Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Land use – Ontario – Toronto'
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Mees, Paul. "Public transport policy and land use in Melbourne and Toronto, 1950 to 1990 /." Connect to thesis, 1997. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000155.
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Moorman, David (David Thomas) Carleton University Dissertation History. "The district land boards: a study of early land administration in Upper Canada, 1788-94." Ottawa, 1992.
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Gill, Kara M. "Computer reservations systems in the Montreal and Toronto tourism industries : adoption and use trends." Thesis, McGill University, 1998. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=28053.
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A combination of technical innovations, system cost reductions, and post-1970's tourism industry restructuring has led to the development and diffusion of a variety of sophisticated computer reservation systems, or CRSs. Questions remain as to the extent to which tourism suppliers and destinations have achieved CRS links. In this case study of two urban destinations, Montreal and Toronto, tourism supplier relationships with CRS technology are examined. Drawing on results from the accommodation and attraction sectors of each city, the varying degrees of CRS adoption and impact are illustrated. CRS adoption by firms is shown to be constrained by a variety of management market, and tourism product-oriented barriers. Strategies employed by tourism suppliers to counter and overcome these barriers are identified. Following a review of tourism and information technology policies within Canada, some regulatory initiatives that may assist in facilitating successful technology adoption and use among the various components of the urban tourism product are proposed. The constantly evolving 'technological' channels and networks of tourism marketing and distribution are shown to be important influences on tourism destination policy. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Forrest, Anne. "Labour law and union growth : the case of Ontario." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1988. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/4386/.
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What role the law should play in encouraging the growth of trade unions is a matter of considerable controversy in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Limits to growth in other sectors of the economy coupled with heightened employer hostility to unionism have made the extension of collective bargaining to the tertiary sector the most pressing task for unions in the 1980s. In a limited way, the Canadian procedure for certifying and recognizing unions is being considered as a model for labour law reform. And there is much to recommend the Canadian system. It is far more efficient than its American counterpart. There are fewer delays, fewer unlawful interventions by employers, and a substantially higher likelihood that newly organized unions will be granted certification. Even so, unions have failed to break into the trade, finance, and services industries that are so critical to their future. Taken as a whole, Canadian labour law tends to block rather than promote the growth of unions in the unorganized sectors of the economy. The certification procedure is only one aspect of a legal regime that has as its primary purpose the preservation of industrial peace, not the encouragement of union growth. By shaping bargaining structure and regulating bargaining tactics, Canadian labour law tilts the balance of power in favour of employers. Small, fragmented unions are frequently pitted against large corporations and as there is nothing to stop anti-union employers from using their overwhelming strength to frustrate the collective bargaining process, efforts to organize the tertiary sector have failed.
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Walker, Glenn. "The changing face of the Kawarthas: land use and environment in nineteenth century Ontario." Thesis, McGill University, 2013. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=119407.
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This dissertation examines how changes in material culture and patterns of land use recreated the landscape of Fenelon and Verulam Townships, Ontario, between 1820 and 1900. Immigrants brought new visions of the landscape, productive techniques and forms of recreation. Though they had a clear understanding of the landscape they wanted to fashion, it was largely based on experience in Britain. As settlers and Ojibwas transformed the Kawarthas, they had to adapt this foreign culture to the conditions they found. This study explores processes of planning, surveying and distributing land; the establishment and operation of farms; manufacture of timber, lumber and other forest produce; the construction of canals and railways; hunting, trapping, fishing, recreation and tourism. A generation or two after resettlement began, the nascent communities finally created an agricultural landscape, prosperous villages, large-scale forest production, improved transportation networks and infrastructure for leisure. The emerging economies, cultures, societies and ecological relationships represented ways of life that had evolved to suit the Kawartha Lakes region.Comment les changements de la culture matérielle et des modèles d'utilisation des sols ont restructuré le paysage des cantons de Fenelon et de Verulam en Ontario, entre 1820 et 1900. C'est le sujet de la présente thèse. Les immigrants ont insufflé leur vision de l'aménagement des terres, des techniques de production et des types d'activités récréatives. Certes avaient-ils une idée claire du type d'aménagement qu'ils souhaitaient implanter mais leur expérience reposait essentiellement sur le contexte britannique. Ainsi, à mesure que les colons et les Ojibwas transformaient les Kawarthas, ils ont dû adapter cette culture étrangère aux conditions locales. Cette thèse examine les processus de planification, d'arpentage et de distribution des terres; l'établissement et l'exploitation de fermes; l'exploitation forestière et l'industrie connexe; la construction de canaux et de chemins de fer; la chasse, la trappe, la pêche, les loisirs et le tourisme. Une ou deux générations après le début du remembrement territorial, les collectivités naissantes ont réussi à mettre en place un aménagement des terres agricoles, des villages prospères, une production forestière à grande échelle, des réseaux de transport améliorés et une infrastructure du loisir. Les économies, cultures, sociétés et relations écologiques émergentes représentaient des modes de vie qui ont évolué en fonction du contexte de la région de Kawartha Lakes.
