Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) have been hypothesized to contribute to declines in aquatic macrophytes, waterfowl, and water clarity in Delta Marsh, an 18,500 ha freshwater coastal wetland on Lake Manitoba, Canada. Ten ponds (1-13 ha) were chosen for a two-year experimental manipulation study. Following a year of baseline monitoring, manipulations were conducted in 2002. To facilitate access by carp into isolated ponds, channels were blasted from the main marsh into two ponds. Meanwhile, to restrict or exclude carp access into ponds, channels were either screened or diked to four ponds. Two connected and two isolated ponds functioned as controls. Although common carp were the original subject of the study, it became apparent that hydrological connection to the surrounding marsh had a paramount importance on the abundance and diversity of the fish, amphibian and water-column invertebrate communities. Connectivity, or lack of connectivity, played an important role in the distribution of the fish community, and subsequently the composition and abundance of water-column invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with direct connection had diverse, mixed-species fish assemblages, with fewer invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with restricted connections had fish communities composed of tolerant small-sized species and increased abundance of invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds that lacked connection could freeze and lose all fish, and had higher numbers of invertebrates and amphibians. An absence of adult common carp may have been responsible for increased amphibian numbers in the screened ponds, however more study is needed. Confounding impacts of fluctuating water levels made it impossible to implicate common carp for most changes observed within ponds in Delta Marsh. / May 2006

The lower Churchill River has been an important travel route for people living in its vicinity for a long period of time. Churchillians’ have used it for subsistence harvesting, as their potable water source and as a place of recreation and relaxation. Previous research has documented the importance of the Churchill River to the residents and has explored how the Churchill River Diversion affected the community of Churchill (Boothroyd, 1992; 2000; Four Directions Consulting Group, 1994; 1995). The purpose of this project was to identify how Churchill residents used the lower Churchill River (from 1970 to 2006), recognizing three distinct periods of time. Twenty interviews were conducted with former or current long-term residents of Churchill, as well as two interviews with experts on issues concerning the lower Churchill River. Many interviewees stated that additional negotiations and measures are required before they deem the mitigation compensation package from Manitoba Hydro to be adequate considering the impact of the diversion on the residents of Churchill. / October 2007

The sharing of needles among injection drug users (IDUs) is a common route of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis C Virus transmission. Through the increased utilization of social network analysis, researchers have been able to examine how the interpersonal relationships of IDUs affect injection risk behaviour. This study involves a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional study of 156 IDUs from Winnipeg, Manitoba titled “Social Network Analysis of Injection Drug Users”. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the individual and the social network characteristics associated with needle sharing among the IDUs. Generalized Estimating Equations analysis was used to determine the injecting dyad characteristics which influence needle sharing behaviour between the IDUs and their injection drug using network members. The results revealed five key thematic findings that were significantly associated with needle sharing: (1) types of drug use, (2) socio-demographic status, (3) injecting in semi-public locations, (4) intimacy, and (5) social influence. The findings from this study suggest that comprehensive prevention approaches that target individuals and their network relationships may be necessary for sustainable reductions in needle sharing among IDUs. / February 2006

Second home use or cottaging is an increasingly desirable practice across Canada. In Manitoba, cottaging sub-divisions are generally situated along lakes and rivers in the province, many of which are situated on Crown land or in provincial parks. This study explored what is meaningful about cottaging to bring about a better understanding of the importance of cottaging as a culturally meaningful social practice. The objectives of the research were to identify what makes Flanders Lake and surrounding area of Nopiming Provincial Park a meaningful place for cottagers; determine if there are shared meanings among cottagers; and consider the implications of the cultural landscape of cottagers for natural resource management. The case study research considered the sense of place that is derived from cottagers’ experiences and what specifically contributes to the significance of cottage culture in the cottaging sub-division of Flanders Lake, Manitoba. A qualitative, interpretive research design was used for data collection. Photo-elicitation also known as resident employed photography was used, whereby cottagers were asked to photograph things, places or people that represented meaningful aspects about cottaging and the surrounding area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individual participants to validate and triangulate perspectives. Using NVivo 7 qualitative software to manage data and elicit themes, a cultural landscape framework of cottagers was developed. Cottagers cited recreational activities, connections with people, interactions with nature and the tonic-like effects of cottaging experiences, as the most meaningful aspects of cottaging. The study showed that it is possible to determine the most meaningful aspects of a place, and that many of those attributes are shared between community members. However, dissecting those meanings into constituent parts of a collective body of shared, interrelated and sometimes dependent meanings is complex, and not always possible. Further study on the cultural landscape of additional cottaging communities and of other area stakeholders is recommended given the increasing desirability and interest in cottaging, and potential for negotiating place meanings in multiple land use areas. / October 2008

