in Canada, summarizes the data for domestic and wild animal reservoir hosts of Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati, Toxocara vitulorum and the closely related helminth, Toxascaris leonina. It also discusses how the unique and varied aspects of climate, culture and environment impacts human Toxocara exposure in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era where Home Economics classrooms still reverberate with colonial conceptions of home and family and the traumas associated with the residential school project in Canada, this analysis of Vaines' Human Ecology cannon is weighed for its potential to achieve Two-Eyed Seeing, a curricular framework from Indigenous Scholar Marie Battiste (Mi'kmaq, Potlotek First Nation). By proposing Vaines' Human Ecology as one eye and Nation-specific kinship and land-based ontologies as one eye, this paper calls Home Economists to action, to question, face, and supplant violence present in Home Economics ontologies that continue to disrupt Indigenous family integrity, moving towards trauma-wise curriculum in collaboration with Neighbour Nations. An ontological framework from the Blackfoot Confederacy is used as an example to model bedrock values for any community who has been the target of colonial educational assimilationist policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As commonly accepted, the stakes of sustainable development (SD) are altogether highly serious, complex, and diverse, spanning from changing living standards to the very future of mankind. Although it has long been argued that such complexity warrants radical change in the way “good” knowledge is conceived of and produced, it appears that much of sustainability research – including its grounding in social sciences – has yet to extend beyond the institutionalized precepts of natural science with regard to validity and credibility. In this context, this paper argues that crucial insights can be developed by opening social sciences’ theorizing process to undervalued forms of knowledge including art in general, and science-fiction literature in particular. To support this argument, current non-scientific productions of knowledge are reviewed in light of alternate conceptions of epistemological value. The potential of science fiction as thought experiments and inspiration for both problematizing and theory building in the social sciences is explored. In particular, certain science-fiction texts are thoroughly examined to illustrate how current problems pertaining to firm theories and management practice may be “discovered” (or made visible) only through science-fiction hindsight . Ultimately, the research shows how this hidden potential may be employed by social research to radically stimulate theoretical imagination and benefit sustainability research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a tremendous amount of research has focused on the relationships between Aboriginal peoples and the natural environment, almost no attention has been paid to the importance of nature for Aboriginal people living in cities. Our exploratory research looks at the importance of nature for Aboriginal people living in Ottawa. Preliminary findings indicate that nature does play a very important role in their lives, and that reciprocal relationships with nature are practiced in a variety of ways. In addition, despite the fact that the people we spoke with tend to see the city as an artificial, human-constructed environment, various aspects of nature can be experienced in the city, something that blurs the conceptual dichotomy between these two spheres. Rather than attempting to provide definitive answers, we highlight the need for further research on the varied connections between Aboriginal people and nature in Canada's cities. La nature, les villes, les peuples : des perspectives autochtones sous étude Si de nombreux travaux de recherche s'intéressent aux relations que les peuples autochtones nouent avec l'environnement naturel, peu d'attention a été accordée jusqu'à maintenant à l'importance que revêt la nature pour les Autochtones vivant dans les villes. Cette recherche exploratoire analyse l'importance que revêt la nature pour les Autochtones vivant à Ottawa. Les résultats préliminaires montrent, d'une part, combien la nature joue en effet un rôle très important dans leur vie et, d'autre part, qu'ils entretiennent de diverses manières des relations réciproques avec la nature. Qui plus est, bien que les personnes avec qui nous nous sommes entretenus soient plutôt enclines à concevoir la ville comme un environnement artificiel construit par l'humain, la ville permet néanmoins d'explorer les diverses facettes de la nature. Il en ressort que la dichotomie conceptuelle entre ces deux milieux tend à s'estomper. Au lieu d'établir des conclusions, nous faisons valoir l'importance de poursuivre des recherches sur les liens diversifiés que les peuples autochtones tissent avec la nature dans les villes du Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based adaptation ( CBA) has emerged over the last decade as an approach to empowering communities to plan for and cope with the impacts of climate change. While such approaches have been widely advocated, few have critically examined the tensions and challenges that CBA brings. Responding to this gap, this article critically examines the use of CBA approaches with Inuit communities in Canada. We suggest that CBA holds significant promise to make adaptation research more democratic and responsive to local needs, providing a basis for developing locally appropriate adaptations based on local/indigenous and Western knowledge. Yet, we argue that CBA is not a panacea, and its common portrayal as such obscures its limitations, nuances, and challenges. Indeed, if uncritically adopted, CBA can potentially lead to maladaptation, may be inappropriate in some instances, can legitimize outside intervention and control, and may further marginalize communities. We identify responsibilities for researchers engaging in CBA work to manage these challenges, emphasizing the centrality of how knowledge is generated, the need for project flexibility and openness to change, and the importance of ensuring partnerships between researchers and communities are transparent. Researchers also need to be realistic about what CBA can achieve, and should not assume that research has a positive role to play in community adaptation just because it utilizes participatory approaches. WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:175-191. doi: 10.1002/wcc.376 For further resources related to this article, please visit the . