Canadian Geographer-Geographe Canadien最新文献

Indigenous communities in British Columbia hold deep relationships with their Lands, and are disproportionately affected by climate change. This study assesses resilience of Indigenous communities to climate change with respect to changes in the traditional seasonal round. Through a decolonizing methodology that is inclusive of a two-eyed seeing approach, we develop a culturally appropriate framework for assessing climate resilience of Indigenous communities and apply this framework to a case study of the Gitxsan Nation. Our “Rez-ilience” framework is an adaptation of a commonly used resilience assessment framework to include an Indigenous worldview. Through application of the framework to qualitative data obtained from surveys and interviews with Nation members, we document how the cumulative impacts of climate change and ecosystem degradation are affecting the timing of traditional seasonal activities, and how people are responding to these changes. We conclude with recommendations for ways that the Gitxsan Nation might increase its climate resilience.

Surf-related drowning fatalities are a public health concern in the Great Lakes region of North America, and within Canada there are few beaches with lifeguards and no regional beach safety strategy. This short paper presents the results of a survey completed in the northern hemisphere summer of 2022 to determine the perceptions of beach users at Station Beach in Kincardine, Ontario, a popular tourist beach town on Lake Huron. Results suggest that beach safety knowledge and choice of location to occupy along the beach depend on experience with the beach, with frequent visitors tending to select quieter locations located further from a jetty that can result in a structural rip current. Infrequent visitors tended to be closer to the jetty and selected that location based on convenience (e.g., close to parking), suggesting the need for structural changes to guide behaviour towards safer areas of the beach. Results also highlight the challenges of developing an effective warning system to inform beach users of potentially dangerous surf and currents in the absence of an investment in lifeguards or a regional/provincial beach safety strategy.

As cities aim for more sustainable patterns of urbanization, intensification has emerged as a core planning strategy. In 2013, the City of Regina set new intensification targets: absorb 30% of annual population growth through intensification and add 10,000 residents to the city centre by 2035. In the decade since, implementation has been unsuccessful. This study explores the barriers to core area intensification in Regina by engaging with key informants through semi-structured interviews. Our findings identify the most significant barriers as soft market demand, a city centre that is unappealing as a residential context, insufficient political will, an absence of developers who specialize in core area intensification, and unfavourable development economics. These findings illustrate the unique challenges faced by mid-size Canadian cites in disrupting entrenched development patterns and driving development towards the downtown.

Climate change poses a dire threat to human health. Within Canada, extreme heat events are contributing to cardiovascular disease, poor air quality is causing respiratory distress, and changing precipitation patterns are resulting in the spread of vector-borne illness. To minimize these negative health outcomes, adaptation strategies targeted to protecting health are essential. Yet, despite a recognition of this need across levels of government, health-focused adaptation efforts have been slow to progress. The aim of this short viewpoint paper is to provide a primer for decision makers. Researchers within the public health and environmental science fields have identified several barriers that contribute to this lag in progress, including a lack of understanding within the general public regarding the health risks of climate change, and confusion over jurisdiction and responsibility. Shifting community perceptions and improving intergovernmental coordination may help reduce these barriers, and therefore support Canadians to become more resilient to climate change moving forward.