Issues in Canadian urban design

iv, 267 p. : ill., maps

Public opinion in Canadian prairie inner cities

Book: xx, 145 p., digital fileSince the late 1980s it has been documented that Canadian inner cities have been experiencing a reverse in a thirty year period of decline as characterized by changes in demographic, family, cultural and other socio-economic characteristics. The trend, often referred to as the back-to-the-city movement, has created a resurgence of literature on the topic. The knowledge pertaining to ongoing change and improvement in the inner city is, however, far from complete. Despite widely available theoretical discussions of such change, there are, for example, fewer "empirical observations accounting for change in the central city's built environment and its occupants and activities" (Bunting and Filion, 1988). This Series aims to make a significant contribution in terms of accurately and comprehensively defining the changing nature of the inner city-a contribution which is crucial in determining the need and form of intervention for renewal and the suitability of existing renewal programs and public policies. With a mandate to undertake research related to urban and housing studies and to serve as a community resource, the Institute of Urban Studies (IUS) historically has led or been involved in a r:!Umber of inner-city initiatives relating largely to Winnipeg. In keeping with the current mandate of the Institute, this Series will focus upon inner-city change within the five major cities of the Canadian Prairies. This, the first study in the Series to be published, describes public opinion in Prairie inner cities as gathered through a number of public opinion surveys, primarily the "Urban Canada Study" (Angus Reid, 1991 }. Presented are the views of inner-city residents regarding a variety of factors such as their quality of life, their satisfaction with their city as a whole, their housing, downtown and municipal services. The "Urban Canada Study" was the largest survey of the subjective views of Canadians on life in cities to be carried out since the federal Ministry of State for Urban Affairs (MSUA) commissioned York University's Institute for Behaviourial Research to carry out "A Study of Urban Concerns" in 23 Canadian CMAs in 1978. The objectives of the two surveys were similar-to assess residents' responses to urban policy issues and to determine those aspects influencing policy preferences. Underlying these objectives, and also IUS's involvement in the "Urban Canada Study," is the rationale that subjective surveys are an important component in the making of relevant public policy.Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporatio

Research initiatives on homelessness : International year of shelter for the Homeless (IYSH)

iii, 67 p

Cooking and co-ingested polyphenols reduce in vitro methylmercury bioaccessibility from fish and may alter exposure in humans

Fish consumption is a major pathway for mercury exposure in humans. Current guidelines and risk assessments assume that 100% of methylmercury (MeHg) in fish is absorbed by the human body after ingestion. However, a growing body of literature suggests that this absorption rate may be overestimated. We used an in vitro digestion method to measure MeHg bioaccessibility in commercially-purchased fish, and investigated the effects of dietary practices on MeHg bioaccessibility. Cooking had the greatest effect, decreasing bioaccessibility on average to 12.5 ± 5.6%. Polyphenol-rich beverages also significantly reduced bioaccessibility to 22.7 ± 3.8% and 28.6 ± 13.9%, for green and black tea respectively. We confirmed the suspected role of polyphenols in tea as being a driver of MeHg's reduced bioaccessibility, and found that epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, rutin and cafeic acid could individually decrease MeHg bioaccessibility by up to 55%. When both cooking and polyphenol-rich beverage treatments were combined, only 1% of MeHg remained bioaccessible. These results call for in vivo validation, and suggest that dietary practices should be considered when setting consumer guidelines for MeHg. More realistic risk assessments could promote consumption of fish as a source of fatty acids, which can play a protective role against cardiovascular disease

The use of risk and need factors in forensic mental health decision-making and the role of gender and index offense severity

Canadian legislation makes Review Boards (RBs) responsible for rendering dispositions for individuals found Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) after considering public safety, the mental condition of the accused, and his/her potential for community reintegration. We reviewed 6,743 RB hearings for 1,794 individuals found NCRMD in the three largest Canadian provinces to investigate whether items from two empirically supported risk assessment measures, the Historical Clinical Risk Management‐20 and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide, were considered. Less than half the items were included in expert reports or in RBs' reasons for dispositions, and consideration of these items differed according to gender and index offense severity of the accused. These items included evidence‐based risk factors and/or legally specified criteria: mental health, treatment, and criminal history. These results illustrate the gap between research on risk factors and the integration of this evidence into practice. In particular, we recommend the implementation of structured measures to reduce the potential for clinicians to be unduly influenced by gender and offense severity

Factors associated with review board dispositions following re-hospitalization among discharged persons found not criminally responsible

In the Canadian forensic mental health system, a person found Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) and given a conditional discharge returns to the community while remaining under the jurisdiction of a provincial/territorial Review Board. However, the individual can be re-hospitalized while on conditional discharge, for reasons such as substance use, violation of conditions, or violence. We investigated whether being rehospitalized has an impact on the factors associated with the subsequent Review Board disposition. Persons found NCRMD from the three largest Canadian provinces who were conditionally discharged at least once during the observation period were included in the sample (N=1,367). These individuals were involved in 2,920 disposition hearings; nearly one-third of patients (30%) were re-hospitalized after having been conditionally discharged by the Review Board. The factors examined included the scales of the Historical Clinical Risk Management-20 and salient behavior that occurred since the previous hearing, such as substance use or violence. The greater presence of clinical items resulted in a greater likelihood of a hospital detention decision at the next hearing. The effect was larger for the re-hospitalized group than for the group who successfully remained in the community since the last hearing. The results suggest that dynamic factors, specifically indicators of mental health, are heavily weighted by the Review Boards, consistent with the literature on imminent risk and in line with the NCRMD legislation

The National Trajectory Project of individuals found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. Part 5 : how essential are gender-specific forensic psychiatric services?

