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First Nations Place Names from Cadboro Bay to Millstream
No full text2025This thesis built a database of 100 First Nations place names from Cadboro Bay to Millstream to answer: What are the First Nations place names for Victoria, British Columbia? Maps are essential tools in the on-going colonization of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Today, many First Nations prioritize restoring place names and using them on maps as an act of sovereignty. Conversely, multiple levels of settler government incorporate Indigenous place name restoration into their obligations to fulfill UNDRIP and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. Collaborations between First Nations and settler organizations have built many public online maps with Indigenous place names for both sets of goals. No such map exists for the research area despite the First Nations-built monuments to Lək̓ʷəŋən and SENĆOŦEN place names. By developing an experimental design grown from the essential Indigenous academic principles of respect, relationality, and reciprocity, the settler researcher gathered public First Nations place name information into a simple spreadsheet. The database visualized as a map represented the breadth of publicly available information on First Nations place names. This research took place from and within the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples which includes the Songhees and Xʷsépsəm (Esquimalt) First Nations, and WSÁNEĆ Peoples encompassing the W̱SÍ,ḴEM, W̱JOȽEȽP, SȾÁUTW̱, and BOḰEĆEN First Nations
Gaza and the CBC: The public broadcaster betrays its mandate
No full textThis article was originally published as: MacKay, R. (2025, August 28). Gaza and the CBC: The public broadcaster betrays its mandate. CounterPunch. https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/08/28/gaza-and-the-cbc-the-public-broadcaster-betrays-its-mandate/By refusing to deliver accurate, comprehensive, and contextually rich reporting on Israel’s assault, Canada’s public broadcaster, the CBC, has denied Canadians the information they need to act on conscience and to pressure their government to help end the savagery
Lifting up Strengths: A Wellness Approach to Preventing Child Sexual Trauma
No full text2026Blending local indigenous knowledge and Eurocentric theoretical frameworks, this qualitative study explores what approaches are being practiced in home, school, and community settings to prevent child sexual trauma. Through interviews and focus group discussions, participants’ perspectives on safety and well-being and a wellness approach to child sexual trauma facilitate a deeper and broader understanding of what motivates and informs caregivers’ approach, and the strengths, challenges, and opportunities within current prevention strategies. A wellness approach to safety and well-being addresses the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and sexual/relational domains, supported by a variety of strengths-based practices grounded in relationship, intentionality, and balance. Challenges were organized into a socioecological framework with multi-level recommendations, including empowering preadolescents within the context of their families and community with education that is adequately resourced, collaborative, keeps the child and family at the center, and recognizes the generational and caregiver roles in preadolescent and adolescent development as it relates to the prevention of sexual trauma. Implications for this research include providing baseline data needed to develop caregiver-targeted, wellness-oriented child sexual trauma prevention programming that is strength-based and culturally relevant
Leading with Social Wealth: How Relational Investment Shapes the Social Well-being of Remote and Hybrid People Leaders in Canada
No full text2025This thesis explored how remote and hybrid people leaders in Canada experience social well-being, and how their efforts to activate, maintain, or neglect personal and professional relationships might influence their social wealth. This mixed-methods case study included a survey of 1,218 remote and hybrid leaders and 13 interviews with Sun Life leaders in Canada. Survey findings reveal that loneliness levels align with global averages and are significantly lower than those reported in the United States; trusted social networks are typically local (within 30 minutes); and “best friends at work” remain important, even in virtual contexts. Sun Life leaders report high levels of trust and reciprocity. Communication channels and caregiving responsibilities variably influence connection, while social media is deemed largely ineffective for building and sustaining relationships, despite frequent passive use.
Qualitative findings reveal four emergent themes: (1) social needs evolve, with a post-pandemic shift toward reciprocal and intentional connection; (2) loneliness manifests subtly for leaders, as a quiet longing for pre-pandemic workplace dynamics; (3) leaders sustain tight circles and remain emotionally reserved in groups; and (4) rhythm and ritual are associated with building and sustaining social wealth.
