Tag Archives: British Columbia

Featured Dissertation: Access, barriers and role of transit for homeless shelter residents in Surrey, British Columbia

By Peter Greenwell

https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/handle/1828/12361

A PhD dissertation in the Social Dimensions of Health program.

Abstract:

In this research, I examine the mediating role of transit and the mobility needs and experience of individuals who are homeless in the suburban community of Surrey, BC. I have used Harvey’s (2005) conception of social spatial sorting as a means of understanding the suburbanization of poverty and Galtung’s structural violence (1969) as a means of understanding the experience of homeless transit access. I employed a multiple case study, using semi-structured interviews, with residents and staff of three homeless shelters, located in three distinct neighbourhoods in Surrey. A cross-case analysis of the interview data was undertaken, to draw conclusions and recommendations for policy development and research concerning the transit needs of people who are homeless. To provide a policy context, a review of existing transit access programs available for people who are homeless and/or low-income is presented demonstrating the range of criteria and best practices. Four dimensions of transit access were identified by residents and staff: physical, temporal, social and financial (Kenyon et al., 2003). Residents had the most constrained agency (Coe & Jordhus-Lier et al., 2010) in relation to the physical and temporal dimensions, so that these dimensions became the most problematic in this suburban context. The importance of considering and understanding the geographic context of shelters and potential impacts on mobility and social inclusion for shelter residents, exiting from homelessness, are demonstrated.

To read more, visit UVicSpace

*UVic’s open access repository, UVicspace, makes worldwide knowledge mobilization possible. Through this platform, researchers at any institution have access to dissertations (and theses and graduate projects) published by our graduate students. This also makes works available to the interested layperson, who may be engaged in learning more about the research being done at UVic, with no paywall. UVic’s graduate students are doing valuable research every day – but sometimes it goes unsung. Our goal with this series is to shine a light on our students by featuring excellence, one achievement at a time.

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How Better Toxic Drug Alerts Could Save Lives

November 19, 2020 | The Tyee via UVic News

In a recent Tyee article, Bruce Wallace, of the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), commented on BC’s Toxic Drug Alert System.

“We haven’t really figured out a way to convey that information that can be really useful for people who will be able to use it without also providing another disservice, and that disservice is basically how drug alerts can also feed into ongoing drug scares,” said Bruce Wallace, a scientist with the institute and associate professor at UVic.

Dr. Wallace’s research “focuses on substance use and harm reduction, poverty and homelessness and access to health care, including dental care. He is an engaged scholar with many years of community-based research in Victoria employing health equity and social justice approaches to his projects.” He has also published open access articles in relation to his previous research. They are available in the University of Victoria’s institutional repository, UVicSpace. We encourage you to visit UVicSpace to browse and read more of his work.

Featured thesis: Evaluating habitat use of female moose in response to large scale salvage logging practices

By Alexandra Francis

https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/handle/1828/12093

An M.Sc. thesis in the School of Environmental Studies.

Abstract:

Global biodiversity is in decline as a result of unprecedented human alterations to the earth’s land cover. Understanding the ecological mechanisms of these large-scale changes in biodiversity is imperative in furthering our knowledge on the effects these alterations may have on animal behaviour and consequently on populations, allowing researchers and managers to effectively conserve species. During the last decade, there have been reports of moose populations both increasing and decreasing in North America due to a variety of factors (e.g., climate change, habitat disturbance, disease, etc.). Within British Columbia, wildlife managers have reported moose population declines of up to 50 – 70%, while other areas have remained stable. These changes have coincided, spatially and temporally, with the largest recorded mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak. The outbreak resulted in extensive logging and road building in attempts to recover economic value from the beetle killed trees, resulting in drastic changes to the landscape. Understanding the effects that a highly disturbed landscape has on a species is critical for effective management and conservation. To investigate this, I examined the seasonal response of female moose to landscape change caused by the Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak and attendant salvage logging infrastructure in the Interior of British Columbia on the Bonaparte Plateau. First, I used a cluster analysis framework to develop biologically relevant seasons for female moose using individual movement and habitat use. I then used this temporal framework to develop seasonal home ranges for each individual moose. Second, I modeled the seasonal habitat selection of female moose to examine how moose respond to salvage logging infrastructure (i.e., dense road network and extensive cutblocks) using resource selection functions in an information-theoretic framework. We tested whether predation risk, forage availability or the cumulative effects of salvage logging best predicted moose space-use. Moose movement data clustered into five biologically relevant seasons, which were consistent with our biological and ecological knowledge of moose in the study area; however, these seasons and the size of the range differed from other seasons defined using alternative methods in the region. Across all seasons, the cumulative effects of forage availability and risk best predicted female moose distribution. In the calving and fall seasons, the top risk model best predicted moose habitat selection while the top forage availability model better explained moose habitat selection in spring, summer, and winter. Our results identified the importance of defining biological seasons using empirical data and how these seasons can differ from arbitrarily defined seasons, as well as the implications these can have in subsequent analysis and management. Additionally, we found that moose are seasonally trading the benefits of foraging for predation risk in these highly disturbed landscapes, using some aspects of salvage logging. My results bring perspective on how moose are using a highly disturbed landscape at the seasonal scale and a nuanced approach to landscape management.