In 1957 the Southern Manitoba Broadcasting Company launched radio station CFAM in Altona, Manitoba. The privately owned outlet emerged from the province’s Mennonite community at a moment when its people were negotiating the powerful forces of social, economic, and cultural change that were transforming North American rural life. This study describes the origins of what became known as Radio Southern Manitoba and its development into a regional cultural institution as it cultivated a broad audience over its first two decades on the air. The primary focus of this analysis is Radio Southern Manitoba’s role in the Mennonite community, and its influence in the cultural reformulation that transmuted Mennonite group identity in the latter half of the twentieth century. Through an examination of the activities and materials pertaining to the production of the radio broadcast, and a limited consideration of sources describing its consumption, this thesis explores how the broadcaster reflected and attempted to shape the culture and practices of its Mennonite audience segment. It finds that through an unconventional mix of farm programming, classical and semi-classical music, religious broadcasts, and community services, CFAM (and its later sister stations) encouraged a version of Mennonite identity deemed acceptable by members of this ethno-religious group as it shifted from being a relatively isolated people to subjects in a pluralistic, modern society. / May 2009

‘FIELD WORKS’ explores landscape experiences that were once common to the tall grass prairie region of Manitoba. The route through this project winds in and out of urban surfaces to reveal memories embedded in the land. It documents forgotten and dormant prairie events so that they might be woven back into the fabric of the city. The purpose of this project is to transfer explored and speculative experience into a physical route through the urban prairie landscape. It is an effort to expose the layers clinging to physical memories rooted in the prairie. / May 2007

In 2000, midwifery was regulated in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Since the inception of the midwifery program, little formal research has analyzed the utilization of regulated midwifery services. Currently, many women are denied access to midwifery care due to the shortage of midwives in Manitoba. The specific objectives of this mixed-methods case study were to describe the utilization of midwifery health care services in Manitoba from 2001/02 to 2009/10 and to explore factors influencing the implementation and utilization of regulated midwifery services in Manitoba. The study was guided by the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (Andersen, 1995). Data collection and analysis were an iterative process between documents, interviews, and administrative data. The quantitative analysis used the population-based administrative data housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy to study the utilization of midwifery care. There was modest growth in the overall rate of midwifery-attended births, as well as in the number of midwives over the 10-year time period. Twenty-four key informants were purposefully selected to participate in semi-structured interviews for the qualitative component. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Three main topic areas were identified: barriers, facilitators, and future strategies/recommendations. Themes arising under barriers included conflict and power; lack of an educational program; perceptions of the profession, and a precarious profession. Issues of gender underpinned some of these barriers. Constituent influence was a prominent facilitator of the profession. Future strategies for sustaining the midwifery profession focused on ensuring avenues for registration and education, improving management strategies and accountability frameworks, enhancing the work environment, and evaluating the model of practice and employment. Results of the document analysis supported the themes arising from the interviews. In spite of scientific evidence that supports the midwifery model of care, there remains an inherent struggle to justify the profession and ensure its widespread implementation in Manitoba. The findings have implications for maternal child health professionals working on collaborative efforts to facilitate access to midwifery services for women. This study adds to the growing body of literature related to midwifery in Canada.

