1,720,969 research outputs found
Discrimination and Community Integration Experienced by 2SLGBTQ+ in Perth and Huron Counties, Ontario
Get PDFRural 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and communities face unique challenges in service provision. This study offers recommendations for service provision that aim to enhance support for rural 2SLGBTQ+ populations by addressing both individual and systemic discrimination, while promoting community integration. Using a case study of Peth and Huron Counties, as a predominantly rural region in Ontario, this research employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach, including a thematic literature review, needs assessment surveys, and qualitative interviews. Participants included individuals aged 12 and older who identified as 2SLGBTQ+, service providers in the region, or caregivers of 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Findings highlight the importance of addressing community exclusion and discrimination through service delivery that shapes socio-spatial culture, increases 2SLGBTQ+ visibility, and fosters resilient, supportive communities. The study offers research-informed recommendations to guide policy development and resources allocation for rural service providers supporting 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and communities.Mitac
COVID-19 & Rural Labour Markets: Understanding the Relationships Between Economic and Social Disruptions and its Role on Mental health
No full textCOVID-19 has caused enormous economic and social disruptions that may have lasting effects on employment, income, and working conditions. Concurrently, the diversity and complexity of the labour market have been highlighted, resulting in the need for responses from various disciplines. Often, a policy is based on data collected from large urban centres, neglecting the experience of those from rural and small-town communities. To ensure that policy developed appropriately reflects the realities of all residents, it is critical to ensure that data is collected from rural and small-town communities.This project examines the landscape of COVID-19 in rural and small-town labour markets, particularly the challenges associated with the current and anticipated imbalance in economic activity and the relationship it plays on mental health. Employing a mixed-methods, case-study research design, this report will present data collected from across Huron and Perth Counties, contributing to knowledge generation about mental health services available to employers and employees within rural and small-town communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results highlight the relationship between labour market demands and individual mental health at multiple stages of the workplace (i.e., owner, employee). Results from this research can be used to inform policy and program decisions to support the most appropriate aid possible for rural and small-town communities in relation to their mental health.MitacsGateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Healt
“It Comes Down to What They Value”: Understanding How Energy is Integrated Into Rural Manitoba Land Use Plans
Get PDFCanada is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This requires Canada’s energy systems to transition from fossil fuels towards low emission sources. As this occurs, energy infrastructure will become a predominant land use, especially in rural areas. This poses a challenge for rural municipalities who need to adapt land use planning frameworks to renewable energy. Using a novel plan quality evaluation framework, 57 land use plans and 18 semi-structured interviews were used to assesses the state of energy planning and land use planning integration in rural Manitoba. Results highlight that integration of energy within official plans is poor. However, some communities are creating energy-inclusive plans. These changes are being driven by enthusiastic individuals, termed champions, who are advocates for local sustainability action. While improved funding and changes to provincial policy are needed to overcome capacity barriers, local leaders are critical for enabling rural energy planning.Canadian Graduate ScholarshipUniversity of Guelp
Strengthening Rural Health and Wellbeing in Times of Change: Learning for the Future
Get PDFThis dissertation presents a qualitative study exploring the experiences of rural Northern Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency response to identify strategies to reduce the impact of future disruption. The study introduces a new conceptual framework for governance for health and wellbeing in rural communities. Increasingly frequent emergencies, exacerbated by pre-existing vulnerabilities such as homelessness and food insecurity, are further compounded by structural inequities and limited rural governance capacity for emergency management (EM). Guided by a local advisory committee, this retrospective case study employed a pragmatic, multi-method, sequential qualitative approach. Content analysis of municipal council minutes (6 municipalities, populations <10,000) informed 13 semi-structured interviews with council and staff from 7 municipalities. Additional interviews were conducted with public health agencies (n=6) and organizations involved in the regional pandemic response (n=3). Findings from each phase informed subsequent phases. Recommendations were co-developed through an in-person participatory Structured Interview Matrix workshop (n=13) and further refined using interview data and literature. The study highlights the globalized, multi-level context of EM, rural-specific challenges, and opportunities to enhance EM capacity. Key themes include the impact of health literacy, leadership, and other individual attributes on rural EM. Identified gaps include understanding EM models, evidence, and roles, and strategies are proposed to address these gaps. The public health sector can strengthen rural EM by clarifying mandates and roles, promoting whole-of-society, asset-based approaches, integrating health promotion into EM, improving communication systems, and addressing rural inequities to counter urban-centric biases
