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Efforts to keep children in their own homes when they are found to be at risk within the meaning of child protection legislation have resulted in the creation of family preservation programs. Typically, these services are crisis-oriented. Short-term, intensive work with families is offered with a goal of maintaining the child in his or her own home. A family support program which provides these services in the anglophone community of Montreal was examined. / The data for this qualitative study were obtained through indepth interviews with the program staff and through an examination of agency files. The findings suggest that service is limited to those families who are assessed to be motivated--that is compliant with the objectives of the program and accepting of the intensive nature of the service. The interventions focus on individual parenting, most often the mother's parenting. For the workers, the dual role of support and scrutiny is managed within a relationship of trust. / The findings further indicate that families who are experiencing severe problems, often related to alcoholism, family violence and extreme poverty are not served by this program.

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Car dependency has resulted in traffic congestion in the Champlain Bridge corridor between the South Shore and Montreal CBD. This thesis addresses the ongoing debate of whether an inflexible rail or more flexible express bus system is better suited for travel in the corridor. An exploratory analysis of commuters revealed dispersed work destinations, suburb-to-suburb commuting, and public transit constraints for car users, providing evidence that rail would not be an effective solution. Factors known to affect mode choice such as access walking time, cost, and number of transfers were quantified in a discrete choice model of mode choice by commuters in existing rail corridors in Montreal. The model was then applied to the Champlain Bridge corridor under the assumption of hypothetical rail implementation. The projected demand for rail was lower than current express bus use in the corridor, suggesting that there would be no justification in incurring the great expense of building a rail system to replace the current express bus system. Improvement of the established bus system would have greater potential to reduce car trips.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of the Greek day school Socrates in Montreal and its overall impact on its students vis-a-vis the variables of ethnic identity, socio-personal adjustment and academic achievement. Existing documentation, content analysis of the Greek community press, and participant observation were all used in unfolding the school's historical development. The dependent variables of Greekness, adjustment and achievement were examined via the interviewing of 549 Greek origin individuals, 118 of whom were adults, 255 Socrates students, 158 non-Socrates students, and the rest 18 were Socrates graduates. Although the results obtained did not provide conclusive evidence concerning an assumed differential impact of Socrates along the variables investigated, the ethnic identity influences of the community school were clearly delineated. At the same time, the results of the study have pointed to what has been coined here a "Socrates ethos" which is may be conducive to academic and socio-professional success. Accordingly, an overall long-term Socrates impact has tentatively been postulated.

The Burton, Kates and White model of community response to environmental change is used to study a rapidly developing suburb of Montreal. Between 1973 and 1988, 11 376 single family dwellings were built in the 'West Island'. A geographic information system (GIS) analysis shows 40 percent of vacant land was developed between 1983 and 1989, over half this was for low density housing. A study of citizens' perceptions of the changes shows 72 percent of residents felt local environmental conditions were the same or better than when they first moved to the area (average 14 years) and 71 percent felt the quality of the community was the same or better. The condition of wooded areas was the largest determinant of perception of local environmental conditions and "friendliness" was most closely related to evaluations of community quality. A history of environmental activism describes a sector of the population as having crossed a "threshold of tolerance" and taken action to protect valued natural assets of the community.