Problem: Older adults may change their view on what is important to their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). They may alter their opinion about areas relevant to HRQOL (reconceptualization), or how important these areas are to them (reprioritization), and this can be referred to as response shift (RS). Overtime, changes in HRQOL may be imprecise (underestimated or overestimated) if RS occurs. Providing detailed information about RS in the older adult population will have many implications for health professionals, family members, caregivers, policy makers, and researchers. The purpose was to explore RS in HRQOL in community-dwelling older men. Methods: Data from the Manitoba Follow-up Study (MFUS) was used as 360 older men returned the Successful Aging Questionnaire in each of five years (2007-2011). The participants identified the importance of 15 items, which reflect the physical (2 items), mental (5 items), and social domains (8 items) of HRQOL. Descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS21. An individualized method was used to identify different aspects of RS at group and individual levels, as well as the item level. Predictors of RS were also identified using logistic regression in a one-year period. Results: Mean age of participants was 89.7 years (SD 2.9) in 2011. Across 15 items over a one-year period, RS varied from a low of 9.3% for the ‘being mentally aware’ item to 39.3% for the ‘having goals/making plans’ item. Because we were examining RS of 15 items, it was very uncommon to find older men with no RS on all items. Only 27 out of 360 older men (7.5%) provided the same response on all the items they answered at both times (2010-2011). The average of the percent of people showing RS over 15 items, across four time periods, within three domains, was 24.4%. Reprioritization was more common in physical and mental domains, respectively, whereas reconceptualization was seen mainly in the social domain. Further, most of those who showed reprioritization, showed a decrease in importance, while most of those who showed reconceptualization, dropped a concept. Older men who were older, married, living independently, and recently did not participate in activities, were more likely to show RS in certain items. Older men with lower self-rated health were less likely to show RS. Conclusions: Data from the MFUS presents an opportunity to assess RS by using an individualized method that is simple to conduct and interpret in research and clinical settings. This method provides extensive demonstration of RS including magnitude, timing, type, direction, and predictors. RS should be considered an important part of aging, when planning resources and individualizing interventions for the older adult population. Future studies should design a method that evaluates RS individually, similar to our method. / October 2015

No description available.

Through analysis of the site, and of the important historic precedents in the area of St. Andrew's, Manitoba, the project attempts to fill a void in the fabric of life of a rural community. Moreover, the project seeks to ameliorate the negative effects that sub-urbanization is having in the present, and will have in the future, upon the community of St. Andrew's. A community hall in a strategic location - at the junction of the historic Red River Heritage Parkway, and St. Andrews's Road - will increase the civic and community presence at the heart of the small town. Sited in relation to St. Andrew's Church, the St. Andrew's Rectory, and St. Andrew's Elementary, the proposed Community Hall will first of all provide a place for people in and outside the community to gather, be it for socials, dances, political meetings, or fall suppers. Secondly, the Community Hall will address the life of the Red River. A problem identified by the research was that new subdivisions within St. Andrew's fail to address the Red River. A Community Hall, which refocuses considerable attention towards river recreation, would increase the awareness of planners and other professionals so that St. Andrew's will be developed in ways which contribute to the fabric of life in St. Andrew's. To this end, the project supports the development of a descriptive, rather than prescriptive, park-like area along the banks of the Red River. Such a park would provide places for children and adults to seek out the river's edge for recreation, both in winter and in summer. Small hills will be enjoyed as sledding opportunities, while a concerted effort in cleaning and scraping the ice of the river will provide for public skating. Boat launches will be used in summer by visitors, and small shacks provided in both winter and summer for respite from the elements. The programme of the building will also support such activities. The main floor and mezzanine should be viewed as "formal," as they address the events of the community at large and ingrain themselves into the life of school, church, and town. The lower floor of the building, however, will have public washrooms, rentable rooms for boy scout meetings, floor hockey and the like, and a concession area. This lower level will address itself to the informal life of the community as embodied through the symbol of the Red River.