These findings offer practical insights for remote leadership and organizational design in shaping a more sustainable and socially healthy future of work
Systemic Team Coaching in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex & Ambiguous (VUCA) World
No full text2025This thesis explores the impact of systemic team coaching and emotional intelligence (EI) development on leadership and team performance in hierarchical organizations within a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world. The research investigates how these interventions can enhance team cohesion, communication, and adaptability. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological approach, qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews and coaching sessions with team members from a municipal utility company. Findings reveal that systemic team coaching reduces hierarchical barriers, fosters psychological safety, and improves team dynamics, while EI development enhances self-awareness and interpersonal relationships. The integration of these approaches empowers leaders and teams to navigate complex challenges more effectively, promoting resilience and innovation in rapidly changing environments. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on leadership development and offers practical recommendations for organizations seeking to thrive in the modern world
Mountain and Ocean Strikes: Exploring an Embodied Sense of Place and Ecological Identity in Kaihewalu Lua
Get PDF2025What happens when the body learns to move like mountains and oceans? For this research, I used an autophenomenographic and ethnographic lens to explore how physical movements from the Hawaiian martial art, Kaihewalu Lua, could affect my ecological identity and sense of place. I collected data through journal reflections, video and audio recordings, interviews, and a literature review. Mountains and oceans emerged as metaphors for stability and fluidity and as an innovative way to structure this thesis.I present my research as a Thesis Watershed; adopting a metaphorical landscape to portray my transformative experience and the resulting patterns as they might apply to environmental education pedagogy. With permission, I have adopted traits from Kaihewalu Lua’s Indigenous method of embodied learning to suggest a pedagogical frame to help foster my own and my students’ sense of place and ecological identity. This framework emphasizes openness, intention, and acceptance through mindful movement
Influencing Employee Growth: How a Leadership Development Program Can Contribute to Nonschool-Based Employee Succession in a Catholic School Division
No full text2025This study investigated how a leadership development program could support succession planning for nonschool-based employees in the Edmonton Catholic School Division (ECSD). The research addressed the question: How might a leadership development program contribute to succession planning of nonschool-based ECSD staff? Conducted in the context of a need for succession planning due to impending retirements, I engaged seven nonschool-based leaders in a focus group and surveyed 28 employees across various roles. Employing action-oriented research with appreciative and humble inquiry methodologies, I combined qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore leadership development needs. Ethical standards, including informed consent and confidentiality, were rigorously upheld. Findings emphasized the need for a leadership framework, improved communication of career opportunities, and a structured program to foster leadership skills and enhance succession planning. Recommendations included developing such a program, fostering collaboration, and implementing systems for regular evaluation to ensure organizational continuity and growth
Her-story in Motion: Racialized Women's Narratives Resisting Race and Gender-based Violence on Transit
No full text2025Public transit is essential for racialized women’s access to employment, education, and social opportunities. However, the prevalence of violence against women has established public transit environments that fail to ensure women’s safety. Hierarchical power structures and patriarchal norms within transit systems intersect with racial oppression, reinforcing systemic inequalities and compelling racialized women to adapt their mobility behaviours. In this feminist narrative inquiry, I conducted two focus groups with six racialized women participants who had experience taking transit in Calgary and area. Participants shared narratives that described compounding oppressions and constructed forms of resistance. Racialized women offered counter-narratives that challenged existing dominant discourses that normalized the risks they faced on transit and repositioned safety through an intersectional lens. Focusing on “her-story,” racialized women’s narratives can influence new discourse, disrupt patriarchal domination, and support collective resistance through critical consciousness
Religious Leader Engagement (RLE) of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Chaplains
No full text2025Using sequential mixed methods, this study sought to identify ways through which the Religious Leader Engagement (RLE) capability of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) chaplains can be enhanced. For the qualitative phase, 12 CAF chaplains with RLE experiences were purposively selected for online interviews to obtain perceptions on RLE and the competencies needed for an effective RLE. In the quantitative phase, 48 of the randomly selected CAF chaplains responded to an online survey that used a Likert scale in determining the state of the chaplains’ RLE competencies. The chaplains were found to have relevant RLE skills and personal attributes but need reinforcement with respect to RLE theory. The RCChS needs to address this shortcoming if it is to remain germane in the CAF and enhance Canada’s status as a leader in political religious dialogues. This study proposed a training plan that would strengthen the RLE capability of the CAF chaplains.
Keywords: religious leader capability, advisement, engagement, religion, chaplain, force multipliers, liaison, dialogue, religious leader competencies, CAF, RCCh
Forest and urban change analysis in Puerto Rico: A study utilizing TerrSet and remote sensing methodologies
Get PDFThis study presents a methodology for analyzing forest and urban transformations in Puerto Rico, using high-resolution GHS-POP population data and MODIS Vegetation Index (VI) products. The GHS-POP data, providing detailed total population per pixel distribution at a 100m resolution, and MODIS VI products, capturing vegetation dynamics at a 1km resolution, are interpolated using ArcGIS Pro to ensure spatial and temporal compatibility. Advanced analysis is conducted with TerrSet, a geospatial platform integrating IDRISI GIS and Image Processing tools, employing applications like the Land Change Modeler (LCM) and Earth Trends Modeler (ETM) to project land cover changes and analyze environmental trends. The study uses GDAL conversion utilities to integrate TIFF files into TerrSet for Empirical Orthogonal Teleconnections (EOT) analysis, identifying spatial-temporal patterns and exploring the relationship between urban expansion and vegetation changes. This framework provides critical insights into the interplay between urban development and ecological dynamics, informing sustainable development and conservation strategies in Puerto Rico