To read more, visit UVicSpace

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Featured Dissertation: Managing the eroding public health nurse role

“When it is no longer your call”, a PhD dissertation in the School of Nursing, by Megan Elise Kirk

https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/handle/1828/11785

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to explain how public health renewal has shaped public health nursing practice, how public health nurses have managed these changes, and the perceived impact of such changes on health outcomes. I used the grounded theory method to develop a theoretical explanation of how public health nurses navigated the changing organizational milieu in British Columbia. I interviewed 29 public health nurses and three public health nursing managers in three health authorities to explicate the impact of healthcare reform initiatives on public health nurses and public health nursing practice. Over the last few decades, there have been several organizational and policy changes in British Columbia, intended to strengthen the health system and health service delivery. These changes have eroded the nature of the public health nurse role and negatively influenced public health nursing practice, undermining the ability of public health nurses to improve population health and health equity. Many participants were concerned about changes in their practice and reported that leaders restricted their role, particularly in their broad health promotion and community development efforts. Nurses in this study highlighted specific organizational and policy changes that have undermined their effectiveness. For example, nurses talked about cuts to the public health budget, the disbanding of health unit structures, the appointment of leaders who lacked public health or public health nursing knowledge and experience, and the increase in mandated targeted public health nursing programs with a corresponding decrease in universal programs. As a result, participants engaged in the process of managing the eroding of the public health nurse role, which comprises five strategies. In standing tall, a number of nurses in this study advocated for their practice and pushed back against decisions that jeopardized the quality of public health nursing programs and services with varying degrees of force. Public health nurse participants also worked within organizational expectations and constraints in the process of getting by. In going underground, several public health nurses engaged in various activities in secret by harnessing their community connections and attended to community issues they believed went unaddressed. A number of nurses, dissatisfied by the state of their role, were contemplating getting out and considered other employment possibilities. Throughout the process of navigating external changes affecting practice, many nurses restored their dedication to the public health nurse role in reaffirming commitment. Given the limited research exploring the impact of healthcare reform and public health renewal on public health nursing practice, this research helps to provide an initial glimpse into the effects of such change on public health nurses in British Columbia.

To read more, visit UVicSpace https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/handle/1828/11785

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Featured Thesis: Predicting retention of diluted bitumen in marine shoreline sediments, Southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

This 2017 M.Sc. in Geography thesis discusses diluted bitumen (dilbit) shoreline retention for southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia

by Lee Allen Sean Britton

Abstract:

Canada has become increasingly economically dependent on the exportation of bitumen to trans-oceanic international markets. As the export of Alberta bitumen from ports located in British Columbia increases, oil spill response and readiness measures become increasingly important. Although the frequency of ship-source oil spills has dramatically declined over the past several decades, they remain environmentally devastating when they occur. In the event of a marine spill, great lengths of shoreline are at risk of being contaminated. Once ashore, oil can persist for decades if shoreline hydraulic conditions are correct and remediation does not occur. Most commonly transported oils (e.g., fuel oils, Bunker C, crude oil, etc.) have been thoroughly studied, and their fate and behaviour in the event of a marine spill is well understood. In contrast, because diluted bitumen has been historically traded in relatively low quantities and has almost no spill history, there is a sizable knowledge gap regarding its effects and behaviour in both the marine environment and on coastal shorelines. The intent of this thesis was to develop a classification scheme to identify marine shorelines of high and low diluted bitumen (dilbit) retention for southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This study builds upon the outcome of former laboratory bench top dilbit and sediment research known as Bitumen Experiments (Bit_Ex). Bit_Ex investigated dilbit penetration and retention in six engineered sediment classifications ranging from coarse sand to very large pebble in accordance with the Wentworth Classification scheme. This research used Bit_Ex findings to predict dilbit retention in poorly sorted in-situ beach sediments found on shorelines representative of the southern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Field and laboratory measurements were conducted to document the occurrence of in-situ shoreline sediments and hydraulic conditions and were used to predict dilbit retention by comparing such characteristics between Bit_Ex and unconsolidated in-situ beach sediments. Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) was measured using a double-ring constant-head infiltrometer. Measured Ks values were then compared to predicted Ks values generated by five semi-empirical Ks equations. A modified version of the Hazen Approximation was selected as the most appropriate. Using measured and calculated metrics, sediments were grouped as having either low or high dilbit retention. When sediments were analysed as homogenous samples, the experimental results suggested two of ten shorelines were composed of a combination of low and high retention sections, while the remaining eight sites were of low retention. Upon the isolation of coarse surface strata, results indicated two shorelines were entirely veneered with high retention sediments, and four shorelines were a combination of high and low retention. The residual four shorelines were found to be entirely composed of low retention sediments. The results illuminate the importance of shoreline stratification when predicting shoreline oil retention. This characteristic is a factor that current shoreline oil retention mapping techniques do not adequately consider. Additionally, the findings suggest that while sediments indicative of retaining weathered dilbit are relatively uncommon within Juan de Fuca and Harro Straits, high retention unweathered dilbit sediments are more common.

