Safeguard programs and mandatory mental health checks in Canadian police agencies: history, trends, and future directions

This paper traces the emergence of Safeguard programs in Canadian police agencies and explores the research and methods of delivering routine, mandatory mental health check-ups to sworn and civilian personnel in positions with frequent exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic content or situations. A definition for Safeguards is proposed and future directions for police leaders and research are discussed

Experimental characterization and machine learning optimization of polymer nanocomposite membranes for carbon capture systems

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Petroleum Systems Engineering , University of Regina. xx, 288 p.The study aimed to characterize the CO2 capture capabilities of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanocomposite membranes by reinforcing them with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and silica (SiO2). These membranes were made using the electrospinning manufacturing method. The nanoparticles were functionalized using Gum Arabic (GA) to improve nanoparticle distribution, which further improved the capture efficiency. The morphological techniques were used to examine the nanoparticle structures after functionalization to optimize the functionalization parameters. Experimental results showed that increasing nanoparticle concentrations enhanced CO2 permeability while maintaining stable N2 permeability, resulting in favourable CO2/N2 selectivity ratios. The 4 wt. % MWCNTs nanocomposite membrane exhibited the best CO2/N2 separation with a CO2 permeability of 289.4 Barrer and a selectivity of 6.3, while the 7 wt.% SiO2 nanocomposite membrane achieved a CO2 permeability of 325 Barrer and a selectivity of 7. These results indicated significant CO2 permeability and selectivity improvements compared to pure PAN membrane. The Maxwell mathematical model was used for validation, and the experimental results exceeded the predicted values, possibly due to well-dispersed nanoparticles and functional groups. Based on the CO2 capturing results from the previous experiments, a second experiment study focused on enhancing the CO2 capture capabilities of PAN membranes by modifying them with polyethyleneimine (PEI), a polymer with high CO2 absorption capacity. PAN was modified with three weight fractions of PEI (25%, 40%, and 50%) and then reinforced with various weight fractions of MWCNT, SiO2, and alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles. The reinforced PAN-PEI nanocomposite membranes were produced using an electrospinning technique. The morphological characterization techniques confirmed that the PEI has effectively modified PAN polymer, which has improved the distribution of nanoparticles within the nanocomposite membranes. Gas permeation tests revealed that the 40 wt.% PEI-modified membrane achieved the best CO2/N2 separation, with a CO2 permeability of 509.4 Barrer and selectivity of 7.4. The PAN with 40% PEI was then reinforced with 1, 4, 7, and 10 wt. % nanoparticles and the highest performance was observed with 7 wt.% Al2O3, resulting in a CO2 permeability of 849 Barrer and selectivity of 9.6. The results were validated using mathematical models (Resistant Model Approach and Effective Medium Approach), confirming the effectiveness of nanoparticle infusion for CO2 separation. Finally, this research developed and applied three machine learning (ML) techniques, Deep Neural Networks (DNN), Random Forest (RF), and XGBoost models, to analyze the CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 selectivity of nanocomposite membranes. The datasets for CO2/N2 separation were sourced from our experimental results and the published experimental data available in the literature. Key performance metrics such as polymer type, nanofiller type, size, loading amount, membrane surface area and thickness, temperature, and feed pressure were analyzed. Feature importance plots provided insights into the most influential parameters for the material design. The study involved hyperparameter tuning of the DNN, RF, and XGBoost models to achieve optimal performance. Each model was tested using literature data and combined experimental and literature data to validate the models and assess the impact of incorporating experimental data. Performance metrics were evaluated to establish the research's credibility and generalizability. The XGBoost optimized ML model achieved the best prediction performance, with R2 values of 0.93 for CO2 permeability and 0.83 for CO2/N2 selectivity, highlighting the effectiveness of using ML for optimizing nanocomposite membranes.Studentye

Adults' awareness of coaching in child sexual abuse cases

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology, University of Regina. 50 p.Child sexual abuse (CSA) victims often withhold disclosure due to the perpetrator coachin

COVID-19-associated impacts on the mental health of canadian adults in the late pandemic period

