Thesis/Thèse : Competing and Conflicting Land Uses at the Rural-Urban Interface: Understanding the Impacts of Residential Development on Agricultural Landscapes

Source: Brock University.
"Rural communities are currently undergoing rapid restructuring as globalization impacts the future viability of many small towns. Agricultural regions throughout Canada, in particular, Niagara-on-the-Lake, are forced to adapt to changes within the industry. In addition to these challenges, sprawling residential developments from nearby urban centres are changing the dynamic of this town, resulting in conflicts between the residential and agricultural land uses."

"This thesis explores these conflicts from the perspective of the residents and the farmers. It was found that the initial sources of conflict related to noise-generating farm activities are no longer a concern, while the use of pesticide have become a source of contention among the residents. The farmers, alternately, were found to be proactive and strived to limit the potential for conflict with adjacent residents. Lastly, it was determined that planning legislation aggravates land use conflicts within Niagara-on-the-Lake and need to better address these land use conflicts."

Epp, Sara (2013). Competing and Conflicting Land Uses at the Rural-Urban Interface: Understanding the Impacts of Residential Development on Agricultural Landscapes. Thesis. Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University.

WWW: dr.library.brocku.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Exploring the built environment and physical activity in rural ontario health units

Source: McMaster University.
"The purpose of this thesis was to explore how health units servicing large rural populations in Ontario are integrating the built environment into public health interventions related to physical activity for the purpose of fostering healthy and sustainable communities. Additionally, this research sought to identify barriers and/or enabling structures that rural health units face in addressing the built environment within physical activity programming aimed at chronic disease prevention."

"This exploratory research study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of fourteen public health practitioners and managers from participating Ontario health units serving large
rural populations. Participants were health unit staff (public health nurses, health promoters, and managers) identified as those most knowledgeable about program planning, implementation, and policy development in relation to physical activity and the
built environment."


Coghill, Cara-Lee M.(2013). "Exploring the built environment and physical activity in rural Ontario health units" (2013). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7677.

WWW: digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : The Relationship of Landscape and Water Perceptions to Community Engagement in Rural Southern Ontario

Source: University of Guelph.
"Engagement is an essential component to community building. Among the factors which contribute to engagement is perception. Of specific interest to landscape architecture are perceptions of landscape and water as they reveal environmental attitudes. Rural Southern Ontario has experienced notable land use pressures for resource extraction and renewable energy."

"This study explores the relationship between landscape and water perceptions by rural residents and levels of community engagement in a changing rural landscape. Instruments used for this study were a photo-based questionnaire and Visitor Employed Photography. The study found that individuals who are more engaged with the community have a greater ability to interpret landscape in the context of resource extraction and are more critical in their perception of quarry rehabilitation. Findings of this study can assist rural groups by providing insight into social capital and inform landscape planning and design practices when working with rural groups to increase engagement."

Spence, Kellie (2013). The Relationship of Landscape and Water Perceptions to Community Engagement in Rural Southern Ontario. Thesis. Master of Landscape Architecture. School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.

WWW: http://dspace.lib.uoguelph.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Re-conceptualizing the redevelopment of rural communities through the lens of an ecological framework

Source: Dalhousie University.
"This research examines the redevelopment of rural communities through a lens of continuous cycles of adaptive change - based on Holling’s ecological concept of panarchy."

"By drawing on the characteristics of ecological communities, this panarchy-based theoretical framework uses a novel approach to reflect on a community’s position along its own adaptive change cycle and identifies leverage points where policy intervention may be most advantageous. This research also examines the practical application of this framework via interviews with economic development officials. Overall, the results of this research suggest that the panarchy-based framework offers constructive guidance to policy makers seeking to push or pull rural communities into positions of higher resiliency and to expedite times of economic uncertainty."

Slight, Penelope (2012). Re-conceptualizing the redevelopment of rural communities through the lens of an ecological framework. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Studies. Dalhousie University.

WWW: http://dalspace.library.dal.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Assessing Transportation Disadvantage and Public Transportation Opportunities in Rural Ontario: A Case Study of Huron County

Source: University of Guelph.
"In virtually all rural areas in Ontario the limited transportation alternatives means that rural residents without access to a personal vehicle are at great risk of transportation disadvantage."

"The primary research method for this research involved testing a transportation disadvantage framework using fourteen Key Informant Interviews undertaken with service providers operating within the case study of Huron County. The research found that residents within five demographic groups are at risk of transportation disadvantage within Huron County: older adults, those with physical or mental disabilities, youth, low-income households, and women. The research confirmed that transportation disadvantage exists on a continuum with some groups more disadvantaged than others, but also within groups with some accessibility needs more attainable than others."