To read more, visit UVicSpace https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/handle/1828/8917

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Featured Thesis: Chinese Religious Life in Victoria, BC 1858-1930

This M.A. History thesis details the religious interactions between traditional Chinese culture and Victoria’s mainstream society in the early days of the city.

Chinese Religious Life in Victoria, BC 1858-1930

by Liang Han

Abstract:

Between 1858 and 1930, Victoria’s Chinese immigrants brought their homeland religions to the Canadian city of Victoria BC. They experienced a broad range of challenges as they attempted to fit into the mainstream society. This continual struggle affected their religious lives in particular as they sought to adjust in ways that helped them deal with racial discrimination. As a result, Chinese folk religions, especially those emphasizing ancestral worship, became intertwined with local Chinese associations as a way of strengthening the emotional connections between association members. Some associations broadened their membership by adding ancestral deities or worshiping the deity of sworn brotherhood in a bid to create broader connections among the Chinese men who dominated Victoria’s Chinese community. At the same time, Christians, who practiced the religion of Victoria’s mainstream society, reached out to the Chinese, at first by offering practical language training and later by establishing missions and churches that focused on the Chinese. Many Chinese immigrants welcomed English classes and the social opportunities that churches provided but resisted conversion, as the discrimination they faced in mainstream society had left them sceptical about Christianity, which was seen as closely linked to the dominant Western culture. However, Chinese attitudes towards Christianity became more favorable after the 1910s, when the patriotism of Chinese immigrants led them to support revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen and his new Chinese government, which promoted Christianity as a symbol of modernity. In general, the Chinese in Victoria were not especially enthusiastic about religion, whether Chinese folk religion or Christianity, although women were generally more interested in religion than men. Although many Chinese pragmatically sought comfort and assistance from both religions, they followed Confucian orthodoxy in focusing primarily on daily life rather than religious life. At the same time, over the decades between 1858 and 1930 both Chinese folk religion and Christianity affected the Chinese community as this community adopted a mixture of Western and Eastern cultures, including religious elements from both cultures.

To read more, visit UVicSpace https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/handle/1828/11071

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Open Education Resources – New BC professional learning guides to support Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation

“Pulling Together” Series

“Pulling Together” is open professional learning series developed for staff across post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. These guides are the result of the Indigenization Project, a collaboration between BCcampus and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. The project was supported by a steering committee of Indigenous education leaders from BC universities, colleges, and institutes, the First Nations Education Steering Committee, the Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association, and Métis Nation BC. These guides are intended to support the systemic change occurring across post-secondary institutions through Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Published under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International Licence

Titles Include:

Pulling Together: Foundations Guide

Pulling Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers

Pulling Together: A Guide for Teachers and Instructors

Pulling Together: A Guide for Leaders and Administrators

Pulling Together: A Guide for Front-Line Staff, Student Services, and Advisors

Knowing Home 2: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science

May 17, 2019

Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 2 edited by Gloria Snively and Wanosts’a7 Lorna Williams is a newly released open textbook published by the University of Victoria Libraries ePublishing Services.

Knowing Home weaves Indigenous perspectives, worldviews, and wisdom practices into the science curriculum. It provides a window into the scientific knowledge and technological innovations of the Indigenous peoples who live in Northwestern North America, thus providing numerous examples and cases for developing science lessons and curricula. Knowing Home shows how Indigenous perspectives can give insight and guidance as we attempt to solve the complex environmental problems of the 21st century.

Supported by BCcampus OER Grant.

Read Online: https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/knowinghome2/

Free Download: http://hdl.handle.net/1828/10808

Purchase a Copy: https://www.uvicbookstore.ca/general/search?q=9780000105509

Adopt Textbook: https://open.bccampus.ca/use-open-textbooks/tell-us-youre-using-an-open-textbook/