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No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis aims to develop an architectural zone for contact between two boroughs in Montreal: Mont-Royal and Rosemont-la-Petite-Patrie; these boroughs are divided by the Canadian Pacific Railway as well as the Van Horne viaduct. Empty lots along the the fringe of the railway are used by the artistic population, which has appropriated the industrial buildings and empty lots that border the rail line. Citizens also use informal passways to cross the railway and viaduct. The proposal of this thesis is to develop an urban space that will improve social cohesion and encourage unfettered access, by setting up safe crossings and encouraging the spread of arts and culture without changing the character of the site. The focus of this project is to support and develop, through architectural design, the social interaction that people create. It also aims to create an architecture of resistance to preserve the informal residual parks that border the railway. / I propose architecture of resistance, because I stand firmly against future developments. The rounded silhouette of my architecture is the result of my goal to preserve the parkland that already exists and works. By not altering the surroundings, I maintain the artistic community in the sector. Architecture of resistance is a form of opposition that residents of the sector already execute in their own way. Graffiti artists leave their traces on the walls, sculptors claim vacant land with found materials and people form committees to protect their surroundings. My proposal supports resistance to future development in the site and I am pleased to take part in that movement.

Montréal’s Griffintown is a neighbourhood facing multiple transformations. Formerly a working class district gathered around warehouses and industries based along the Lachine Canal, it is home today to various avant-garde artistic groups. It is simultaneously under pressure of rampant condominium redevelopment. This thesis explores a means of reinforcing the identity of the area based on the re-use and celebration of existing, industrial artifacts. Existing infrastructure is examine as a potential host for related programs of renewable energy, recycling, waste treatment, and urban agriculture, thus Acting as a means to regenerate a public engagement with public utility processes. The rail viaduct in particular is explored as a means of incorporating both a new public utility as well as remaining an existing means of public transportation. The architecture of this new urban armature extends to engage with two buildings of great heritage and cultural value, both in need of being preserved and valorized before it is too late. These buildings have the potential to become urban anchors and community landmarks, particularly in conjunction with development of adjacent urban plazas and landscapes.

This study focused on the challenges facing the Ukrainian community in Montreal, within the parameters of their support and mutual aid services. Key informants from the community were interviewed. A mail-in questionnaire was administered to a sample of Ukrainians (N = 145), from the community at large. Key findings: (a) a high level of interest in community planning, (b) for women, social policy and health and social services were more important, (c) 18% were uncertain about remaining in Quebec, and (d) internal conflicts within community infrastructures. Areas of concentration for community development: (a) health and social services for independent elderly and others in need, (b) residential placement for elderly, and (c) counselling and information services for immigrants.

This research is an exploration of the experiences of visible minorities employed by a bank promoting employment equity since 1990. This study is based on a qualitative methodology. To collect the data, twenty-six members of the organization--eighteen visible minorities, four French Canadian and four managers--were interviewed. The analysis of the collected data showed a wide range of experiences within the sample. The promotion issue is the most important. Many respondants want promotions within the organisation and find that their progression is slow. Some respondants acknowledged that their supervisors were prejudiced against them as visible minorities, which they thought could slow down their career prospects. Overall, eleven out of the eighteen visible minorities interviewed believe that their special status has an impact on their experience at the bank. The subtle character of the disadvantage perceived by respondants should be the object of further research.

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This study explores the complex issues in culturally sensitive social services in the context of ethnic polities. We examine the reasons why the social service sector fails to provide equitable services to minorities. We explore the concept of ethnic match, services delivered by ethnic personnel, in an ethnic agency and using ethnic practice, as an attainable solution to the problems, by comparing with a Chinese and a Jewish ethno-specific family service agency in Montreal. The ways they deliver sensitive services to communities members and the challenges they face are documented. The dynamic of the ethnic polities in which these two agencies operate is also examined. We argue the formation and functioning of these agencies are shaped by a set of internal factors (within the communities) and external factors (in Quebec society). Culture plays a vital role in service delivery and help seeking, and also in the organization of these ethnic communities. Policy implications are discussed, and future research is suggested.