Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1988. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Bibliography: leaves 96-103.

Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1980. / Prefatory material in English and French. "A Diamond Jenness memorial volume." Bibliography: p. 258-262.

Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1980. / Prefatory material in English and French. "A Diamond Jenness memorial volume." Bibliography: p. 258-262.

The first comprehensive analysis of surface waters in the Labrador Sea for 236U was completed via Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. Through the analysis of 236U the method for AMS measurement was fine-tuned to allow for more precise results. Surface samples for the anthropogenic isotopes 137Cs and 129I were also collected along with two depth profiles of 129I. Samples were also collected in the Beaufort Sea and analyzed for the aforementioned isotopes. It was found that anthropogenic 129I from reprocessing plants is easily discernible at different concentrations among water bodies in both the Labrador and Beaufort Sea. 137Cs in surface waters is close to global fallout levels with no discernable influence from reprocessing plant inputs, but follows a similar trend to that of 129I with depth in the Beaufort Sea. 236U among surface waters in the Labrador Sea did not follow the same trends as 129I but had concentrations indicative of a mix of global fallout as well as reprocessing plant influenced waters. 236U samples from the Beaufort Sea were contaminated by an unknown source of 236U and were inconclusive but were reproducible and allowed for continued development of the AMS analysis methodology.

3D geological modelling is becoming an effective tool for communication and development of geological understanding. This is due to increased computer performance and availability of improved geological modelling software. 3D geological modelling technology has reached the stage where it can be implemented in regionally extensive and geologically complex settings, with the ability to achieve geological insight beyond what could otherwise have been gained through 2D investigations alone. Insight includes better constrained fault and horizon topologies, refined fold geometries, improved understanding of tectonic processes, and characterization of deformational events. By integrating field observations, aeromagnetic maps, and 3D modelling techniques in the northern Labrador Trough, a regionally extensive and structurally complex geological environment, regional faults geometries and topological relationships were refined. Additionally, a new fault, the Ujaralialuk Fault, and two shear zones were interpreted. During modelling, several challenges were identified, including higher computational costs for regionally extensive models, sparse 3D constraints, algorithmic limitations related to complex geometries, and the large investment of time and effort required to produce a single model solution. A benefit of this investigation is that new insight was also gained for a greenfields region which may assist future exploration efforts. Developing 3D models in challenging environments allows for better definition of future workflow requirements, algorithm enhancements, and knowledge integration. These are needed to achieve a geologically reasonable modelling standard and gain insight for poorly constrained geological settings.

During the past three decades, in Newfoundland, there have been repeated high level recommendations made concerning the formulation of an integrated land-use policy. In particular, the forest sector has expressed the need for such a policy through recommendations made by several Royal Commissions on Forestry, a Federal-Provincial Task Force on Forestry, and through a number of other documents and forums. This research study began as a problem solving mission, i.e., to answer the questions: Why has an integrated forest land-use policy not been formulated? What are the limiting factors constraining the policy formulation process? After a preliminary review of the literature and an initial listing of some possible constraints, it became obvious that the complexity of the policy formulation process all but precluded any neatly bounded solutions. Therefore, the problem solving mission evolved into an exploratory process. Based on some empirical observations, I decided that the higher education system might be one of the weak links in the land-based policy formulation process in Newfoundland. At the same time, the higher education system appeared to hold great promise in finding long-term pervasive solutions to land-use problems. My thesis is that the higher education system is one of the weak links, if not weakest link, in the forest land-use policy formulation process in Newfoundland. To examine and clarify this position, I have conducted a comparative analysis of the higher education systems in three peripheral jurisdictions that have much in common: Newfoundland, Tasmania, and Alaska. Each is peripheral in their respective federation, has a population of approximately one-half million, and has a comparable forest land-base and industry. The comparative analysis consisted of an: assembly, review, and analysis of relevant documents; on-site reconnaissance in Newfoundland, Tasmania, and Alaska; and interviews with non-replaceable respondents. Specifically, I analyzed the teaching, research, and service functions of the higher education system and how they relate to the integrated forest land-use policy formulation process. It is concluded that overall Newfoundland's higher education system has contributed less to the integrated forest land-use policy formulation process than the systems in Tasmania or Alaska. For teaching, Memorial University of Newfoundland has the least number of related faculties and departments, offers no professional or graduate level degrees in land-based renewable resource management, and has the least number of related individual courses. Memorial University has also conducted less research on related policy topics. As well, related service functions fall behind contributions made by the University of Tasmania and are roughly on a par with the University of Alaska. From this comparative analysis, I have begun construction of a conceptual framework that places higher education and natural resource public policy formulation in a wider context. It is suggested that there may be an imbalance between liberal, scientific, and professional approaches in the higher education system and that this may have significant implications for natural resource/environmental policy formulation and implementation. This study is original in two respects. It is the first research project to compare Newfoundland, Tasmania, and Alaska; and it is one of the first, if not the first, empirical study to examine linkages between the higher education system and formulation of forest land-use policy. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