Marr, Eric (2012). Assessing Transportation Disadvantage and Public Transportation Opportunities in Rural Ontario: A Case Study of Huron County. Rural Planning and Development. University of Guelph.

WWW: atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Immigration in rural Newfoundland: Individual and community change

Source: The University of New Mexico.
"The purpose of this study is to learn about the cultural adaptation experiences of immigrants to rural Newfoundland and what, if any, changes the communities themselves have made."

"I am particularly interested in what role communication plays in these change processes. To investigate this topic I conducted interviews and focus groups with both immigrants and native-born Newfoundlanders in rural areas and then analyzed the resulting data with a rigorous thematic analysis."

Jackson Anderson, Willow (2012). Immigration in rural Newfoundland: Individual and community change. Doctoral dissertation. University of New Mexico. Department of Communication and Journalism.

WWW: http://repository.unm.edu/

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Thesis/Thèse : Addressing Rural Adolescents Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

Source: University of Manitoba.
"The purpose of this qualitative exploratory descriptive study was to arrive at an increased understanding of the factors influencing access to sexual and reproductive health services by rural Manitoban adolescents."

"The descriptive findings of this study revealed that a number of barriers for adolescents exist, which include: transportation difficulties, system barriers, and fear of lack of confidentiality."

Hawranik Sobering, Melanie (2012). Addressing Rural Adolescents Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services. Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba.

WWW: http://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Exploring community participation using the Geospatial Web

Source: The University of British Columbia.
"The idea that map-making by communities can lead to local change is well established. Through a collaborative case study involving a community-university partnership with a local food organization, I explored community participation in mapping using the Geospatial Web (Geoweb)."

"Widespread public access to the infrastructure of the Internet and the growing use of web-based mapping tools by amateur citizens has led to great enthusiasm for the participatory potential offered by the Geoweb. To better understand this potential, our partnership developed a customized web-based participatory mapping tool named Geolive, which was then used during three participatory mapping sessions in varying contexts in British Columbia‘s Central Okanagan Regional District."

Wright, Shayne (2012). Exploring community participation using the Geospatial Web: a case study from the Central Okanagan, British Columbia. The University of British Columbia.

www: https://circle.ubc.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Experiences of families living in rural and remote BC with a child with a disability or developmental delay

Source: University of British Columbia.
"The primary purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding and describe the unique experience of raising a child with a disability or developmental delay when the family lives in a rural or remote community, from the perspective of the parent."

"Symbolic interactionism theory served as the framework for the study that used ethnographic methodology to explore the experiences of parents in the distinct culture of rural and remote communities. Data collection included two face-to-face semi-structured interviews with eight parents living in four rural communities in BC. Data were categorized, and analyzed using a systematic approach."

Mary Stewart (2012). Experiences of families living in rural and remote British Columbia with a child with a disability or developmental delay. Centre for Cross Faculty Inquiry in Education, The University of British Columbia.

WWW: https://circle.ubc.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Perspectives of Northern Researchers, Residents and Educators on Science Education and Outreach in Yukon

Source: Dalhousie University.
"International Polar Year 2007-2008 renewed interest in and funding for circumpolar research. One unique element of this International Polar Year was the focus on education and outreach initiatives. This study explores outreach stakeholders’ perspectives on conducting science outreach with northern Canadian schools."

"A total of sixty semistructured interviews were conducted with northern researchers, residents and educators to determine culturally appropriate and pedagogically suitable methods for educational outreach initiatives in the Canadian north."

Frances Kathryn Pottle Ross (2012). Perspectives of Northern Researchers, Residents and Educators on Science Education and Outreach in Yukon, Canada. School for Resource and Environmental Studies. Dalhousie University. Halifax, Nova Scotia.

WWW: dalspace.library.dal.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Close to the land: Connecting northern Indigenous communities and southern farming communities through food sovereignty

Source: University of Manitoba.
"Southern rural farming communities and northern Indigenous communities in the Prairie Provinces of Canada each experience the Globalized Agri-Food System (GAFS) as detrimental to their food sovereignty."

"This study explores the Northern food crisis from an Indigenous perspective. It examines the degree to which rural-settler and Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives can benefit by combining their resistance to the GAFS through North-South collaborative networks, and the pivotal role that youth and youth learning might play in achieving these ends."