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between humans and their living environments is of ubiquitous nature, however the relationship between environmental psychology and cognitive neuropsychology has scarcely been explored. Environmental psychology has approached the human-environment relation through psychological concepts such as affordance, attachment, identity, safety, or aesthetic preference. Cognitive neuropsychology, on the other hand, frequently uses houses as stimuli in object- and face-processing research. This study combines concepts from the two disciplines (cognitive neuropsychology and environmental psychology) to explore the interrelation between the architecture of living environments, human cognition and emotion. Using network analysis, we aimed to examine the underlying relationship between self-reported psychological attributes, and to explore the role of differences between three countries in appraisals of house facades. To that end, we used 50 images of house facades selected from a well-controlled data set of Canadian houses (DalHouses). 305 participants from Denmark, Germany, and Canada rated the houses on 12 psychological attribute dimensions. Results showed the highest strength for the nodes "friendliness", "likability", "invitingness", "safety", and "freedom", while "typicality" and "familiarity" were unexpectedly low in strength. In terms of cultural differences, the three countries diverged in some correlations, e.g. facelikeness and loneliness, loneliness and freedom, but not in others, e.g. typicality and safety. Similar to the DalHouses study, "facelikeness" was not correlated with "typicality" nor with "liking". Taken together, the present results identify psychological attributes that cluster together and could be particularly important in the characterization of house facades on a universal level, but also specific to different cultural and geographical backgrounds. • Goal: Identify attributes that are central in self-report ratings of house facades. • Data from Denmark, Germany and Canada was analyzed with graph network analysis. • Highest strength for friendliness, likability, invitingness, safety and freedom. • Unexpectedly low strength for typicality, familiarity and facelikeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the new Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto's northeast corner offers an important moment to reflect on many contested elements of national park politics, including ideas of wilderness and ecological integrity, changing articulations of nation and nature, the effects of neo-liberalization, and the role of parks in a globalizing, urbanizing environment. In addition, however, the Rouge highlights the intersecting question of plant/human relations, specifically concerning the rapid spread of the so-called aggressive invasive species dog-strangling vine ("Cynanchum rossicum," known as DSV) in many portions of the park. DSV acutely calls into question ideas of nature and nation undergirding Parks Canada's mandate, and in so doing, demands that we attend to the actual physical and political history of the Rouge, the ways that history has afforded DSV with ideal conditions for its flourishing, the limits of current biopolitical discourses of invasive species management, and, for the new Rouge Park, the need for a more thoughtful, respectful, democratic approach to plant/human relations and to larger questions about what an urban park might be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the Ontario government's efforts to ban the sale of recreational property to Americans during the 1970s. In a country where wilderness has traditionally been central to national identity, the summer home has long enjoyed iconic status within media reports and popular culture. Claims that the family cottage is a symbol of Canada have concealed two competing views regarding the meaning and purpose of Ontario's cottage country, however. While some people have believed that access to Ontario summer homes is an entitlement specifically reserved for Canadians, others have felt that cottaging in the province should be open to all people of sufficient means, irrespective of citizenship. The incompatibility of these two perspectives became clear during the 1970s, when dwindling natural resources turned the fate of cottage country into a heated political issue. Amidst heightened Canadian patriotism, a rising environmental movement, and widespread concerns over American imperialism, the Ontario government passed new laws that preserved cottage lands for Canadian citizens. While these policy changes defused the political controversy, they ignored the economic barriers that most limited Canadians' access to their national wilderness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented to the issue of the journal that discusses topics such as Canadian studies of nature and human ecology, the social construction of wilderness, and national parks policy in Canada.

