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“ANYTHING FROM THE LAND IS GOOD”: UNDERSTANDING HOW COMMUNITY GARDENING IN KAKISA, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CAN CONTRIBUTE TO INDIGENOUS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
Get PDFRates of food insecurity in Canada’s northern Indigenous communities are at levels that should constitute an emergency. Dominant explanations for these high rates of food insecurity often ignore the ongoing impacts of colonization and over-emphasize individual choices and nutritional guidelines developed by outsiders. The importance of holistic community health is ignored, along with the cultural and social values and practices that support community health and well-being, including traditional food systems. As the acute impact of climate change in the North threatens traditional food access, a shift toward an Indigenous food sovereignty approach in health and food policy is needed. With an emphasis on decolonization and prioritizing Indigenous ways of knowing, this approach supports communities pursuing self-determined food systems.
The community of Kakisa in the Northwest Territories has a hybrid food system primarily comprised of traditional food and market food, with a small amount of produce from their community gardens supplementing their food needs. As their access to traditional food sources are increasingly strained due to environmental and social changes, reliance on market food is prominent in Kakisa. The community sees small-scale food production as an important step towards increasing their access to fresh produce during part of the year, and in turn, their resilience in the face of changing conditions.
This investigation into the goals, successes, and barriers for growing food in Kakisa was undertaken in 2018. Using a Participatory Action Research approach that was informed by Indigenous methodologies, this research evaluated the community gardening project to produce an action plan for the future of growing food in Kakisa. Data gathered through interviews and participant observation was examined using a narrative approach to inductive analysis. The themes that emerged showed that, for the residents of Kakisa, successful local food production is driven by community participation and contributes to their self-sufficiency while taking care of the land and community. The application of an Indigenous food sovereignty framework revealed how Kakisa’s pursuit of self-determination can overcome the limitations of using a southern model of community gardening in a northern, Indigenous community; however, current food system policies remain a barrier to this pursuit
Transformations Towards Just Urban Sustainabilities: A community psychology approach to analyzing and fostering urban changes
Get PDFCities are uniquely positioned to drive social change towards more just and sustainable futures. However, while discourses of ‘transformations towards sustainability’ have gained prominence, their focus on integrating equity and justice and tackling the root causes of current unsustainabilities is lacking. This document outlines a research endeavor aimed at analyzing and fostering urban sustainable transformations from a community psychology perspective. This research is based on the assertion that without radical change based in equity and justice considerations, transformative efforts fail. First, a theory of just urban sustainable transformations (JUST) is suggested that draws on urban transformations and just sustainabilities scholarship. Then, a case study is reviewed that aims to create the conditions necessary for JUST through adequate affordable housing provision. Processes and structures of change are analyzed and discussed. The findings are then applied in the context of higher education, by suggesting a higher education teaching & learning framework for just urban sustainable transformations ‐ the JUST course. It builds upon critical global citizenship and transformative education. The document concludes with a brief discussion and the role of cities in taking action
WILDLIFE VALUE ORIENTATIONS AND RECREATION CONFLICT: A FOCUS ON HUNTERS AND NON-HUNTERS IN ALBERTA, CANADA
Get PDFParks and other forms of protected areas are considered a vital tool in the effective conservation of biodiversity. These areas also provide important spaces for nature-based tourism and recreation (NBTR), where activities such as hiking, swimming, canoeing, and socializing with friends and family often occur. In some cases, hunting may also occur within a protected area, but there is little understanding of how such activities affect the experience and overall satisfaction of other recreationists (and vise-versa). While NBTR is a popular and growing industry, there is limited research in Canada about the values of tourists and recreationists and the conflicts which may occur amongst them within these shared spaces. Given this critical research gap, the goal of this thesis was to assess recreationists’ Wildlife Value Orientations (WVOs) within Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area (PRA) in the province of Alberta, Canada, and to assess the extent to which (potentially incompatible) activities, such as hunting, are affecting visitor experiences in this PRA. To achieve this goal, two surveys were deployed, one for hunters (n = 363) and another for non-hunters (n = 173). The surveys included open and closed-ended questions that were statistically analyzed to identify and understand recreationist experiences with conflicts within the PRA and their WVOs. The WVOs identified through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were