The purpose of this practicum was to examine the evolution of planning for rural non-farm residential development (RN-FRD), in terms of trends, policy and practice. An analysis of trends, and underlying changes, in planning policy and regulation in Southern Manitoba, since the 1970s, is presented - with a particular interest in farming-dominated regions outside the Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). More specifically, the practicum examines how land use planning for RN-FRD has evolved – over the last decade – especially in the vicinity of certain (official or unofficial) Large Urban Centres (LUCs), situated in non-metropolitan settings. It reviews how literature addressing RN-FRD in the 1970s may have influenced early policy evolution, and how recent literature might be considered to better inform current planning surrounding RN-FRD. The underlying issues are addressed through a targeted literature review, interviews with key informants/stakeholders, and comparative case study of the recent Development Plan experiences of three rural planning jurisdictions in Southern Manitoba - one Rural Municipality, of Hanover (RMH); and two Planning Districts – Brandon and Area (BAPD), and Rhineland Plum Coulee Gretna Altona (RPGAPD). All three have been experiencing significant RN-FRD, and have notably attempted to address RN-FRD within their Development Plan. In summary, the practicum assesses planning for RN-FRD in Southern Manitoba over the past four decades – in terms of both policy and practice, and concludes with recommendations for both planners and policy makers, including: how to better define RN-FRD, planning beyond municipal boundaries, the incorporation of better long-term planning, and integrating infill approaches to RN-FRD. The research inevitably deals with the tension between professional planners and others – notably the elected and administrative officials responsible for the planning jurisdictions. A better balancing of the interests of both is explored, around the common ground of better planning for RN-FRD in the future. The research indicates that a new alliance may be emerging; it is no longer such a pronounced case of ‘them versus us’.

Conditions of hunger and lack of access to affordable healthy foods exists within Canada. Canada has committed itself to international Declarations, Covenants, and Conventions focused on reducing world hunger; however, it has neglected to address domestic hunger issues. Using mixed methods, this study quantified food insecurity rates and severity within four First Nation communities in northern Manitoba. The study also explored the communities’ perspectives regarding barriers to healthy eating and potential solutions to addressing this multi-faceted problem. Results indicate that the four First Nation communities within this study are amongst the most food insecure and hungry within Manitoba and Canada, with 92% of households experiencing some form of food insecurity and 50% of households experiencing severe food insecurity. The research has revealed that solutions for improving food security must be embedded within the realm of food sovereignty and be led by First Nation communities.

With the aim of developing a housing needs assessment tool for rural Manitoba, the research investigates definitions of ‘rural’, the concept of housing need, and approaches to its assessment. The main question is: how can housing need be identified and quantified at the community or regional level? The response comes in the development of a community-based rural housing needs assessment guidebook (documented in Volume 2). Literature reviewed (Part 2) targets definitions of rural, and an examination of: methods of assessing housing need, the nature of housing need, trends in housing policy, housing services programming, and the determination of housing need at a local level. Throughout, there is a focus on application of relevant literature to informing the design and development of the guidebook. The key informant interview process and related ethical considerations are presented in Part 3. The precedents review, of prior housing needs assessments and guides, is also described. The results from these research methods interviews are presented in Part 4, again with a focus on identifying how each informed development of the guidebook. Part 4 concludes with a description of the design of the housing needs assessment guidebook, addressing the structure and scope of the assessment process, key considerations and components included in the guide, the two-phase process that constitutes the main information-generating component of the tool, and the discrepancy model used to guide the user through the assessment process. Design of a sample survey (an optional component of the guide) is also briefly discussed, as well as perceived limitations of the guide including the need for a complementary strategic planning process that picks up where the assessment leaves off, which might merit a second guide that details such further steps. Certain realities of housing needs assessment in rural Manitoba, and complicating aspects of the discrepancy model, are also discussed. Part 5 details the early stages of application of components of the housing needs assessment guide in the Minnedosa area of Manitoba. Strengths and weaknesses of the components are identified, and associated refinements and changes are noted. It is concluded (Part 6) that the rural housing needs assessment guide is a viable means of identifying housing need in rural Manitoba. Possible benefits of its application are noted, but there are also cautions regarding further desirable or necessary research.

On November 8, 2001, the Government of Manitoba announced that the number of school divisions and districts in the province would be reduced from 54 to 37. With that policy announcement, Manitoba embarked upon the most significant restructuring of school board governance arrangements since the late 1950s. The purpose of the research was to examine the school division amalgamation initiative as a case study in policy-making by the Government of Manitoba. The study investigated the nature of this initiative, including its origin, development, eventual conclusion and implementation. The fundamental question addressed by the study was this: Why was school division amalgamation an idea whose time had come in Manitoba? Discussion of amalgamation had been active within the Progressive Conservative administration of Gary Filmon since the early 1990s, but despite the recommendation in 1995 of a provincially established Boundaries Review Commission to move forward with government directed amalgamation, the idea languished until a newly-elected provincial government under Gary Doer, leader of the New Democratic Party, assumed power in 1999. The theoretical framework used in addressing the question posed relied primarily upon the work of John Kingdon (Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies) who contends that there must be a timely convergence of three key aspects of policy formation: problems, solutions and politics. Therefore, the study examined the key role of elected officials in promoting certain policy ideas and their impact on the decisions of government at specific times. It also compared and contrasted the differing policy approaches taken by the Filmon and Doer regimes on this question, and assesses the opportunities and constraints which explain the differences found. The study relied on extant public documents and other primary sources, and especially the expressed view or position of certain elected officials and supporting staff gained through one-on-one in-depth interviews. The focus of the analysis was an attempt to assess the interplay of problem, solution, and politics, and whether or not it reveals what Kingdon has called a “window of opportunity” for decisive action by government. The study showed that, indeed, the window of opportunity for amalgamation occurred with the convergence of three forces by 2001: pervasive indicators of a problem; promotion of amalgamation as a policy solution previously tried in Manitoba and elsewhere; and the election of a new government in 1999 which was receptive to pursuing some degree of change with respect to school division governance and organization.