The article discusses the First Nations people of British Columbia's (BC's) relationship with the natural environment through examining the relationship between landscape and plants in BC. An overview of the BC's indigenous peoples' place names, including their names for habitats and forests, is provided.

Abstract: Improving chronic disease management and outcomes is vital. However, greater understanding is needed of how aspects of context influence experiences and reactions to chronic disease and self-care. This is exemplified in relation to heart failure (HF), a common and severe chronic form of heart disease. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 42 male and female patients (Mean age 76 years) and 30 nominated lay caregivers. Interviews were guided by critical realist theory and examined experiences of and reactions to HF and aspects of self-care. Patients were recruited from three rural sites in Alberta, a province in mid-Western Canada, which varied in size, health services, and proximity to large urban settings. The influence of the rural context on accounts of HF and its self-care was evident principally in patients and caregivers through work and place. Work and place were seen to be indivisible with work seen as integral to life in the rural setting both historically (connecting to past generations) and contemporaneously. Accounts of HF and its self-care were framed around broader narratives of work, its benefits, and the threats and disruptions made to work by HF. Gender differences mainly existed around normal working patterns related to land work, domestic work, and community work. Work was seen to be pleasurable and vital to life in the rural setting and was continued by those with HF where possible either functionally or symbolically. Accounts of HF and its self-care were grounded in work and place-related dimensions of the rural setting. Approaches and interventions related to chronic disease must engage with place and work-related dimensions of context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents an examination of the scholarship that has focused on northern Canada and explores how this region has become important in contemporary issues such as global warming and climate change. The article examines how the concept of the north has been addressed in various disciplines including the work of novelists, sociologists and geographers and that, despite interdisciplinary attention, this concept is still vaguely defined. It examines how people living in northern Canada interact with the land and the human relationship between nature and culture.

Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a scale designed in Canada to help residences understand the impact of air quality on health. This study investigated temporal variability of daily AQHI and impact of regional transport on AQHI in Windsor, Ontario, Canada from 2016 to 2019. The four-year average daily AQHI was 2.9, slightly below the upper limit of the low health risk level of 3. AQHI value decreased from 2.95 to 2.81 during the study period, indicating the improvement of air quality. Half of the days, AQHI were 3 regardless of season. AQHI was higher in the warm season (3.1) than in the cold season (2.6) due to more frequent moderate risk days (27%, AQHI = 4) in warm season and more frequent low risk days (42%, AQHI = 2) in the cold season. Among the three pollutants considered, O3 was the most frequently reported dominant contributor to daily AQHI (88% of days), followed by NO2 (12%), especially in the cold season, with small contribution from PM2.5 (<1%). Trajectory analysis found that AQHI ≤ 3 days were closely associated with air masses from the north and northwest, whereas AQHI > 3 days were closely associated with air masses from the west and southwest. This is because northerly flows brought in clear air mass owing to less industrial facilities. Polluted air masses were transported from the south of Windsor, where several industrial states of the US were located. Directional AQHI resembles O3 more than NO2 or PM2.5 concentrations do. Further improvement of AQHI in Windsor could be challenging because O3 concentrations have continued to increase in recent years. Thus, more effective control measures to mitigate O3 pollution are warranted to reduce its impact on human health and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape has a dramatic effect on a site's ecological and social function. Landscape context and pattern are important considerations in ecological restoration for their effects on rehabilitation design and ecological function. In Ontario, Canada, there are more than 5,300 active aggregate mining sites, equivalent to a total area of over 70 square kilometers. Rehabilitation of inactive pits is required by law, but rehabilitation efforts rarely attempt to restore ecological function to a site, and even more rarely consider the ecological implications of landscape context. The size, spatial extent, and nonrandom distribution of aggregate extraction sites in Ontario offer opportunities to restore ecological functions through cooperative rehabilitation, where landowners and licensed aggregate extractors try to achieve better ecological outcomes. In order to illustrate how landscape context can make a meaningful contribution to rehabilitation design and ecological restoration of pit and quarry sites in Ontario and in other settings, we review methods of assessing critical aspects of landscape context, including patterns of habitats (mosaics), interpatch movements and dispersal (connectivity and permeability), and the heterogeneity of microclimates (niche diversity). We illustrate the potential of this approach with the example of the Karner blue butterfly. The described project may inform restoration approaches for other land uses and landscape contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In human geography, member checking is now routine practice for upholding rigour in qualitative studies, yet it can result in conflicting opinions regarding research interpretations. Here we reflect upon divergent