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology, University of Regina. 31 p.During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, research in Canada reported increased rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal ideation. Pandemic impacts, including infection or hospitalization of oneself or a loved one or death of a loved one, have been associated with negative mental health symptoms. Most research investigating COVID-19 impacts on Canadian mental health collected data during the height of the pandemic (2020-2021), with less research from 2022 and early 2023. Moreover, most research focuses on specific populations (e.g., healthcare workers) and not on the general Canadian adult population. The present study aims to address these research gaps by exploring COVID-19-associated mental health impacts on the general Canadian adult population within the late stage of the pandemic. Cross-sectional data from Statistics Canada’s Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH) Cycle 3 (Feb. 23–May 31, 2023) will be used, which invited 36,000 households to participate and resulted in a 46.5% response rate. The SCMH uses the PHQ-9, GAD-7 and PCL-5 to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD (respectfully), and a single question regarding suicidal ideation. The primary research objective is to investigate if a COVID-19 diagnosis is positively associated with significant symptoms of MDD, GAD, PTSD, suicidal ideation, emotional distress, loneliness, or increased alcohol and cannabis use. As a secondary research objective, we will explore if being diagnosed with COVID-19 will be negatively associated with protective factors—the measures of happiness, community belonging, social support, behavioural health, and mastery of control. Data was accessed and analyzed at the Regina Research Data Centre (RDC) using the program STATA. Descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, crosstabulations, and chi-square tests of independence were used to explore demographic characteristics and our research objectives. It was found that having been diagnosed with COVID-19 was significantly associated with greater scores on measures of mental health disorders, and with lower scores on the protective factor measures, compared to not having been diagnosed with COVID-19. It was also found that a significant proportion of the sample screened positive for each of the mental health disorders that were assessed, with a slightly larger proportion screening positive among those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Additionally, a significant proportion of the respondents experienced each of the nine COVID-19 impacts that were assessed in the SCMH, aside from hospitalization. The results of this study will help inform the degree to which COVID-19 pandemic impacts influenced specific mental health symptoms within the late stage of the pandemic, providing a more comprehensive picture of the pandemic’s influence on mental health across its duration

PeerOnCall: Evaluating Implementation of App-Based Peer Support in Canadian Public Safety Organizations

© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Public safety personnel (PSP), including correctional workers, firefighters, paramedics, police, and public safety communicators, are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress injury, yet face barriers in receiving timely support. Mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) offer promising avenues for confidential, on-demand access to relevant information and support. The purpose of this study was to assess implementation of PeerOnCall, a new mHealth platform designed by and for PSP (the platform includes two parallel apps: one for frontline workers and one for peer support providers). A multi-site mixed methods implementation trial was conducted over 3−6 months in 42 public safety organizations across Canada. App usage trends were tracked through software analytics, and facilitators and barriers to app use were explored via interviews with organizational champions. Over 11,300 employees across 42 organizations were invited to use the PeerOnCall app over the trial period, with approximately 1759 PSP (15% of total) downloading the app. Variation within and across sectors was evident in app downloads and feature use. Approaches to communication (mode, timing, and messenger), and organizational culture related to mental health and help outreach affected uptake levels. PeerOnCall is a promising tool to facilitate access to peer support; however, culturally relevant strategies are needed to overcome barriers and integrate this tool into workplace practices.This research was funded by Movember (P-000231), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (2122-HQ-000406). The APC was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, RCP-179573)

Indigenization of nursing education programs in Saskatchewan: A critical discourse analysis