Urban is the New Rural: An Exploratory Investigation of Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture in Vancouver, BC
Get PDFUrban agriculture (UA) is a re-emergent issue in the Global North (Lovell, S., 2010; Vitiello, D., Brinkley, C., 2014a; Morgan, K., 2015). Capturing academic attention with social justice and sustainability, UA remains poorly understood (Hendrickson, M., Porth, M., 2012; Vitiello, D., Brinkley, C., 2014b; Opitz, I., et al., 2016). Given the little academic attention on UA in Canada, this research examines the case study of Vancouver, British Columbia. Focusing on themes of social justice, agricultural capacity, and food systems planning, this research investigates measurements to describes UA development and provides data on UA in Canada. This research follows an exploratory mixed methods design. Research begins with a closed-ended quantitative survey with community gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews capturing detail and explanation. Indicating similar results observed elsewhere in literature, poor social justice can be observed. Despite this, strong development of land capacity and water access are also present.University of Guelp
Rural Philanthropy: Mapping Patterns of Charitable Giving in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada's Atlantic Region
No full textPhilanthropy is often considered a core social norm in small, sometimes isolated communities. It manifests in the propensity of local service clubs, church groups, individuals, and entire communities to band together to support those who struggle. This project examines the landscape of environmental non-profits and their relationships to charitable giving, specifically in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), and more broadly across Atlantic Canada. This research uses an exploratory mixed-methods approach. The methods employed in this research include a systematic literature review and jurisdictional scan, secondary statistical analysis of Canada Revenue Agency data, and semi-structured interviews with participants from a pool of environmental charities and non-profits in NL to identify existing patterns of environmental philanthropy in Newfoundland, as well as the benefits, challenges and barriers and faced by environmental organizations and support needed to participate in the sector as a whole.Atlantic Hub of PhiLabPhiLabMcConnell FoundationMitacsUniversity of Guelp
A Comparative Mixed Methods Study on an Integrated Systems Framework of Public Water System Governance in Ontario, Canada
No full textPublic water systems – legislatively defined as municipal-residential drinking water (MRDW) systems in Ontario, Canada – are facing many wicked problems. There is no short-term solution to these wicked problems; the only solution is to better govern these systems over time. However, how do smaller rural municipal entities with diminished technical, financial and managerial capacities accomplish this task? The motivating problem for this comparative mixed methods research program is to understand what governance approaches are better for addressing wicked problems in these smaller rural municipal entities. First, using secondary data analysis (secondary research), the goal was to quantitatively describe the governance of MRDW systems at the provincial level. Second, using four case studies (case research), the goal was to qualitatively describe the governance of MRDW systems at the local level. Subject to data limitations, the main conclusion from the research is that the number of service connections relates to system performance which enables economies-of-scale to be achieved subject to collaborative trade-offs. Main recommendation from the research is that, in terms of the smallest rural municipal entities, these formerly provincially owned systems need provincial ownership or committed funding as current unsustainable.Ontario Ministry of Farming, Agriculture and Agribusiness and Ministry of Rural Affair
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Heritage-led Planning for Rural Community Resilience: Terrace Landscapes in Peru
Get PDFThis exploratory study contributes to the understanding of how rural heritage conservation impacts local community development. In particular, this research considers how the conservation of terraces in the Nor-Yauyos-Cochas landscape reserve and the Potato Park in Peru contributes to community resiliency. This research employs the frameworks of grounded theory, community based participatory research, resiliency, and heritage. Research was conducted entirely online due to COVID-19 and employs three methods: Semi-Structured Key Informant Interviews; Participatory Video; and Collaborative GIS Mapping. The researcher acknowledges her position as a non-Peruvian and non-Spanish speaker and ensured that the research was guided by leaders from Peruvian organizations: The International Potato Centre (CIP) and Association ANDES. Research results indicate that heritage in rural Andean communities in Peru is defined by strong social relationships which are sustained over generations. Results corroborate that terraces contribute to community resilience through increased social bonds, closeness with the environment and economic stability.Ontario Graduate Scholarshi
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