Extensive mill closures by industrial forestry companies in forestry-dependent towns in British Columbia, have, in many cases, resulted in effectively eliminating the local primary industry. Communities have lost the economic and social base that sustains families, the municipal tax base and the local retail market, and the local forest expertise has been forced to look elsewhere for work. Many communities around the world have developed viable community forestry frameworks and successful operations as a means of addressing sustainability, social and economic issues. While a number of community forestry supports are available in B.C., many communities continue to experience difficulties establishing viable forestry operations. This research will examine the broad-spectrum and site-specific challenges faced by three designated B.C. communities at different stages along the continuum toward successful operations, and will propose strategies aimed at overcoming the barriers to their success.

In recent years we have witnessed growing interest in corporate environmental responsibility and the concept of sustainability amongst businesses globally. Regardless of the motivation, be it competitive advantage, social license to operate, share value (socially responsible investing), shareholder pressure, public pressure, employee retention, cutting operational costs, the escalation of corporate accountability, or even altruistic goals, this is a growing trend among business. This field is in its infancy and requires considerable leadership. This paper is a collection of multiple descriptive case studies focusing on how Canadian best in sectors in the mining, oil and gas, telecom, finance, hospitality, and retail industries are integrating corporate environmental responsibility into their corporate strategy. Many areas for further study have been identified.

Food security continues to be an area of concern worldwide. In Canada, our ability to feed ourselves has diminished significantly and on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, we produce less than 5% of the food we consume. A number of factors have influenced this decline including the globalization of food systems and an increase in regulations. Cities have an opportunity by way of by-laws to increase local food security. In this case study, The City of Colwood has little functional agricultural land but a significant opportunity to expand its urban agriculture activities. Although the community supports such initiatives, the local government has not yet implemented supportive policies and by-laws. This municipal government has the ability to increase local food security through the use of its legislative abilities.

Regional land use planning in the Yukon has a long and unfortunate history of failed efforts. Under Chapter 11 of the Yukon First Nations Umbrella Final Agreement, a new process for planning has been in place since 1993. Through qualitative, interview-based research, I explore possible factors that either hinder or facilitate successful planning. I used the North Yukon regional land use planning effort as a case study example of the first plan to be successfully approved in Yukon history. A number of challenges resulting from poorly defined roles and responsibilities caused notable struggles and conflict throughout the process, but fortunately, strong political support and micro and meso – level organization, combined with a solid team of skilled and dedicated people, allowed the process to ultimately succeed. Lessons learned and recommendations for future regional planning initiatives are discussed.

Sustainable development has created new demands and led to a new way of thinking within the community-planning realm and has grown in use due to the increasing and changing awareness of environmental issues and their connection to growth within communities. As part ofthe Canadian Federal Gas Tax Fund requirement, municipalities must develop an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP). Currently, many municipalities are working towards a sustainable or environmental vision for their community and have developed master plans and policies to implement environmental practices. The issue facing municipalities is how do existing bodies of work support and integrate into the development of an ICSP? The Town of Oakville is used as a case study to investigate the method of reconciling master plans and policies to develop an ICSP. The research methods include a case study, interviews, the analysis ofICSP toolkits and municipal ICSPs. The research identifies successes, limitations, and improvements for the proposed approach.

Waste management systems are created based on a careful balance of interrelated factors, a variety of players, and diverse political, social, and economic landscapes. The purpose of this study is to identify the impacts to waste management caused by limited supply or increased cost of energy. A case study was created based on the Alberta Capital Region using literature review, surveys and interviews to identify how energy is used throughout the various phases of waste management, from collection through to disposal and diversion, and what the factors are that affect the organization and infrastructure selected for the waste management system. The results of this study conclude that there are economic, social, environmental, political, and decision-making impacts related to an energy crisis. In particular, it was concluded that an energy crisis will cause social and economic stresses that will result in organizational and infrastructure changes to waste management.

Reclaimed oil sands landscapes are perceived to be low in plant diversity compared with naturally occurring plant communities. Approximately 66 Carex species inhabit the oil sand region. This thesis is unique and represents the first large scale study of Carex establishment on reclaimed oil sands landscapes. Research compared diversity and habitat variables between natural ecosystems and reclaimed landscapes, and examined the colonization mechanism for Carex establishment on reclaimed landscapes (i.e., ingress from adjacent natural ecosystems or emergence from the soil seed bank). Low positive associations between the presence of Carex in natural and reclaimed landscapes, and the presence of species on reclaimed landscapes not accounted for in either the forest or edge plots, suggests Carex established from the soil seed bank and less so from natural ingress. Carex share the same seed dispersal mechanisms as many plants, so the implications may apply to a broader range of plant species.

Just prior to the opening of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, a 21-year-old Georgian luger died after his sled left the Whistler Sliding Centre track travelling at 140 kilometres an hour. The following paper uses Critical Discourse Analysis and the Bahktinian notion of intertextuality to examine how Canadian media discursively constructed social media users and their sharing of the images, video, and opinions following the tragedy. The results show traditional media discursively constructed social media as outsiders, separate from the audience, and further argued they need to follow traditional media norms in order to be responsible citizens. In considering this discursive construction within the political economy of traditional media, it is suggested that one tactic employed is the creation of flak, which attempts to discredit what it opposes. Traditional media discourse, sometimes itself the target of flak, here uses flak against social media which are impinging on the political economy of the traditional media. Keywords: audience, critical discourse, flak, intertextuality, Olympics, political economy, social media, traditional media

This descriptive, phenomenological case study presents the perspectives of small-scale coffee producers in Guatemala regarding cooperative membership, sustainable coffee certification programs and the role of ANACAFE. The viewpoints of two producer cooperatives are described based on participant observation, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Through content analysis the transcribed data were categorized and summarized, and emergent themes are discussed. Advantages to cooperative membership include access to finances, information, cost sharing and expanding direct-trade relationships. Challenges identified are securing finances and attracting new membership. Certification programs may be desirable, but access to information regarding program types is limited. Participants feel that standards do not reflect cultural differences, and the producers question who actually receives the advertised price premiums. The use of best-practices incorporating the social, environmental and economic principles of certification programs is preferred. ANACAFE is a source of technical information and funding but resource access is selective and limited.

This descriptive case study examines the use of medical simulation technology in the three-year Thompson Rivers University respiratory therapy training program. Qualitative analysis of data gathered from 78 participants through interviews, observations, and discussion groups reveal a wide variety of low- intermediate- and high-fidelity technologies used for education and evaluation. Deliberate practice is the predominant learning theory informing the use of simulation for safe and ethical training in competencies that would otherwise pose significant risk to patients. Recommendations include enhancements of the existing technology with psychological and environmental fidelity, and for optimal curriculum placement of high-fidelity simulators at hospital sites for student development of critical thinking and team training. Further research into learning with high-fidelity simulation specifically within the context of a student respiratory therapist as an embedded hospital team member is needed. Keywords: respiratory therapy, patient simulation, critical thinking, learning, critical care, deliberate practice