The first documented carbonatites in Manitoba occur as dykes and pods up to 15 meters in length and several meters in width at Eden Lake hosted in a post-orogenic syenitic complex within the Trans-Hudson Orogen. The carbonatites consist dominantly of calcite with lesser clinopyroxene, feldspar, apatite and titanite. Primary and xenocrystic clinopyroxene have distinct compositions, whereas xenocrystic feldspar has well-developed plagioclase and alanite rims. The whole-rock major- and trace-element composition of the carbonatite is consistent with global averages for calcio-carbonatites. Stable-isotope compositions of calcite indicate an igneous origin; the low δ13C ratios may reflect the influence of subducted sedimentary carbonate. A zircon age of 1815±8 Ma corresponds with the time of emplacement, whereas younger titanite ages reflect local thermal history. Although field relations suggest a genetic link to the host syenites, whole-rock geochemical data is incompatible with immiscibility or crystal fractionation models, suggesting a discrete mantle source for the carbonatite.

This thesis examines the occurrence of Canadian Raising in Manitoba, using acoustic-spectral analysis. Factors such as lexical frequency and morphological complexity are examined to determine their role in Canadian Raising production within the sample population. One of the key findings is that what are usually analyzed as “raised” phones in pre-voiceless context are considerably shorter than non-raised (pre-voiced) phones, but do not exhibit substantial differences in terms of vowel quality. A method of multiple-timepoint spectral analysis used to achieve this finding is described in detail. Examination of raising-like diphthongs before /ɹ/ indicates that vowel duration differences exist in different contexts. There is some indication that morphological complexity is related to variants of “raised” phones, such that complex morphology is correlated with longer duration.

This thesis evaluates the waste management system in the province of Manitoba, Canada and other jurisdictions to identify best practices for, and barriers and opportunities to, improving its impact on the environment. Multiple methods were used. First, a survey of expert stakeholders in the waste management sector in Manitoba was conducted, which was followed by an expert stakeholder meeting that further refined the results of the survey. Second, waste management systems of Manitoba, Canada, Nova Scotia, Canada, New South Wales, Australia, and Denmark were compared to determine which of the options already in use by other jurisdictions might be useful in Manitoba. Finally, an estimation of the amount of organic waste entering landfills in Manitoba was conducted, along with an estimation of the resulting methane emissions from landfills to determine their greenhouse gas emissions.

Professional codes of ethics and international doctrinal texts recognize the world’s archaeological heritage as the common heritage of all humanity. As such, archaeologists are obligated to share research results, including collections, with the widest audience possible, and the Internet provides exciting ways in which this can be accomplished. As a community, Canadian universities are not at present providing adequate public access to the archaeological collections in their care, particularly via Web-based channels. In this thesis, I argue that Canadian universities should provide improved online collections access. I provided Web-based public access to a sample of the Grand Rapids (Manitoba) Survey collection, and solicited user feedback in the form of an online survey. The results show that a worldwide audience did access the collections, indicating vastly improved access. Survey results imply that a public audience does find archaeological collections interesting, and is capable of learning something from the style of Web presentation used here.

The thesis is an analysis of the birth of the Rhesus (Rh) Factor Research Programme in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba. Rh Factor is one of the blood groups which can lead a pregnant mother to react to her baby’s blood and destroy it. Research on this disorder yielded one of Manitoba’s most profound medical discoveries. The account reveals that three elements contributed to this research, namely the researcher, the circumstances and chance. The narrative identifies the researcher, Dr. Bruce Chown, as a major influence in the development of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba. The conditions nationally and locally that enabled him to succeed in his research are examined. The role of chance in his picking a research subject is considered. The story of Bruce Chown and the start of the Rh research illustrates the beginnings of medical research in Manitoba. The primary sources for the study were the Archives of the University of Manitoba, Archives Manitoba and the National Archives Ottawa.

Curling is an important part of the Canadian cultural landscape, and nowhere is this more evident than in Manitoba. However, the documentation of curling records within archival repositories in the province has occurred without a strategic plan. This thesis first explores the modern archival appraisal theories and then proposes an appraisal model that utilizes a combination of the documentation strategy and macroappraisal in order to develop a strategy for the documentation of curling in Manitoba. Using this model, this thesis first examines the historical and contemporary context of Canadian sport in order to determine curling’s place within it, and then identifies five key functions of curling in order to evaluate, using function-based appraisal methodologies, the quality of the records that have been collected in archival repositories. The functions, structures, and records of two urban curling clubs and one rural curling club in Manitoba are then examined as case studies, and an appraisal strategy is suggested in order to better ensure that the records documenting curling in Manitoba are preserved. This strategy can be used as a template not only for appraising the records of curling, but for all sports.