This research examined the effect of increasing attention on OxyContin in the news media on prescribing practices of the drug in Nova Scotia. Using data collected as part of a study looking at representations of OxyContin in North American newspapers between 1995 and 2005, this research assessed the trends in prescribing practices of OxyContin in relation to the increased media attention. Data from the original media study was combined with administrative data from the Nova Scotia Prescription Monitoring Program to examine OxyContin prescribing trends between September 1996 and December 2007, with a specific focus on changes in the volume of OxyContin prescribed as a proportion of all opioids prescribed and as a proportion of strong opioids prescribed. Peaks in print media attention in both the United States and Canada were followed by statistically significant changes in OxyContin prescribing. These changes differed among prescribers in different District Health Authorities and specialties.

The New England Planters were the largest wave of Protestant migration into Nova Scotia prior to the American Revolution. Sponsored by the British government, they represent an attempt to make Nova Scotia a securely British colony in the wake of the Seven Years’ War and the Acadian deportation. Examining the experiences of several families, this thesis argues that the Planters, despite taking up lands in Nova Scotia, remained unsettled. The migration was staggered over a number of years, and Planters maintained close ties with New England. However, the Planters were unable to recreate New England culture completely. Increasing numbers of settlers from the British Isles and revolutionary suspicion marked out Planter Nova Scotia as a separate space, despite the close ties that individual Planters maintained with their homelands. The Revolution forced Planters to choose, but until then many existed between the worlds of Nova Scotia and New England.

Energy crops may present an opportunity to reduce Nova Scotia’s Greenhouse Gas emissions by offsetting fossil fuel use and provide economic benefits for farmers. They have also received government policy support. To investigate this opportunity, I conduct a partial social cost-benefit analysis using non-equity weighted monetary valuation of growing switchgrass on inactive and underused farmland in Nova Scotia for local residential heating. The private net benefit for farmers, processors and consumers is estimated between $24.9 million and $209.9 million. I estimate that the external net benefit to society from the potential reduction in GHG emissions (at $50/tonne CO2E) ranges from $11.3 million to $72.2 million. This must be taken with caution as the analysis does not account for the entire ecological footprint of the project. While a net benefit to society is suggested, the paper also points to a need for more research surrounding the life-cycle emissions of energy crops.

Community power is an alternative to the fossil-fuelled, centralized approach to electricity generation. Typically, community power involves low-carbon or renewable forms of electricity generation developed in relatively small generation facilities distributed geographically, entirely or in part owned by the local community. Community power has been found to improve the efficiency of energy systems by decreasing transmission losses and making better use of the heat by-product. Other benefits include increased community acceptance of renewable energy technologies, expedited deployment of renewable technologies, and rural economic development. This study identified how the Canadian province of Nova Scotia could develop a viable community power sector by learning from leaders in the field, namely Denmark and Ontario. Case studies of these leading jurisdictions were developed through literature reviews and interviews with key informants. Next, the conditions for success for community management of common pool resources were compared to the case studies to draw parallels between conditions for success in community power sectors in Denmark and Ontario. It was found that many of the conditions for successful community management of common pool resources were similar to those that realized viable community power sectors with the exception of ‘the relationship between the resource system and institutional arrangements.’ The conditions fell under the themes of: ‘resource system characteristics;’ ‘group characteristics;’ ‘the relationship between resource system and group characteristics;’ ‘institutional arrangements;’ and ‘the external environment.’ At the time of study, Nova Scotia was taking the initial steps to creating a community power sector. By way of interviews with key informants in the province, barriers to a viable community power sector were identified. Next, drawing from the experiences of the Denmark and Ontario, methods to overcome the barriers were identified. Recommendations for the Nova Scotia Departments of Energy, the Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, the Department of Natural Resources, CEDIF businesses, municipalities, renewable power proponents, and academic institutions were concluded from this study. The recommended path will enable a successful community power sector in Nova Scotia, which will in turn help achieve the provincial renewable electricity targets, enable a more stable and efficient energy system, and increase economic prosperity, particularly in rural communities. The recommendations are specific to Nova Scotia, although they may inform steps to successful community power sectors in similar jurisdictions.