traditionalists (27.8%), mutualists (29.5%), distanced (22.2%), and pluralists (20.50%). Overall, the results revealed that hunters were more traditional and non-hunters tended to be more mutualistic. These findings indicate that hunters believe that the management of wildlife is for the benefit of humans, whereas non-hunters believe that wildlife deserve equal rights and care as humans. Social values conflict was revealed to be occurring more than interpersonal conflict; however, the conflicts that occurred amongst these two groups (hunters and non-hunters) were minimal overall. One major concern for managers that was revealed through the analysis is the potential effect that hunting has on non-hunting women’s experiences in the PRA. Some wWomen felt unsafe upon seeing hunters. This finding is important because related literature has revealed that women are highly motivated to visit protected areas and often drive the decision to visit such areas. Women also receive a broad spectrum of health and well-being benefits associated with experiences provided by protected areas. Other conflicts identified with non-hunting associated events are related to dogs chasing wildlife, people disturbing or feeding wildlife, which causes social values conflict with other recreationists who use the PRA. The thesis concludes with recommendations to support PRA management, including suggested communication and outreach activities, a new management plan for the PRA with issues surround conflict included, enhanced research and monitoring of motivations and satisfaction, and the development of new communication strategies to communicate the role of hunting more effectively
Kirtan in the Americas: Music and Spirituality in a Transcultural Whirlpool
Get PDFKirtan (Sanskrit: कीर्तन; IAST: Kīrtana) is a broad term referring to various forms of devotional singing commonly done in South Asian traditions. It is a core practice in the Hindu and Sikh faiths that is becoming increasingly popular around the world among people of all ethnicities. Beyond its expected propagation within Hindu and Sikh diasporas, kirtan is also spreading among members of new religious movements such as ISKCON and the 3HO/Sikh Dharma, who may engage in this practice as part of their daily cultivation. Even more broadly, a form of what has been called “neokirtan” has been gaining popularity in the yoga and New Age communities, with several kirtan artists nominated for the Grammy awards over the years. Moreover, in the wake of the mindfulness and yoga movements, there is an emerging engagement of kirtan singers with public healthcare and correctional institutions. Thus, we can say that kirtan is developing as a transnational and transcultural phenomenon. Indeed, the broader cultural implications and deepening social penetration that this practice has achieved over the past five decades suggest that it is attaining permanent status in the world’s religious soundscape. This research explores the practice of kirtan as it has been re-created in the United States, Canada, and Brazil through multi-sided interactions that generate new cultural patterns in an ongoing process of cross-pollination. Approaching kirtan as a type of ‘technology of the self’, this research combines textual, historical, and ethnographic sources to address the questions of how this practice is adopted and adapted in the Americas and how it has been shaping identities, communities, and traditions
THE INFLUENCE OF DECORIN, A POTENTIAL PRO-INFLAMMATORY STIMULANT, ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ANNULUS FIBROSUS
No full textPrevious literature has investigated the biomechanical properties of various animal models, but few have studied an isolated and intact rat tail annulus fibrosus. Decorin, a class 1 small leucine-rich protein (SLRP) has the potential to trigger an inflammatory environment as previous research has shown that it may stimulate inflammation via the toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway. An increased inflammatory environment can have biomechanical implications for the disc, and so the ability of decorin to stimulate an environment that alters the mechanical properties of the disc was investigated.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of decorin, a proteoglycan native to the intervertebral disc, to stimulate a pro-inflammatory environment and alter the mechanical integrity and tensile properties of a rat tail annulus fibrosus.
Sixty whole annulus fibrosus samples were dissected from 15 rat tails. The samples were randomized into three culture conditions: i) control – standard media (n=20); ii) low dose – 0.5µg/mL standard+decorin (n=20); iii) high dose – 5µg/mL standard+decorin (n=20). All samples were cultured in an incubator for 6 days and then mechanically tested via a tensile mechanical testing system (BioTester, Cellscale, Waterloo, ON.). Various tensile mechanical properties were analyzed including, tissue stiffness, stress (MPa) and strain (%) at the end of the toe region, at initial failure, and at ultimate tensile strength.
No significant findings for disc mechanics were observed in this study. Although a visible and reoccurring trend of increasing strength was seen in response to increasing decorin concentration, contrary to what was hypothesized. ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kits were used to determine the concentration of three proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-2) in culture media collected at day 6. The main effect of MIP-2 concentration was found to be significantly greater for the control condition compared to the high dose condition (p=0.009), contrary to what was expected.
