The viability of energy mineral resources (EMR) construction projects is contingent upon the state of the world economic climate. Oil sands projects in Alberta, Canada exemplify large EMR projects that are highly sensitive to fluctuations in the world market. Alberta EMR projects are constrained by high fixed production costs and are also widely recognized as one of the most challenging construction projects to successfully deliver due to impacts from extreme weather conditions, remote locations and issues with labor availability amongst others. As indicated in many studies, these hardships strain the industry’s ability to execute work efficiently, resulting in declining productivity and mounting cost and schedule overruns. Therefore, to enhance the competitiveness of Alberta EMR projects, project teams are targeting effective management strategies to enhance project performance and productivity by countering the uniquely challenging environment in Alberta. The main purpose of this research is to develop industry wide benchmarking tailored to the specific constraints and challenges of Alberta. Results support quantitative assessments and identify the root causes of project performance and ineffective field productivity problems in the heavy industry sector capital projects. Customized metrics produced from the data collected through a web-based survey instrument were used to quantitatively assess project performance in the following dimensions: cost, schedule, change, rework, safety, engineering and construction productivity and construction practices. The system enables the industry to measure project performance more accurately, get meaningful comparisons, while establishing credible norms specific to Alberta projects. Data analysis to identify the root cause of performance problems was conducted. The analysis of Alberta projects substantiated lessons of previous studies to create an improved awareness of the abilities of Alberta-based companies to manage their unique projects. This investigation also compared Alberta- based projects with U.S. projects to point out the differences in project process and management strategies under different environments. The relative impact of factors affecting construction productivity were identified and validated by the input from industry experts. The findings help improve the work processes used by companies developing projects in Alberta. / text

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A field campaign was conducted in March and April 2015 in the Kananaskis Valley of Alberta to investigate the formation and characteristics of ice crystals and solid precipitation particles in the lee of the Rocky Mountains. This thesis examines data from 11 storms producing mainly light precipitation within generally sub-saturated surface and near-surface conditions. Instruments utilized include soundings, radar images, and surface observations, but the focus is on the analysis of 1,183 microphotographic images of precipitation particles. The particles (diameters up to 24 mm) were placed into 12 categories with rimed irregular snow particles being most common. Unrimed and rimed particles were commonly (14% of images) observed simultaneously and 62% of particles were rimed. Rimed, dense particles were less likely to sublimate before reaching the surface in the dry sub-cloud region that was at least partially a result of the air aloft being directed mainly towards the east and ‘downslope’. / February 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine if there had been a significant change in the academic achievement, as measured by Grade XII grade-point averages, of Alberta's matriculation graduates since the accreditation of Alberta high schools in 1973. The experimental population consisted of 100, 1971-72 and of 100, 1976-77 matriculation graduates who had graduated from schools in the rural school jurisdictions in Education zone 6; and of 100, 1971-72, and of 100, 1976-77 matriculation graduates who had graduated from schools in the Medicine Hat urban school jurisdiction. All of the students in the experimental population had completed their freshman year at the Medicine Hat College the year following their graduation from high school. The variables analyzed in this study were: (1) Departmental Examination Grade XII grade-point averages, (2) Teacher-assigned Grade XII grade-point averages, (3) college freshmen grade-point averages, and (4) zones (rural and urban). Correlation coefficients were calculated between Grade XII grade-point averages before and after the accreditation of Alberta high schools. Results indicated that the correlation coefficients ranged from .36 to 50. The Grade XII grade-point averages which showed the highest correlations with college freshmen grade-point averages were those which had been obtained on Departmental Examinations. The Fisher's Zr transformation statistical test indicated, at the .05 level of significance, that there was no significant difference between the zones' correlation coefficients before and after accreditation. The two way analysis of variance test results indicated that there was no significant mean difference between Departmental Examinations Grade XII grade-point averages and teacher-assigned grades. There was, however, a significant difference at the .01 level, between the rural and urban zones' matriculation graduates' Grade XII grade-point averages. The t test showed that there was no significant mean difference between the rural and urban zone's matriculation graduates' Grades XII grade-point averages before accreditation, but after accreditation there was a significant mean difference at the .01 level. The two-way analysis of variance statistical test results showed no significant mean difference in the Medicine Hat College's freshmen grade-point averages prior to or after accreditation.

The objective of this thesis study is to identify factors that influence Alberta food processors' food safety decisions. Data for this study were collected in a 2008 survey of Alberta food processors. It is hypothesized that pressures from government, industry, and consumers influence firms' food safety decisions. Data on respondent firms' perceptions, attitudes and characteristics are analyzed using nonparametric statistical approaches; logit models are estimated. Analysis indicates that firms perceive their consumers as viewing potential hazards to be more dangerous to food safety than the firms themselves consider these hazards. Firms' responses associated good manufacturing practices with both improved food safety and improved business performance. Only minimal support is found for government, industry and consumer pressures as influencers of HACCP adoption in Alberta. Structural issues are identified which may impact policy implementation. The conclusions provide insights into Alberta food processors' food safety strategies and may contribute to food safety policy. / Agriculture and Resource Economics

