Re/searchers as Co-learners: Life Narratives on Collaborative Re/search in Aboriginal Communities

Our goal is to share our lived experience of the unanticipated learning that occurred during our inquiry into educational issues in Aboriginal communities. What stems from this inquiry is a recognition that re/searchers are co-learners rather than experts. Consequently, we are endeavouring to increase awareness of ethical considerations regarding re/search

CONNECTING COMMUNITY-BASED WATER MONITORING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND STEWARDSHIP IN CANADA

Community-based water monitoring involves the engagement of community volunteers and non-government organization (NGO) staff in monitoring water quality and learning about their local watersheds. When government agencies and NGOs work together to develop these programs, it can increase resources available for monitoring, connect the scientific information to governmental management of watersheds, and promote community-led environmental stewardship. Done effectively, NGOs and government agencies will be better equipped to identify risks and other issues associated with watershed health and assess the success of their restoration activities

Bridging the Gap: Exploring the Potential for Community-based Watershed Monitoring to Enhance Ecosystem Health and Watershed Governance in Canada

Watershed monitoring is an essential component of watershed management; however, widespread federal and provincial decentralization efforts have resulted in reduced government funding for such monitoring. In response, communities are mobilizing to address this deficit in Canada by undertaking a practice called community-based watershed monitoring (CBWM). Although CBWM is being employed to address this gap, monitoring data collected by CBWM organizations remains underutilized by decision-makers in watershed governance. Moreover, CBWM organizations face significant challenges with knowledge exchange due to a lack of rigorous scientific protocols and high organizational turnover. At the same time, decision-makers are experiencing minimal capacity to utilize CBWM data due to restricted mandates and resources. Nonetheless, research suggests that communities significantly benefit from CBWM, but less evidence exists to confirm effects of CBWM activities on ecosystem health and there is scant literature about successful CBWM data integration. Anecdotal evidence regarding ecosystem benefits provided by CBWM exists in grey literature and on websites; however, more peer-reviewed literature must be established to support these claims. Uncertainty still remains regarding how to track the success of CBWM and watershed restoration efforts

Combler le fossé : examiner la possibilité d’effectuer une surveillance communautaire des bassins hydrographiques pour améliorer la santé de l’écosystème et la gouvernance des bassins versants au Canada

La surveillance constitue une composante essentielle de la gestion des bassins hydrographiques. Toutefois, les efforts de décentralisation généralisés aux échelons fédéral et provincial ont entraîné une réduction du financement gouvernemental à cet égard. En réaction, des collectivités se mobilisent pour combler ce déficit par la mise en place d’une pratique appelée surveillance communautaire des bassins hydrographiques (community-based watershed monitoring ou CBWM). Bien qu’on ait recours à la CBWM pour combler ce manque, les décideurs en matière de gouvernance des bassins continuent de sous-utiliser les données de suivi recueillies par les organismes responsables. En outre, l’échange de connaissances représente un défi pour les organismes de CBWM en raison de l’absence de protocoles scientifiques rigoureux et d’un roulement élevé du personnel au sein des organismes. En même temps, les décideurs ont très peu de moyens leur permettant d’utiliser les données de CBWM en raison de leurs mandats et ressources limités. Les recherches indiquent néanmoins que les collectivités profitent considérablement de la CBWM, mais il existe moins de preuves confirmant l’incidence des activités de la CBWM sur la santé des écosystèmes, et les publications sur l’intégration réussie de données de CBWM sont rares. On retrouve des preuves anecdotiques des avantages de la CBWM sur l’écosystème dans la documentation parallèle et sur Internet, mais il serait nécessaire de produire davantage de publications avec comité de lecture pour étayer ces allégations. L’incertitude persiste quant à la façon de mesurer la réussite de la CBWM et les efforts de restauration des bassins hydrographiques

Visioning For Secondary Palliative Care Service Hubs in Rural Communities: A Qualitative Case Study from British Columbia\u27s Interior