Decorin did not significantly alter disc mechanics in an isolated and free-floating rat tail annulus fibrosus, however, a consistent trend of increased strength with increased decorin concentration was seen. Although there are many possible reasons for the lack of significant findings with respect to mechanics, one possible reason is that decorin did not create the inflammatory environment that was expected. In fact, based on the finding of MIP-2 concentration, decorin conditions may have even been less inflammatory. It is possible that annular cell death (loss of cell viability) occurred, either due to the long incubation period, or concentrations of decorin utilized, although this was not confirmed. Future work is necessary to investigate the relationship between decorin concentration and mechanical properties, however, a shorter incubation period is suggested
Employees’ Reactions to Their Supervisors’ (Lack of) Discretionary Adjustments in Performance Evaluations
Get PDFThe purpose of my dissertation is to investigate how employees react to their supervisors’ decisions not to use ex-post discretionary adjustments to mitigate the effects that negative unexpected events have on their bonuses. To address this objective, I pose the following research question: Will the level of interdependence inherent within the compensation of multiple employees (i.e., compensation interdependence) and the likelihood the event will reoccur (i.e., future event likelihood) affect employees’ reactions (future effort and workplace deviance) when they don’t receive ex-post discretionary adjustments to mitigate the effects of negative events?
I address my research question using an experiment where I vary the level of compensation interdependence (absent vs. present) and future event likelihood (low vs. high) while observing how employees react to not receiving an ex-post discretionary adjustment. I find that employees decrease their future effort and increase their workplace deviance behavior more when compensation interdependence is absent than when it is present but only when future event likelihood is low and not when it is high. I also find that employees’ distributive justice evaluations are lower and adjustment expectations are higher when compensation interdependence is absent than when it is present but once again only when future event likelihood is low and not when it is high.
My dissertation contributes to existing literature. First, while existing research examines how supervisors make ex-post discretionary adjustment decisions based on external factors and management control features, my study examine employees’ reactions to these decisions. Second, my dissertation contributes to existing research that examines how supervisors’ use of ex-post discretionary adjustments affect employees’ justice evaluations and future effort. I find that employees evaluate multiple factors simultaneously when reacting to these decisions
Comparison of permafrost thaw-related changes to hydrological response and land cover in subarctic peatland-dominated landscapes
Get PDFThe hydrological implications of discontinuous permafrost thaw in peatland-dominated basins are not well understood. While there is evidence suggesting that permafrost-thaw-driven land cover change increases annual runoff and the runoff ratio in the Taiga Plains of northwestern Canada, few studies have evaluated the impact on small to medium-sized basins (\u3c 105 km2) outside this ecoregion. Here, we assess runoff, runoff ratio, and precipitation trends for 34 peatland-dominated basins, of which 28 are in the discontinuous and sporadic permafrost zones and 6 in adjacent permafrost-free environments. We calculated annual and monthly trends between 1970 and 2016 using the Mann-Kendall test and found that annual runoff, runoff ratio, and precipitation increased significantly in 25%, 16%, and 13% of basins respectively, at a 5% significance level, and decreased significantly in 3%, 19%, and 9% of basins, respectively. Increased annual runoff ratios occurred exclusively in basins overlying permafrost, while increases and decreases in annual runoff and precipitation were found in both permafrost and permafrost-free basins. Increases in annual runoff and runoff ratio occurred independently of precipitation changes in only the Taiga Plains and the Western Siberian Plain. Runoff during winter increased significantly in all ecoregions and occurred independently of the areal extent of permafrost, although the magnitude of these increases was small compared with those of April and May.
The Hudson Plains, Canada is one of the largest, undisturbed peatland regions (370,000 km2) in the world. Air temperature in the Hudson Plains is increasing rapidly leading to unprecedented permafrost thaw. The region’s remoteness has hindered our knowledge of how permafrost thaw alters peatland land cover and hydrological response. However, such relationships have been intensively studied in the Taiga Plains of northwestern Canada and have demonstrated that the thaw and subsidence of permafrost peatlands in sporadic (30% – 80% areal) permafrost zone and quantify land cover changes over 40 years using multiple remote sensing datasets (lidar, air photographs, and high-resolution satellite imagery). We then evaluate these landscapes at a fundamental hydrological unit, the peatland complex, identify five peatland complexes, and conceptualize their potential hydrologic response using circuitry analogs. We partitioned peatland complexes into their component peatland forms (e.g., permafrost peatland, bog, fen) and represented each using an electrical component (e.g., generator, switch, conductor). Using this approach, we suggest a 60 km latitudinal segment (54.5 ° N – 54.9 ° N) where peatland complexes are most vulnerable to permafrost-thaw-induced land cover and hydrological change.