The Labrador Innu lived for millennia in the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula as nomadic hunters. Commencing in the 1950s, successive policies imposed on the Innu by federal and provincial governments brought significant disruptions to their traditional way of life. Today, the Labrador Innu are settled in the communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They have maintained their language and culture, anchored in their understanding of territory and their relationship with their ancestral land, and have increasingly asserted their self-determination, including in research. The Innu articulated a Healing Strategy in 2014 after extensive community consultations. The Strategy states that a contemporary return to culture would provide healing to individuals and communities. Healing is important due to the social suffering experienced through sudden forced settlement and schooling in a non-Innu system. These abrupt changes altered the social fabric that had sustained Innu society for millennia. As part of the Strategy, the Innu decided to undertake a study to articulate their concept of wellbeing (minuinniuin) and their process of healing. Wellbeing and healing are intrinsic concepts for Innu; however, these concepts need to be uncovered for health and service providers, and policy makers. Having lived in Labrador and worked for the Innu, I was invited to be part of this community-initiated research. The Grand Chief of the Innu Nation directed that the research involve Innu researchers and utilize Innu ways-of-knowing and knowledge as fully as possible. Innu knowledge, like all Indigenous knowledges, is specific to the place where Innu live and to their experiences. Indigenous concepts of health and wellbeing, connections to land, and cultural identity are wholistically connected and culture-specific. The main objective of this dissertation is to articulate the Labrador Innu understanding of wellbeing and their distinctive process of healing. This qualitative study involves interviews and focus groups with 39 participants older than 16 years of age. This is a dissertation by articles. It consists of a general introduction to Indigenous health inequities, a literature review, a description of the methods, and the results as three separate manuscripts. It concludes with a summary of findings and implications. The first manuscript focuses on the process of developing an Innu framework for health research involving a partnership between Innu and non-Innu researchers. An Innu community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework for health research is proposed where Innu knowledge is foundational to the study. The framework is based on the metaphor of Innu and non-Innu canoeing together in one canoe. Within the space that joins all researchers, Indigenous knowledges are uncovered. This CBPR framework is used in the following two manuscripts. The second manuscript describes the contemporary process of healing of the Labrador Innu. Healing practices have been developed to deal with the historical and contemporary effects of colonialism and Innu people consider them effective. Healing is grounded in self-determination, culture, and non-reliance on bio-medicine. Five stages of healing are described: being “under the blanket”; finding spiritual strength; extending hands out; finding strength and power; and helping others. The findings highlighted the enablement of healing through spiritualities, support from Elders, return to culture, and resistance to negative stereotypes. The third manuscript aims to understand Innu views of wellbeing, and the influence of the land on health and wellbeing. Findings highlight that the experience of being on the land with family and community, learning cultural knowledge, and enacting Innu identity play a major role in enhancing wellbeing. For the Innu, the land sustains wellbeing by emplacing knowledge systems and cultural identity. The work presented in this dissertation contributes to the literature on Labrador Innu population health by highlighting that access to and experience of land build up health and wellbeing by providing and facilitating togetherness, fostering a relationship to all living beings, and enacting culture and a positive Innu identity. The findings add new knowledge to Indigenous health studies literature, particularly Innu health studies – holding promise for reducing health inequities. Implications for research, practice, and policy are also addressed.

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