This thesis is about climate change attitudes in Alberta, Canada. It applies a bivariate logistic analysis to the data gathered from a random stratified sampling survey held in Alberta in 2008. It finds that belief in the anthropogenic climate change and Conservative political ideology factors have a high predictive probability on an individuals willingness to pay a tax that addresses the negative effects of climate change. The subjects of individual capacity and reflexivity are examined in the light of these results and suggestions for future researchers are made. It thus offers insights on how to find human potentials within society that can help to cope with the idea of climate change. / Rural Sociology

Nigeria has a huge natural gas reserve, but to date this resource has been largely under-developed. This state of affair has impacted negatively on Nigerias economic potential. In contrast, Alberta has benefitted immensely from its natural gas resource because it has effectively developed same. This thesis advocates the effective development of Nigerias natural gas resources. It examines the current frameworks for the development of natural gas in Alberta and Nigeria and outlines the concepts in the Albertas framework that could be adopted by Nigeria. Three core regimes that promote the effective development of natural gas are utilized for the examination. They are: effective regimes for the acquisition of natural gas rights, for the conservation, and for the utilization of natural gas resources. Given climate change concerns and depletion in natural gas stock capital, this thesis also advocates the sustainable development of natural gas in Nigeria and Alberta.

Le sommet du Frasnien est une époque difficile pour la biodiversité sur la Terre, en particulier pour les organismes d’eaux chaudes et peu profondes. Cette étude vise à établir un lien entre l’activité tectonique et la crise biologique. Trois coupes d’Amérique du Nord, de la marge ouest du paléocontinent Laurentia, liées au front orogénique Antler ont été étudiées pour leurs rapports isotopiques 87Sr/86Sr dans les carbonates. La coupe de Devils Gate dans le centre Nevada (USA) présente au sommet du Frasnien des faciès de turbidites carbonatées de bassin. Trois pics successifs de 87Sr/86Sr s’observent au sommet du Frasnien, entre le deux niveaux anoxiques Kellwasser. Le dernier pic est le plus élevé, il est contemporain du début du second Kellwasser et présente un rapport isotopique de 0,7094. La coupe de North Antelope Range proche de celle de Devils Gate, présente des dépôts extrêmement homogènes et réguliers de “debris-flow” carbonatés dans un bassin d’avant-pays. Un pic du 87Sr/86Sr plus modéré y est enregistré. La coupe de Mount Cinquefoil est située dans l’Alberta (Canada), dans un contexte de rampe formant une transition entre un important complexe récifal et un bassin. A nouveau un pic de 87Sr/86Sr est enregistré au début de l’événement anoxique alors que le reste de la coupe est fort homogène. Un autre pic important du 87Sr/86Sr est présent dans la partie inférieure de la coupe à la base du premier niveau Kellwasser identifié par l’étude sédimentologique. Les différents pics du 87Sr/86Sr enregistrés dans la Zone à conodontes linguiformis sur les trois coupes présentent des points communs. D’une part ils occupent la même position par rapport à la courbe de susceptibilité magnétique enregistrée dans les trois coupes, ce qui tend à montrer qu’ils sont contemporains. D’autre part ils sont systématiquement liés à des teneurs plus fortes en éléments (Al, Ti, Si, ...) de la phase détritique dans les roches, ce qui permet d’établir un lien direct entre l’activité tectonique régionale, l’érosion continentale accentuée et les rapports isotopiques élevés du Sr. De plus ces pics du 87Sr/86Sr semblent liés à la mise en place des périodes d’anoxie des horizons Kellwasser par eutrophisation des eaux. La chemostratigraphie permet de reconnaître des phases bien distinctes de la sédimentologie détritique, en lien avec le contexte tectonique de chaque coupe. Enfin, la comparaison avec d’autres données de la littérature pose la question de la simultanéité des événements à la surface de la Terre.

The Consort Pebble Chert Quarry site (EkOr-8) is a Pre-Contact quarry site located south of the Village of Consort, Alberta. Despite knowledge of the site's existence by local area farmers, it was only in 1999 that it was first recorded as an archaeological site. It is described as a large area dominated by the presence of marked depressions that vary in size from less than a metre in depth and diameter to well over three metres in depth and diameter as well as an abundance of chert pebbles on the ground surface. Originally believed to be an example of meteorite impacts, the site was explored by geologists from the University of Calgary. Further visits by provincial archaeologists resulted in numerous theories as to the cause of the depression features and the purpose of the site. No archaeological investigation was undertaken prior to the summer of 2006.<p>No diagnostic artifacts were recovered from within the site area; however, a possible temporal indicator to site usage may be indicated based on the discovery of a Duncan projectile point in a site immediately to the south of the Consort Pebble Chert Quarry. An abundance of lithic artifacts were uncovered as results of the shovel test program undertaken by the author during the summer of 2006. The majority of these lithic artifacts were derived from the abundant lithic material within the site area known as pebble chert. No other non-lithic artifacts were found during the course of this excavation. <p>Shovel tests were used to provide an indication of the subsurface stratigraphy at the site. No evidence of cultural strata was found and the subsurface deposits present reflect a history of glacial landscapes. A number of glacial phenomena are the likely causes of the depression features. The presence of pebble chert on the ground surface; however, did make this area an attractive location for collecting unmodified lithic material in order to fashion stone tools. The existence of numerous artifacts made from pebble chert at the site indicates that past cultural groups had visited and collected from the area. An overview of archaeological sites on the Canadian Plains demonstrates that pebble chert is a valuable lithic material that was used in a wide variety of archaeological sites throughout the Pre-Contact era.