Objective : To state the sociodemographic characteristics, mental health histories, index offence characteristics, and criminal histories of male and female forensic psychiatric patients. Clinicians and researchers advocate that mental health and criminal justice organizations implement gender-specific services; however, few studies have sampled forensic patients to evaluate the extent to which men's and women's treatment and management needs are different. Method : Data were collected from Review Board files from May 2000 to April 2005 in the 3 largest Canadian provinces. Using official criminal records, participants were followed for 3 to 8 years, until December 2008. The final sample comprised 1800 individuals: 15.6% were women and 84.4% were men. Results : There were few demographic differences, but women had higher psychosocial functioning than men. Both men and women had extensive mental health histories; women were more likely diagnosed with mood disorders and PDs and men were more likely diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and SUDs. The nature of the index offence did not differ by gender, except women were more likely to have perpetrated murders and attempted murders. For offences against a person, women were more likely to offend against offspring and partners and less likely to offend against strangers, compared with men. Women had significantly less extensive criminal histories than men. Conclusions : Not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder-accused women have a distinct psychosocial, clinical, and criminological profile from their male counterparts, which may suggest gender-specific assessment, risk management, and treatment in forensic services could benefit patients. The findings are also consistent with traditional models (Risk-Need-Responsivity) and ultimately demonstrate the importance of individual assessment and client-centred services.Objectif : Établir les caractéristiques sociodémographiques, les antécédents de santé mentale, les caractéristiques de l'infraction répertoriée, et les antécédents criminels des patients masculins et féminins de psychiatrie légale. Cliniciens et chercheurs revendiquent que les organisations de santé mentale et de justice pénale offrent des services sexospécifiques; toutefois, peu d'études ont évalué à quel point les besoins de traitement et de prise en charge des hommes et des femmes sont différents dans des échantillons de patients médicolégaux. Méthode : Les données ont été recueillies dans les dossiers de la CE, de mai 2000 à avril 2005, dans les 3 provinces les plus populeuses. Au moyen des casiers judiciaires officiels, les participants ont été suivis de 3 à 8 ans, jusqu'en décembre 2008. L'échantillon final comptait 1800 personnes dont 15,6% étaient des femmes et 84,4%, des hommes. Résultats : Il y avait peu de différences démograhiques, mais les femmes avaient un fonctionnement psychosocial plus élevé que celui des hommes. Les hommes comme les femmes avaient de longs antécédents de santé mentale, les femmes étant plus susceptibles de recevoir un diagnostic de trouble de l'humeur ou de la personnalité et les hommes, un diagnostic du spectre de la schizophrénie ou d'un trouble lié aux substances. La nature de l'infraction répertoriée ne différait pas selon le sexe, sauf que les femmes étaient plus susceptibles d'avoir commis un meurtre ou une tentative de meurtre. Pour les infractions contre la personne, les femmes étaient plus susceptibles de s'en prendre à leurs enfants et leurs partenaires et moins à des étrangers, comparées aux hommes. Elles avaient des antécédents criminels significativement moins lourds que les hommes. Conclusions : Les femmes NCRTM ont un profil psychosocial, clinique et criminologique distinct de celui des hommes, suggérant ainsi qu'une évaluation, une gestion de risque et un traitement sexospécifiques dans les services psycho-légaux pourraient bénéficier aux patients. Les résultats sont aussi conformes aux modèles traditionnels (risque-besoin-réceptivité) et démontrent finalement l'importance de l'évaluation individuelle et des services axés sur le client

Coastal Ocean and Shelf-Sea Biogeochemical Cycling of Trace Elements and Isotopes: Lessons Learned from GEOTRACES

Continental shelves and shelf seas play a central role in the global carbon cycle. However, their importance with respect to trace element and isotope (TEI) inputs to ocean basins is less well understood. Here, we present major findings on shelf TEI biogeochemistry from the GEOTRACES programme as well as a proof of concept for a new method to estimate shelf TEI fluxes. The case studies focus on advances in our understanding of TEI cycling in the Arctic, transformations within a major river estuary (Amazon), shelf sediment micronutrient fluxes and basin-scale estimates of submarine groundwater discharge. The proposed shelf flux tracer is 228-radium (T1/2 = 5.75 yr), which is continuously supplied to the shelf from coastal aquifers, sediment porewater exchange and rivers. Model-derived shelf 228Ra fluxes are combined with TEI/ 228Ra ratios to quantify ocean TEI fluxes from the western North Atlantic margin. The results from this new approach agree well with previous estimates for shelf Co, Fe, Mn and Zn inputs and exceed published estimates of atmospheric deposition by factors of approximately 3-23. Lastly, recommendations are made for additional GEOTRACES process studies and coastal margin-focused section cruises that will help refine the model and provide better insight on the mechanisms driving shelf-derived TEI fluxes to the ocean.This article is part of the themed issue \u27Biological and climatic impacts of ocean trace element chemistry\u27

Le projet de loi 23 : une vision de la recherche et de la formation qui renforce et invisibilise les inégalités éducatives et sociales

Mémoire de l’équipe de recherche Inclusion et diversité ethnoculturelle en éducation (IDEÉ) Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture dans le cadre de la consultation sur le projet de loi 23 Loi modifiant principalement la Loi sur l’instruction publique et édictant la Loi sur l’Institut national d’excellence en éducatio