outcomes from member checking research exploring the nature of student experiences in a specific space of a Canadian university law school. While member checking did not yield acceptance of the initial interpretations by all informants, we argue that rather than invalidating our findings, the very disagreement exposed through member checks added to our analyses in important ways. As such, results refuted by informants should not necessarily be discarded in human geography research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals involved in multiple substance abuse are among a sector of the Canadian population who are hardto-reach, and usually heavy smokers. This paper outlines the development of an approach to smoking cessation intervention for hard-to-reach multiple substance abusing males. The approach is based on the Integrated Human Ecology and Transtheoretical Stages of Change Model of Smoking Behaviour (Munro, Doherty-Poirier, Munro & Ohler-Madsen, 1995), and incorporates the use of a comic book as a key component of the intervention. Other components include Prochaska & De- Clemente's (1992; Lee et al., 2004) stages of change model, addiction therapy guidelines (Waltman, 1995) and resiliency concepts (Mangham, Reid, McGrath & Steward, 1994). This paper describes a pilot project undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the comic book, then offers recommendations for the development of similar interventions for other special populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genotypes from 10 polymorphic DNA microsatellite loci were used to make assessments of population structure, measurements of gene flow, and attempts to genetically segregate polymorphic host fish-attracting mantle displays for the wavy-rayed lampmussel, Lampsilis fasciola Rafinesque, 1820 — an endangered species in Canada. Specimens were collected from seven localities — six in the Great Lakes drainages of Ontario, Canada, and one from the Little Tennessee River in North Carolina, USA. Four distinct and sympatric mantle display morphologies were observed on female L. fasciola. Displays could not be distinguished genetically using analysis of molecular variance and genotypic assignment tests. The diversity of mantle displays was correlated with the overall genetic diversity observed among populations of L. fasciola. In managing populations of L. fasciola for propagation, augmentation, and translocation, polymorphic lures should be represented in proportion to what is observed in wild populations. Through moderately high FST values and high assignment to population in genotype assignment tests, genetic structure was evident among the river drainages. Within-drainage gene flow was very high, and sampling localities within the Ontario drainages displayed panmixia. Efforts in artificial propagation and possible translocations to reintroduce or augment populations should be made to maintain the substantial levels of genetic variation while maintaining distinctiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetically fixed energy from the sun, in the form of net primary production, ultimately supports the majority of life on earth. Given the importance of this energy source, we calculate the human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) for the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. We find that over 25% of potentially available production is appropriated by humans through harvest (forestry and agriculture) and land cover change. The level of appropriation in Nova Scotia is close to the global average, when methodological differences between studies are taken into account, but substantially less than in Austria and India where detailed surveys have also been conducted. Furthermore, HANPP is not distributed evenly throughout the province, but is instead concentrated in the north-central counties, where appropriation reaches 50%. We discuss the implications of these results, and the novel method used to obtain them, in the context of biophysical assessment and the species-energy hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Canada has recognized that Aboriginal and northern communities in the country face unique challenges and that there is a need to expand the assessment of vulnerabilities to climate change to include these communities. Evidence suggests that Canada's North is already experiencing significant changes in its climate—changes that are having negative impacts on the lives of Aboriginal people living in these regions. Research on climate change and health impacts in northern Canada thus far has brought together Aboriginal community members, government representatives, and researchers and is charting new territory. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this article we review experiences from two projects that have taken a community-based dialogue approach to identifying and assessing the effects of and vulnerability to climate change and the impact on the health in two Inuit regions of the Canadian Arctic. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the two case projects that we present argue for a multi-stakeholder, participatory framework for assessment that supports the necessary analysis, understanding, and enhancement of capabilities of local areas to respond and adapt to the health impacts at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article focuses on the nature of ecofeminism and its actions for the protection of forests in Western U.S. and Canada. The continued increase of forest protection movements are organized mainly by women. It must also be emphasized that local environmental struggles always take place in a global context, which always include the historical movements and intrigues of capitalism, the physical and cultural variability of the ecological region. A feminist perspective is relevant to understanding the global environmental crisis. Ecofeminism contains a constructive, prefigurative vision that attempts to transform existing power relations both intra and trans-human in ecologically sound and socially just actions.