Rudolph, Karlah Rae, 2012. Close to the land: Connecting northern Indigenous communities and southern farming communities through food sovereignty.Department of Environment and Geography. University of Manitoba.

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WWW: http://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Lorsque les nouvelles populations rurales rencontrent les plus anciennes

Source: Université d’Ottawa.
"Mobilité, désir d’accéder à une meilleure qualité de vie, attraction de la campagne s’accélèrent depuis une trentaine d’années au Québec, comme ailleurs en occident. La campagne et les usages que l’on en fait se diversifient et se complexifient, à l’instar des populations qui l’habitent."

"Dans ce contexte, cette thèse se penche sur l’expérience géographique de la campagne, en tant qu’espace social. Elle met en lumière l’expérience géographique des ruraux, plus particulièrement les modalités de leur rencontre dans divers lieux qui marquent leur quotidien. Le matériel empirique de la thèse consiste surtout en des témoignages recueillis lors d’entrevues qualitatives menées auprès de nouveaux résidents et des ruraux de longue date dans deux municipalités régionales de comté (MRC) contrastées au Québec : Brome-Missisquoi et Arthabaska. La démarche privilégiée et les principales contributions qui en découlent se déclinent en trois temps. D’abord, une comparaison directe des deux populations rurales étudiées fait ressortir que leurs pratiques de mobilité et leurs sens des lieux se rejoignent dans une certaine mesure, mais affichent aussi des différences. Par exemple, elles partagent toutes deux un sentiment d’appartenance marqué à leur milieu de vie, mais pas nécessairement avec la même intensité et pour les mêmes raisons. En outre, leurs pratiques d’engagement local convergent, favorisées par un même désir de contribuer au bien-être de leur milieu. La thèse démontre aussi que certains lieux de sociabilité rapprochent ces deux groupes au quotidien, quoique subsistent des tensions notamment liées à leurs origines rurale ou urbaine, leur classe sociale, leurs expériences antérieures des lieux, la durée vécue dans leur milieu de vie, leur historique familial, leurs représentations et usages de la campagne... Se décèle aussi un effet de milieu entre les deux MRC à cet égard. Dans l’ensemble, leur rencontre s’avère timide et surtout réservée à l’espace public. Enfin, en se basant sur leurs représentations de l’avenir, la thèse illustre que l’espace de leur rencontre représente un espace d’opportunités pour le dialogue sur la campagne, bien que celui-ci ne se produise pas sans affrontements et heurts. Ainsi, au-delà du binarisme traditionnel et antagonique lié aux statuts de « nouveaux » et « anciens » ruraux, l’espace de rencontre, celui à l’intérieur duquel s’opèrent à la fois tensions, négociations, compromis et nouvelles alliances, participe à construire la nouvelle ruralité contemporaine."

Guimond, Laurie (2012). Lorsque les nouvelles populations rurales rencontrent les plus anciennes : l’expérience géographique au cœur de la nouvelle ruralité au Québec. Thèse soumise à la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales dans le cadre des exigences du programme de doctorat en géographie. Département de géographie Faculté des Arts. Université d’Ottawa.

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Thesis/Thèse : Developing a Sense of Place in Rural Alberta: Experiences of Newcomers

Source: University of Alberta.
"This narrative inquiry uses the talking circle, a discourse process indigenous to the North American prairies, to explore the experiences of recent international migrants to rural Alberta."

"The immediate intention is to address questions of rural revitalization and the creation of welcoming communities. At a deeper level, it explores the role of history, cultural negotiation, and power relations in community development. It examines place as a critical element of human experience, which has been severed under modern economic regimes. Recommendations for how we might best respond to rural migration challenges include processes for listening and responding to needs, for building trustworthy relationships, and a call to recognize Aboriginal history. Findings also point to the importance of facilitating options for migrants with temporary status in a transient global context. The study advises that learning through attentive intercultural discourse could be integral to recreating democratic communities and establishing sense of place."

Heather Mae Plaizier. Developing a Sense of Place in Rural Alberta: Experiences of Newcomers. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education
in Adult Education, Educational Policy Studies.

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WWW: http://repository.library.ualberta.ca/dspace/index.jsp

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Thesis/Thèse : The Demographic, Economic and Health Fabric of Mining Communities in British Columbia, Canada

Source: The University of British Columbia.
"A significant number of communities in British Columbia (BC) are founded on mineral development and are subject to variable economic boom-and-bust cycles with implications for sustainability and community health. There were three main objectives of this multi-method PhD dissertation."