Background: As the populations of many developed nations continue to age at rapid rates it is becomingincreasingly important to enhance palliative care service delivery in order to meet anticipated demand. Rural areasface a number of challenges in doing this, and thus dedicated attention must be given to determining how to bestenhance service delivery in ways that are sensitive to their particular needs. The purposes of this article are todetermine the vision for establishing secondary palliative care service hubs (SPCH) in rural communities throughundertaking a case study, and to ascertain the criteria that need to be considered when siting such hubs.Methods: A rural region of British Columbia, Canada was selected for primary data collection, which took placeover a five-month period in 2008. Formal and informal palliative care providers (n = 31) were interviewed. Apurposeful recruitment strategy was used to maximize occupational and practice diversity. Interviews wereconducted by phone using a semi-structured guide. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim.Data were managed using NVivo8™ software and analyzed thematically, using investigator triangulation tostrengthen interpretation.Results: Four themes emerged from the dataset: (1) main SPCH features; (2) determining a location; (3) valueaddedoutcomes; and (4) key considerations. It was found that participants generally supported implementing aSPCH in the rural region of focus. Several consistent messages emerged, including that: (1) SPCHs must createopportunities for two-way information exchange between specialists and generalists and communities; (2) SPCHsshould diffuse information and ideas throughout the region, thus serving as a locus for education and a means ofenhancing training opportunities; and (3) hubs need not be physical sites in the community (e.g., an office in ahospice or hospital), but may be virtual or take other forms based upon local needs.Conclusion: Visioning innovation in the provision of palliative care service in rural communities can be enhancedby consultation with local providers. Interviews are a means of determining local concerns and priorities. Therewas widespread support for SPCH coupled with some uncertainty about means of implementation

Monitoring, Restoration, and Source Water Protection: Canadian Community-Based Environmental Organizations’ Efforts towards Improving Aquatic Ecosystem Health

Published versionIn Canada, environmental monitoring has been the responsibility of government for decades; however, funding cutbacks have left many agencies unable to provide comprehensive coverage. This has stimulated a rise in community-based water monitoring (CBWM) organizations. These organizations, operating at multiple scales, have tasked themselves with monitoring aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, they often engage in restoration projects stemming from their monitoring work. Despite the growing abundance of CBWM organizations, there is uncertainty as to whether their activities lead to aquatic ecosystem benefits. A thematic analysis of photographic and qualitative interview data was employed to examine restoration projects conducted by five CBWM organizations, and the projects’ potential impact on source waters. Findings show that while they are conducting activities that show physical change, which is indicative of ecosystem improvement, examples of measurable responses within aquatic ecosystems remain rare. Monitoring, restoration, and source water protection processes are challenged by a lack of funding, capacity, and monitoring procedures. Funding, particularly, restricted the extent to which monitoring could be conducted and influenced project scope and scale. This leads to a lack of capacity to conduct large-scale restoration and rigorous scientific monitoring. Consequently, our findings highlight the issues with detecting effects of small-scale projects at the watershed scale

Hishuk Tsawak (Everything is connected): a Huu-ay-aht worldview for seeing forestry in British Columbia, Canada

While landscape may be read, understood, and imagined in pluralistic and contested terms, the power to define the landscape is typically held by a particular group of people. Government, industry, environmentalists, and First Nations, each representing distinct worldviews about the landscape, are among the key stakeholders in an ongoing struggle over the power to define the meaning and future use of BC\u27s forests. The work reported here draws on interview data from a community-based participatory program of research undertaken in partnership with Huu-ay-aht First Nation on the west coast of Vancouver Island that explores the \u27place\u27 of their worldview in the context of current forestry practices. Specifically, this paper examines how the Huu-ay-aht worldview, Hishuk Tsawak, shapes their reading, understanding, and imagining of the forest landscape in their traditional territory. Hishuk Tsawak does not exist in a vacuum and dominant, competing worldviews from, for example, government and industry continue to test its resilience. The study found that Huu-ay-aht First Nation\u27s physical and social locations are influential in determining its worldview\u27s strength and continuity and concludes that Indigenous worldviews, such as Hishuk Tsawak, have the potential to contribute, contest, and conceive of a new way of seeing forestry in the province