Most disaster management studies only assess community resilience immediately following the event with no further follow-up. Accordingly, there is a lack of research being conducted to determine whether communities truly recover over time after a disaster strikes. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine the different factors and dimensions that facilitate or hinder community resilience more than a decade post-disaster using present day Walkerton, Ontario (16 years after the effects of the 2000 water contamination outbreak). This exploratory study utilized an interpretive description qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with a purposeful sample of 29 Walkerton community members. The data were transcribed verbatim and coded using conventional content analysis to identify themes inductively. Several barriers and enabling factors were identified in maintaining community resilience under non-crisis conditions in the community. A conceptual model was developed based on the study’s findings to demonstrate the application of the life course approach within an existing community resilience framework. This model contributes to the field of disaster management in demonstrating the various ways that a disaster affects the subsequent life course of individuals post-disaster. It highlights the need to integrate a community-centred approach in disaster management to yield more effective and efficient mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery strategies. / Thesis / Master of Public Health (MPH)

This study was undertaken to present the aerial differentiation within Brant Township. To express these differences most clearly the Township has been studied on a regional basis. This includes a breakdown of the study area into small subdivisions and the relationships of the unit areas to each other to discover the structural and functional basis of the larger area. It must be remembered that regional geography is sterile without the concepts and principles from systematic geography. Therefore systematic geography has been employed for an understanding of the aerial differences in each kind of phenomena and the relationships between them. Throughout the study, emphasis has been placed on the basic land utilization pattern of the Township. The land utilization maps are the result of systematic observation on a field to field basis. The functional map of Walkerton in the back cover illustrates the land use contained within the town. This map also constitutes the results of field work. The study is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is a general introduction to the location, size and the physical geography are discussed. Chapter three is a detailed account of the historical development of the Township. The present day agriculture is dealt within Chapter four while non-agricultural land use, which includes on urban study, is discussed in chapter five. Chapter six, containing the summary and conclusion, completes the thesis. / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)