This article provides an overview of the historical events, significant personalities, and contextual influences that have shaped the development of social psychology in Canada. For much of its history, Canada and its closest neighbour, the US, have shared similar social problems and, for a time, even research funding. Although the influence of the US has been imprinted on Canadian research and theory, Canadian social psychology has also developed its own discipline with a focus on culture and explicitly Canadian social issues that makes it distinct from that of the US. This account reveals how Canadian social psychology developed and where US influence has been felt. Emerging from its roots within philosophy, Canadian psychology began as a decidedly applied discipline; but following its widely acknowledged contributions to the Canadian war effort it was basic research that ultimately received the academic appointments and financial support. Social psychology was often invisible; to be found, if at all, only on the fringe of both these early developments. In the 1970s, the Canadian government's decision to fund social research, and a period of exceptional growth of higher education, contributed to the discipline's emergence. Substantial numbers of experimental social psychologists imported from the United States raised questions about the Canadian content of their teaching and research, but their perspective and numbers created the critical mass needed for advancement of our discipline. With the help of a partly government-imposed Canadianization of academia and a blending of these imported researchers with the culture-oriented researchers trained in Canada, social psychology evolved into the mature, distinctive discipline that exists in Canada today. Canada has a strong, self-sustaining national discipline, that in accord with its size makes substantial contributions to the world of psychology and to the social psychology of North America. This developmental history describes how these accomplishments have been realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces the August 2005 issue of the "International Journal of Psychology" which deals with the topic "Social psychology around the world: Origins and subsequent development". Research on indigenous psychologies; Examination of the origins of the development of social psychology in three developed world countries of Australia, Canada, and Europe.

It is generally believed that, when partnerships with civil society are created, members of the public become engaged in defining and solving problems, and as a result become empowered through enhanced understanding of substantive problems, and of the processes used by society to deal with them. In this context, two fundamental assumptions related to a partnership approach deserve examination. First, partnerships assume a shared vision among partners, and a willingness to work together in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation. However, humans often are competitive, protective and defensive, attributes unlikely to lead to collaboration and cooperation. Second, advocates of a participatory approach advocate, or assume, that citizens will become empowered through being part of a partnership process. If partnerships are to be encouraged, we need to know if such a transformation actually occurs. Two experiences in Canada, one dealing with shared decision making during a resource and land use management process in British Columbia, and the other focused on an environmental impact assessment process in Manitoba, provide evidence that challenges whether these assumptions are easily satisfied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on account books, a frequently overlooked type of source, this is a study of grocery purchases made by sample customers from some country stores in Upper Canada (Ontario), in selected years between 1808 and 1861. Although literary sources suggest otherwise, no one bought chocolate; but many people bought tea, tobacco, sugar, and salt, evidently at standard levels for contemporary British society. As time went by, a growing range of products appear among purchases, notably many drugs and medications. The evidence is also read for indications of what families made for themselves. Their choices, visible in everyday routine purchases, have implications for some of the main stories about material life, consumption, and market relationships in early settlement society. It is difficult, for example, to picture rural isolation from a capitalist world if ordinary farm families regularly purchased goods imported from the far side of the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article was originally presented as part of a symposium conducted during the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, Ontario, on August 8, 2003. The symposium, sponsored by the Board of Affairs of Psychology in the Public Interest, was titled "The Over-Medicalization of Psychology." Whereas this article explores disability issues, other presentations examined effects of an excess emphasis on medical approaches to psychology practice on women, elders, ethnic minorities, and sexual or gender-identification minorities. The focus of concern was the current controversy surrounding psychologists seeking authority to prescribe biological treatments for psychological symptoms rather than continuing to use and develop less invasive psychological, social, and behavioral approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study represents the first enumeration of the street homeless population in Canada. Past enumeration attempts have been challenged on their significant methodological shortcomings. This enumeration directly addressed the lessons learned from previous attempts, and improvements to the methodology are presented and discussed. In addition, lessons learned and recommendations are discussed for application to future enumerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the debates over Canadian water exports. Use of the water issues in Canada as a case study to get a handle on the rather more abstract problems of nature and ideology; Examination of the structures of feeling that provide the framework for contemporary human ecology; Implications of the prospect of domestic restrictions for the potential schism in the diverse groups mobilizing to oppose the ceding of control over Canadian water.