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Studies, University of Regina. xii, 365 p.The nursing academy, motivated by the release of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action in 2015, has unequivocally declared support for and commitment to Indigenization. However, the way Indigenization is defined and operationalized in the nursing academy is varied and sometimes contested. Situated within the context of colonialism in the Canadian healthcare system and nursing education, this study aimed to unpack the conceptualization of Indigenization using the undergraduate nursing programs in the province of Saskatchewan as a focus of the research. To conceptualize Indigenization in the nursing programs, I explored the following three questions: How do the strategic plans of these undergraduate nursing programs conceptualize Indigenization? What are the experiences or practices of nursing program staff in implementing Indigenization within their programs? How do the discourse found in texts and staff experiences or practices sustain, reproduce, or transform existing power structures in the programs? Using Spivak’s (2009) theory of the deconstruction of marginality as the overarching framework, I examined the strategic plans of the three undergraduate nursing programs in Saskatchewan including their parent institutions—University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. I also interviewed a total of seven nursing staff members from the three programs to gain an understanding of their practices of Indigenization. I analyzed the strategic plans and interviews using a qualitative analysis approach informed by Lune and Berg (2017) and Fairclough’s (2016) dialectical-relational approach to critical discourse analysis. Through the study, I establish that the discourse of the strategic plans of nursing education programs in Saskatchewan consists of four constructs of Indigenization: Indigenous inclusion, relationship, reconciliation, and decolonization. Indigenous inclusion consists of creating space, i.e., making the learning environment physically and culturally welcoming; incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing; and supporting Indigenous students, faculty, and staff. Relationship is characterized by mutuality and reciprocity, Treaty land acknowledgements, and collaboration and engagement with Indigenous communities. Reconciliation is manifest in institutional declarations that all members of the community, especially non-Indigenous ones, bear responsibility to take up the TRC’s Calls to Action. Decolonization is defined in the strategic plans; however, the plans do not describe how to achieve it. The findings show that when the four constructs are presented as interchangeable processes, nursing education programs run the risk of de-emphasizing each of these constructs as unique—albeit interrelated—processes to achieve the overall goals of Indigenization. The study shows that the nursing program staff tend to favour Indigenous inclusion and building relationships over reconciliation and decolonization. The practices of nursing program faculty and staff also reveal conditions that foster Indigenization as well as its benefits and challenges. The research further shows how the nursing programs are addressing the ongoing impacts of colonization by centering marginalized Indigenous Knowledges and systems. However, it also reveals tensions and contestations including the fact that not every nursing program faculty and staff are receptive to Indigenization. I conclude by discussing implications of the research—the importance of explicitly defining Indigenization and its goals for deconstructing politics and practices in the nursing programs, and for examining racism as an ongoing problem in nursing education. Through this study, I invite members of the nursing academy to take a deconstructive lens to their everyday practices of Indigenization. Keywords: Indigenization, decolonization, reconciliation, colonialism, nursing, racismStudentye

Non-traditional sources of critical minerals from the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geology, University of Regina. xxviii, 305 p.The material demands of the energy transition will be immense, requiring new sources of critical metals required in clean energy technologies. Among the most important of these are the rare earth elements (REE) and lithium (Li). The REE, which include the lanthanide elements and yttrium (Y), are currently produced from peralkaline igneous complexes, carbonatites, or ion-adsorption clay deposits and are prized for their unique chemical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. Their primary importance in the energy transition is their necessity in permanent magnets for wind turbines and electric vehicles. Conversely, Li is the lightest metal on the periodic table and is currently produced from pegmatites and continental brine deposits. It has the highest energy density among all metals and is therefore crucial in electric vehicle and grid storage batteries and is projected to have the largest increase in demand among all critical metals. Meeting the demand for these metals can be difficult since REE and Li ore deposits are rare and unevenly distributed globally which can lead to domestic supply concerns, exploration can be difficult, and production can be expensive and fraught with numerous environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns. In light of these factors, new sources of these metals are gaining prominence including waste from industrial processes and those from previously overlooked geological environments. This research seeks to increase the understanding and assess the resource potential of critical minerals from non-traditional sources of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) with a focus on REE from coal combustion by-products (CCBs) and Li from basinal brines. The first phase of this work used machine learning to identify geochemical indicators of REE enrichment in sedimentary strata which can be used to predict where elevated abundances may be found and to inform supplementary sampling programs. It was found that REE were most associated with Th, Nb, and P and enriched in fine-grained clastic lithologies (i.e. shales and mudstones). As a result, the effects of clay minerals on REE transport and deposition were then studied via geochemical modelling and synchrotron x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Next, the REE potential of Alberta and Saskatchewan CCBs were assessed through geochemical, machine learning, and XAS methods. REE concentrations were comparable to those of other CCBs globally while similar geochemical relationships were identified as in the machine learning study. Leaching experiments and sequential extractions indicated that REE in the Ca-rich Poplar River ashes were most easily leached into solution, while XAS analyses found the REE were hosted in silicate and phosphate mineral phases that were transferred from the coals to the CCBs during combustion. The third phase studied the critical metal potential of WCSB basinal brines. While REE do not occur in economic abundances, Li concentrations across the basin can regularly exceed the economic threshold (~75 mg/L). However, the source of Li is poorly understood. Based on an increasing body of evidence, in-situ water-rock interactions are proposed to be the major process supplying Li to the brines. These findings can be incorporated into a broader deposit model which can aid exploration across the basin. This work is an important step in realizing the vast mineral potential that may occur in previously underexplored sources from the WCSB which can play a crucial role in providing the raw materials necessary for the transition away from carbon-intensive energy systems and mitigating future anthropogenic climate driven changes to the Earth system while providing new economic and employment opportunities.Studentye