We compared trends in temperature, hydrology, and land cover between 1980 and 2019 at two peatland-dominated basins in the zone of discontinuous permafrost, Angling River, where no changes to runoff ratio (total annual runoff/ total annual precipitation) had previously been detected and Jean-Marie River, where increases to hydrological response had previously been detected. We used the Mann-Kendall test to assess runoff, precipitation, and runoff ratio trends. To assess changes to land cover, we estimated Theil-Sen slopes on a collection of Landsat scenes for which Tasseled Cap indices of brightness, greenness, and wetness were calculated. We found that between 1980 and 2019, the mean annual air temperature in the Jean-Marie River basin remained warmer and is presently closer to 0 °C than in the Angling River basin. While no statistically significant annual runoff, runoff ratio, or precipitation trends were found in the Angling River basin, some evidence suggests a recent increase in runoff ratio. Overall, between 1980 and 2019 we found statistically significant increases in annual runoff and runoff ratio in Jean-Marie River, however, elevated annual runoff and runoff ratios exclusively occurred from 1996 through 2012. Since 2012, annual runoff and runoff ratios have not been substantially different than those before 1996. Although we found evidence of permafrost thaw in the Angling basin, slopes of Tasseled Cap indices indicated that vegetation growth and tundra greening were the main land cover changes. While in Jean-Marie, slopes of Tasseled Cap indices demonstrated a mixture of wetting, drying, and vegetation growth, processes associated with permafrost-thaw-related disturbances
“To be involved in a meaningful way”: Mobilizing Indigenous Knowledge in Environmental Monitoring Practices in Northern Ontario
Get PDFA steady shift in the environmental management literature encourages greater inclusion of traditional knowledge (TK) alongside Western science, much of it seeking to directly support Indigenous communities develop their own frameworks for environmental monitoring and stewardship. To date, little attention has been placed on research practices themselves as sites where interdisciplinary and intercultural work takes place to bridge between different knowledge systems and develop best practices for effective collaboration. Matawa Water Futures (MWF), the object of study for this thesis project, is a three-year water stewardship project involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, environmental managers, and community interns, working with the nine member communities of Matawa First Nations in northern Ontario to establish a framework for water monitoring and stewardship based in Indigenous TK. Using ethnographic methods, this research addresses the shifts in ways of thinking necessary to bridge knowledge systems for environmental monitoring, the discursive practices mobilized around TK in relation to science, and the practical implications of these shifts in perception and discourse for efforts to establish Indigenous-informed approaches to environmental management. This research argues that the MWF project reflects a shift away from a hierarchical dynamic of power/knowledge towards a more horizontal space of interaction between Indigenous and Western knowledge, and to also assert Indigenous governance in relation to the environment
Mechanistic Studies of CO2 Electrochemical Reduction (CO2ER) on Cu and CuO Nanoparticles with In-Situ ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy
Get PDFGlobal climate change is a major challenge facing the world in the 21st century. This environmental crisis originated from excess amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) released from burning fossil fuels. One promising remediation method to decrease atmospheric CO2 levels is called carbon dioxide electrochemical reduction (CO2ER). In CO2ER, the CO2 gas undergoes chemical reduction to other hydrocarbon fuels. For CO2ER to take place, an energy source and a catalyst are needed. In this thesis, three aspects of CO2ER were investigated using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with other surface sensitive characterization tools. First, we studied the surface chemistry of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles with major CO2ER intermediates, formate (HCOO-), bicarbonate (HCO3-), and acetate (CH3COO-). We quantified the adsorption and desorption mechanisms of each intermediate in-situ and in real time under CO2ER experimental conditions (Langmuir, 2022, 38(48), 14789). The second aspect of this thesis was examining the photochemical reactivity of CuO nanoparticles mixed with Ag nanoparticles in converting surface species of CO2ER intermediates to products. The last part of this thesis involved the use of a novel spectroelectrochemical (SEC) cell to directly monitor surface species during electrochemical experiments on Cu-coated electrodes. Major results from this thesis are (1) CO2ER intermediates form mostly outer-sphere complexes with CuO nanoparticles highlighting the importance of hydrogen bonding to the CO2ER mechanism, (2) No positive effect of plasmonic properties were observed by the addition of commercial polydispersed Ag nanoparticles to CuO, and (3) the use of the SEC is highly promising to bridge the gap between IR spectroscopy and electrochemistry and gain mechanistic insights into surface processes