Examines aspects of the culture, resource exploitation and beliefs of the Gitskan and Wet'suwet'en peoples of northwestern British Columbia. Relationship of the peoples' cultural practices, land tenure and beliefs to resource conservation; Territoriality; Menstrual taboos; Consumption of berries, fern rhizome patches; Fish.

The article discusses the pro-family movement in Canada. The pro-family movement organized in Canada in 1983 around a number of symbolic issues related to a defense of the traditional family and conservative moral values. This paper explores the likelihood of the pro-family leadership succeeding in this endeavor. To this end, the origins and the ideological development of the movement are discussed and empirical data on the socio-demographic background and the political beliefs of the membership are presented. In light of these data, the movement's potential to generate a consensus among its membership in support of a broad attack on social services and welfare spending is explored. Linked to the question of national impact is a prior question of mobilization. While the literature on social movements is rich in theories concerning how movements get started, there is little to guide explorations of the maintenance and reactivation of membership commitment -- especially when leaders of existing movements attempt to redefine the groups and social influences that are to be opposed.

In this article, ideas from ecological feminism are used as a basis to imagine a new direction for Canadian environmental law. The author begins with a synopsis of ecofeminist theory, then outlines the basic approach taken by environmental law to the control of pollution in Canada. The way in which such laws can be critically analyzed using feminist theory is then introduced. Next, the author summarizes the fundamental principles of ecofeminism that could provide a new foundation for environmental law. Finally, the article concludes with a portrait of what such a "re-visioned" law might contain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of negative political advertising on evaluations of political party leaders. During the 1993 Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservative party aired two advertisements highlighting the facial paralysis of Liberal leader Jean Chretien. A sample of 110 university students completed measures of attitudes, affective responses, and cognitive responses concerning Conservative leader Kim Campbell and Jean Chretien either before or after the airing of the advertisements. The results revealed that evaluations of Chretien became more positive after the broadcast of the advertisements, whereas evaluations of Campbell became more negative. A content analysis of participants' open-ended affective responses and stereotypic beliefs showed that those who participated after the advertisements' broadcast were (a) more likely to list positive feelings and attributes about Chretien and (b) more likely to list negative feelings about Campbell compared to those who participated beforehand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the characteristics of areas with numerous group homes (residential care facilities) that cater to a variety of user groups. An overview of patterns of locational concentration precedes the results of an ecological analysts for the Minor Planning Districts of the City of Toronto. The pattern of ecological correlates among the three group home types analyzed supports results obtained elsewhere, but cautions against referring ecological associations Identified for one sort of facility to other facility types. The conclusion questions the suitability of present areas of locational concentration of group homes as host environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concludes a two-part study on a content analysis of Canadian university consumer studies courses offered in human ecology, home economics or related programmes. Phase 1 of the study profiles the programmes, professors, students and the results of a content analysis of these courses. This companion research examines the inferred level of learning associated with consumer concepts in the course outlines. Instructors were choosing verbs associated with knowledge and comprehension rather than application, analysis, synthesis or evaluation. Implications regarding the appropriateness of these courses to prepare graduates for consumer-related careers are discussed. Lessons to be learned from the Canadian experience are tendered, especially the need for critical theory, a systems of actions perspective and an ethical, value-based approach in consumer studies courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows analytically how (a) the long-run growth rate and (b) the long-run proportional distribution of an interregional population system with a time-homogeneous structural matrix are affected by small changes or errors in (a) the natural growth rates of individual regions and (b) the interregional migration rates. Furthermore, the analytic results are applied to an eight-region Canadian population system. Finally, it is claimed that the method introduced here can be easily applied to sensitivity analysis of both the intrinsic growth rate and the "stable" age-composition of the Leslie model with respect to changes in age-specific birth and survival rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the short time that human ecology has been a part of the research repertoire of some American sociologists, enough urban and rural communities have been described and a sufficiently compelling theoretical background has been provided to establish the importance of the distributive aspects of society for any adequate theory of social life. Too few studies have, however, attempted to describe the general ecological patterning of a community, and to use these general patterns to test some of the broad insights of ecological theory. The expansion and internal patterning of the city are seen to show considerable regularity around the original point of settlement. The chief irregularities in growth are the pronounced indentation in the southern boundary of the city and the northern bottle-neck extension to Lake Ontario. The former is a true ecological distortion, but the latter is a recently incorporated area that should be considered more a part of Rochester's metropolitan district than part of the city proper.