Chemical pollution has become an environmental and human health concern. Small and medium-sized enterprises are becoming the focus of environmental researchers, as they have been found to collectively contribute a significant amount of the pollution due to improperly managed chemicals. This case study of Nova Scotia small and medium-sized enterprises aimed to collect baseline information regarding environmental and chemical management including what positive practices were in place, what areas required more assistance, what information is being requested and who should be the focus of information programs. Results indicated that there is significant room for improvement in both the environmental and chemical management practices of small and medium-sized enterprises, even though participants indicated they were employing responsible practices. Participants were however, able to provide multiple suggestions regarding information they require in order to improve their business operations and environmental performance, thereby indicating they are aware improvements are needed.

This paper analyzes energy substitution rates on dairy farms in Nova Scotia (NS), Canada. A transcendental logarithmic cost function is used to find the elasticities of substitution which are utilized to determine the substitutability of total farm energy and to determine feasible renewable energy (RE) technologies. Wind turbines are found to be the only feasible RE technology for dairy farms within the region, at this time. A review of on-farm RE production and the associated feed-in tariff (FIT) policies in Germany, USA, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands are examined. The NS FIT policy is used as a case study to assess the effect policies may have on wind turbine implementation by NS farms. Several scenarios are developed based on the existing policy structure to provide a critical review of the policy and to identify methods to provide an increase in the implementation of wind turbines on NS dairy farms.

This thesis proposes a network of small-scale architectural interventions to address a growing issue of youth substance abuse in rural Nova Scotia, Canada. Thorburn, a hub of a larger region of dispersed communities, acts as a testing ground for this proposal. An extensive system of trails and cabins currently provides both a means of transportation and informal, unsupervised gathering space for youth. Four test sites were chosen to represent a wide range of possible sites. Each exists at an intersection between these trails and the public realm. Each of these sites could not, on its own, sustain an active year-round program. On-site interventions are partnered with a mobile youth centre whose presence at each site is influenced by seasonal use and special events. Each site is modified to create flexible spaces whose function adapts to, but is not limited by, the presence of the youth centre.

Farming relies on the ecosystem services provided by biodiversity for production. Farming has been, however, responsible for habitat degradation and destruction, and consequently, biodiversity loss. At present, efforts to increase habitat on farmland are largely confined to voluntary programs. The effectiveness of the provincially delivered Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation (ABC) program was measured using a quantitative survey. Follow-up interviews during farm tours further explored qualitatively how farmers value biodiversity and biodiversity conservation on their land. Results from the survey quantitatively link ABC program participation to increased engagement in riparian management and modified harvesting activities. Qualitative results suggest that the motivation for engagement in biodiversity conservation stems from the farmers’ interest in preserving the balance between production and 'nature', thereby preserving what they perceive to be the health of their land. These results have implications for the improvement of the ABC program and of future stewardship program design.

This thesis addresses the revitalization of the former Nova Scotia Textiles Limited mill in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada. Windsor is a small town that lies along the confluence of the Avon and St. Croix River shores, off the Bay of Fundy, and is the gateway to the Annapolis Valley region. This abandoned textile mill serves as a monument in the landscape while also holding a special part in the identity of the town’s historic industrial past. This thesis proposes to establish a meaningful connection between the textile mill and the community, as well as with the phenomenal Fundy landscape by means of a regional interpretive center. Commercial, institutional and recreational facilities ensure year-round stability for the site. A context-based approach links the architectural intervention to the dynamic layers of building, site and tidal landscape beyond.

Materials are a significant aspect of architectural design, the construction components are selected for their availability, location, cultural meaning, physical characteristics and properties. The construction components are defined by their processes of fabrication and making. This thesis investigates processes of making utilizing local materials. It focuses on the relationship between raw material, fabrication, building application and spatial experiences. The proposed site is the former brickyard located outside Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Canada. Material excavation, fabrication, and construction will all take place on-site. Through material studies, site strategies, and phased program development, it is hoped that an architectural language has been generated that successfully represents the potentials of developing underutilized locally sources material.