"The first was to quantitatively examine community level indicators describing economic, sustainability, and demographic characteristics (gained from Canadian Census data) of 31 BC rural resource based communities (with a focus on mining communities) during a period of time (1991 to 2001) when BC resource sectors experienced an economic downturn. The second was to assess the relationship between exposure to declining economic conditions and acute cardiovascular disease, chronic cardiovascular disease, and mental health outcomes in 29 BC rural resource-based using Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey data and Ministry of Health data over the same time period, again with a focus on mining. The third objective was to qualitatively investigate the experiences of health and social service providers using interviews, with respect to community health issues and the boom-bust mining cycle in a Northern remote coal mining community in British Columbia."

Janis Shandro. 2001. The Demographic, Economic and Health Fabric of Mining Communities in British Columbia, Canada. The Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mining Engineering. The University of British Columbia.

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Thesis/Thèse : Where does the small rural school stand? Exploring different perspectives

Source: Queen’s University.
"The closure of small rural schools is the single most implemented educational change reform in rural areas of Canada (Wallin, 2007). Similarly, throughout the 20th century, rural school consolidation was the single, most frequently implemented educational policy in the United States (Herzog & Pittman, 1995). This study explores the why and how of this phenomenon."

"Rural education research has indicated that small rural schools across North America share common challenges unique to the rural situation (Bard, Gardener & Wieland, 2006; Blaine, Pace & Robinson, 2004; Mulcahy, 1993; Wallin, 2007). Many rural education researchers concur that some of these challenges arise from social, economic and political differences between urban and rural settings, but primarily, they stem from the consequence of globalization on trade, labour relations, regulatory control, or governmental rules and guidelines (Howley, 1997; Wallin, 2007)."

Carolyne Marie Anne Thompson. 2001. Where does the small rural school stand? Exploring different perspectives. Faculty of Education. Queen’s University.

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WWW: http://qspace.library.queensu.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Changing paradigms: a community study of socioagricultural transition in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia

Source: Dalhousie University.
"This research examined changes in culture and agriculture in the rural community of Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, with a specific interest in understanding and contextualizing (re)localization initiatives."

"The study employed key-informant interviews with 23 members of the agricultural community to develop a narrative of socio-agricultural transition, which was used to launch discussion on the role of agriculture during a public forum in Tatamagouche."

Louise Hanavan. 2011. Changing paradigms: a community study of socioagricultural transition in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. Master of Environmental Studies. Dalhousie University.

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WWW: http://dalspace.library.dal.ca

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Thesis/Thèse : Rural routes: place–based music education in two rural Canadian communities

Source: Queen‘s University.
"The purpose of this research study was to profile exemplary rural music programs, examining how their components and contexts contributed to a deep sense of place for students, teachers, and the community."

"By examining these programs through interview, observational, and questionnaire data, the conditions that support these programs and the perceptions of stakeholders were garnered in order to create a rich view of music education programs that could inform the development of high-quality music programs in other rural communities."

Julia Elaine Brook. 2001. Rural routes: place–based music education in two rural Canadian communities. Faculty of Education. Queen‘s University.

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WWW: http://qspace.library.queensu.ca/

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Thesis/Thèse : An Application of the Resilience Assessment Workbook on the Town of Caledon

Source: University of Waterloo.
"This research involves conducting a resilience assessment on the Town of Caledon in southern Ontario, Canada, through the use of the Resilience Assessment Workbook authored by the Resilience Alliance."

"The purpose of the research is to develop a comprehensive understanding of Caledon, and identify ways to enhance its resilience as a linked social-ecological system in the context of urban growth."

Wai. T. Liu. 2001. An Application of the Resilience Assessment Workbook
on the Town of Caledon, Ontario, Canada: Resilience of What? Resilience to What? Resilience with What?. Master of Environmental Studies.

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WWW: www.uwspace.uwaterloo.ca

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Thesis/Thèse: Mexican Temporary Agricultural Workers in Canada

Source: The University of Western Ontario.
"The purpose of this study is to fill a gap in the sociolinguistic research on language issues faced by temporary migrants."

The research "involves a compilation and analysis of the sociolinguistic
facts relating to the situation of transnational Mexican Temporary Agricultural Workers (MTAW) who come to Ontario and Quebec through the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program(SAWP)."

Maria Eugenia de Luna Villalón. 2001. Mexican Temporary Agricultural Workers in Canada: a Language and Migration Approach. Graduate Program in Hispanic Studies.

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WWW: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/

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