Canada’s Cultural Media Policy and Newfoundland Music on the Radio: Local Identities and Global Implications

As our access to information increases with the aid of communication technologies, there is concern about cultural homogenization. Ironically, however, in the face of globalization in the media, the local often becomes increasingly important. This study explores how Canada’s cultural policy toward the media, known as the Canadian Content regulations, has both local and global implications. I examine how Canadian Content regulations apply to radio, and how these radio regulations influence broadcasting in the St. John’s, Newfoundland radio market. Interviews with radio station personnel (e.g. DJs, program directors, music librarians) and radio listeners show that radio stations in St. John’s emphasize local (Newfoundland) music in the face of more popular Canadian and American music. In addition, this emphasis on local content ensures the survival of these stations in light of new radio broadcasting technologies such as the Internet and satellite radio. Furthermore, the act of broadcasting local music on the radio in St. John\u27s has allowed radio listening to become incorporated into listeners\u27 Newfoundland cultural traditions. In this way, the radio becomes a medium through which station personnel and listeners present their culture by showcasing music and actively preserve their culture through the broadcast of music that speaks of times past, or current issues facing Newfoundlanders. Finally, when talking about their experience listening to Newfoundland music on the radio, several themes emerged: connection between Newfoundlanders and their identity and culture, connections with other Newfoundlanders in Newfoundland, connections to Newfoundland as a place, and connections with Newfoundlanders living off the island. Generally speaking, this study shows that radio technology brings both the local to the global through Internet broadcasting, and the global to the local through satellite radio broadcasting

Connecting the dots between climate change, household water insecurity, and migration

Climate change is now considered a primary global driver of migration, with water insecurity theorized to be a key determinant. Most studies have focused on large-scale climate migration events triggered by extreme weather events such as droughts, storms, or floods. But there are few studies of how climate change shapes the everyday household-level experience of water insecurity and subsequent migration decision-making, beyond the contexts of disasters and agricultural livelihoods—an invisible ‘slow drip’ of migration. This review proposes a complementary, alternative framework for linking climate change, household-level water insecurity, and environmental migration by positioning household water insecurity as a critical pathway for shaping migration decision-making in the context of socio-environmental change. We present evidence that household water insecurity is a push factor that motivates household members to migrate due to water-related disruptions to physical and mental health, livelihoods beyond agriculture, and social relationships. We close with implications for anti-poverty and development initiatives, and for water interventions to mitigate forced climate migration

The role of water in environmental migration

Water has always been a driver of human mobility, migration, and displacement. But water is increasingly central to explaining environmental migration in the context of climate change. Most studies of the relationship between water and environmental migration are framed around punctuated, extreme weather events and disasters that either limit agricultural or livestock productivity or make a community physically unlivable. The chronic experiences of household water insecurity and poor water governance also shape migration decision-making through a variety of social, political, and economic factors, but these relationships have received considerably less attention. This article provides an overview of punctuated and chronic water-related triggers of environmental migration at the household level. We also offer a conceptual framework based on multiphasic response theory that highlights water's multiple roles in migration decision-making. We close by reflecting on key gaps in the climate-water-migration literature, identifying research questions that might help us better understand these relationships, and considering the implications for sustainable development policies that could potentially ease pressures on water-related displacement