‘My spirit is fed’: Exploring land-based, culturally appropriate active living strategies to facilitate holistic well-being among on-reserved youth: A Smart Platform study

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy, University of Regina. xii, 146 p.A constructivist grounded theory approach with an Indigenous lens was used for a qualitative analysis of questions on culture, mental health, physical activity, and land-based activities. This analysis was undertaken as a part of the Smart Platform: Smart Indigenous Youth (SIY) project. The goals of the SIY were to increase physical activity using a cultural land-based active living intervention along with a technological component through an app. This thesis focused on the impact of the intervention on the mental health of on-reserve Indigenous youth in southern Saskatchewan; eleven on-reserve Indigenous youth shared their perceptions in focus groups before and after participating in the land-based intervention and thematic data analysis was performed. Themes included keeping culture going, community and cultural aspects of physical activity, and the importance of schools as key locations for reconnecting with culture. A theory of Indigenous identity was developed to provide insight into the complicated aspects in reconnecting with culture, especially the pressure, obligation, and responsibility that Indigenous youth feel towards passing on Indigenous culture. A notable finding was the improvement in mental health reported by participants after participating in the land-based intervention. Policy recommendations include the importance of early childhood access to cultural programs, the necessity of a mental health component as a part of land-based programs, and the need for inclusivity in land-based program teachings.Studentye

Why aquatic deoxygenation belongs in the planetary boundary framework

This work was supported by the Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Scholar Program at UC Santa Cruz with in kind support from the Kroeker Lab (EMF), a Chancellor’s Research Fellowship at the University of Technology Sydney (AKP), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (PRL), and a Society of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Notre Dame (SFJ)

Flue gas pretreatment method for removal of SO2 for solvent-based post-combustion carbon dioxide capture

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science in Process Systems Engineering, University of Regina. xiii, 99 p.There is no doubt that our current best bet to significantly reduce the carbon footprint in the atmosphere while buying us the time to shift from our over-dependence on fossil fuels to greener/cleaner energies is the amine-based post-combustion carbon capture process (PCC). Nevertheless, amidst advances in amine-based PCC technology and its well-known reputation in CO2 capture, flue gas impurities (SO2 and NO2) cause much harm to the capturing efficiency and render the absorbing solvent unable to stand the test of time (degradation). Conventional pretreatment technologies such as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), Selective Non-catalytic Reduction (SNCR), and Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) are employed in industries to control SO2 and NO2 emissions. However, with the deployment of these pollutant removal technologies, residual quantities of SO2 and NO2 remain in the flue gas entering the carbon capture system. As a result, to optimize the performance of aminebased CO2 capture systems, it is essential to develop effective pretreatment methods that enable the removal of SO2 and NO2 from flue gas before carbon capture with amine solvents. For this reason, the present study was set forth to provide a novel solution to the detrimental effect of SO2 on the amine-based post-combustion carbon capture process. To selectively remove SO2 from a flue gas stream, an inexpensive deep eutectic solvent (Im:EG) of mild pH (8.42) composed of Imidazole (Im) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) was developed. The physicochemical properties such as density and viscosity were determined at 50 ℃ were 1.09090 −3 and 6.258 mPa.s respectively. The absorption-desorption behavior of Im:EG DES was studied at the bench-scale level using a simulated flue gas composed of 10.2 ppm SO2 (10.1% O2, N2 balance) The results showed that Im:EG DES maintained a good absorption-desorption behavior for three continuous cycles. For example, the absorption capacities of Im:EG DES (μg/l), stood at 2.88, 2.85, 2.85, which indicates an excellent regeneration ability and a good cyclic capacity. Additionally, the effect of desorption temperature on the initial rate of SO2 desorption, cyclic capacity, and the amount of desorbed SO2 was investigated from 70 ℃ to 100 ℃, at increments of 10 ℃. The outcome showed a positive correlation between temperature, the initial rate of SO2 desorption, cyclic capacity, and the total amount of SO2 desorbed, such that the desorption process was thermally activated and conforms well with thermodynamic principles. Also, the results from the kinetic analysis showed that the desorption reaction order was 4.0, and the minimum energy required to trigger SO2 desorption from Im:EG DES was 60.65 kJ/mol. Finally, based on experimental results and the chemical properties of Im:EG DES, it was inferred that Im:EG DES effectively removed SO2 from the gas stream through H-bonding and electrophile–nucleophile interactions.Studentye