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Houlahan, Jeff E. "The effects of adjacent land-use on water quality and biodiversity in southeastern Ontario wetlands." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/6453.
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Over the last 150 years the 'natural' landscape in southeastern Ontario (as in much of the world) has undergone a dramatic transformation due, in large part, to widespread deforestation, wetland destruction and degradation, and increased agricultural activity. The negative impacts of such land-use modifications may include declines in wetland water quality and biodiversity. Here, I develop models to predict the effects of adjacent land-use on wetland water quality, and amphibian and plant diversity using indices of land-use intensity such as, forest cover, road density, building density, fertiliser application, livestock density etc. I find negative relationships between land-use intensity and wetland water quality, and amphibian and plant species richness. The strongest relationships tend to be with forest cover, however, other important variables include wetland size, road density, and the proportion of adjacent lands that is wetland. Moreover, there are complex interactions among variables. For instance, part of the effect of forest cover on plant and amphibian species richness may be indirect, through effects on wetland water quality but there are also effects of forest cover on both plants and amphibians that are independent of wetland water quality. In a conservation context, one important question is 'what is the scale of adjacent land-use effects?' I find that landscape modifications up to 2000--4000 meters from a wetland edge have the strongest correlations with wetland water quality and amphibian species richness while, land-uses 250--400 meters from the wetland edge are most strongly correlated with plant species richness. The conservation implication is that the current Ontario Wetland Policy which (1) evaluates and protects wetlands on a site-by-site basis and, (2) regulates adjacent land-use out to 120 meters from the wetland edge, is not likely to ensure long-term protection of wetland water quality and biodiversity in Ontario.
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Moss, Daniel R. "Evaluating the use of mediation to settle land use disputes : a look at the Provincial Facilitator's Office of Ontario." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68784.
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Tremblay-Racicot, Fanny Rose. "Can Institutional Reforms Promote Sustainable Planning? Integrating Regional Transportation and Land Use in Toronto and Chicago (2001-2014)." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2015. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/365483.
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Urban StudiesPh.D.
Although governments have implemented several reforms to better integrate or coordinate regional transportation and land use decisions, little is known about the effects of new institutional designs on planning and development outcomes. This study compares the effects of two different types of institutional reforms on the planning process, transportation investments and land use decisions, while assessing their characteristics in terms of accountability, democracy, and effectiveness. Using semi-structured interviews, planning documents, as well as transportation spending and land use decisions, this longitudinal, comparative case study assesses the effects of the centralized, regulatory framework implemented in Toronto in 2005-2006, to the collaborative governance framework adopted in Chicago in 2005. Although each institutional design features different sets of constraints and opportunities, both reforms improved the planning process by establishing a renewed commitment to the exercise of regional planning. However, their impact on transportation investments was limited because the allocation of transportation funds is still primarily controlled by the province and the state governments who continue to control the purse strings and allocate money to advance their own political agendas. Both cases also show how difficult it is to increase densities and curb urban sprawl because local land uses, zoning and development approvals remain the prerogative of local governments and a function of locational preferences of individuals and corporations, which are contingent upon the market and shaped by global economic forces. Besides stronger regional institutions, the evidence presented in this study calls for new political strategies that address the fiscalization of land use and that offer financial incentives for the adoption of smart growth policies.
Temple University--Theses
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Ouellet, Fernande. "La participation des agriculteurs aux démarches volontaires en agroenvironnement : le cas du programme Alternative Land Use Service (ALUS) en Ontario." Master's thesis, Université Laval, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/33146.
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Devant les externalités négatives découlant de l’intensification de l’agriculture, plusieurs pays industrialisés, dont le Canada, ont mis en place des mesures d’interventions allant de la réglementation à l’accompagnement. Pourtant, la littérature montre que l’adoption de pratiques de gestion bénéfiques (PGB) par les agriculteurs demeure relativement limitée à une clientèle déjà convaincue et que la pérennité de la participation et des aménagements n’est souvent pas assurée au-delà du versement des aides. L’absence de marché pour monétiser les bienfaits environnementaux découlant de l’adoption de PGB ne permet pas non plus une régulation par le marché. Basé sur la collaboration entre les acteurs locaux et l’implication en partie du privé dans le financement de rétribution des agriculteurs pour les services rendus à l’environnement, le programme Alternative Land Use Service (ALUS) se présente comme une voie alternative entre réglementations d’État, démarche volontaire et régulation par le marché. Cette représentation de ce qu’est le programme pourrait bien se traduire dans la réalité, dans la mesure où le programme arriverait dans les faits à faire participer les agriculteurs en grand nombre, et ce, de façon pérenne. Cette étude s’appuie sur une recherche documentaire et une série de 45 entretiens semi-dirigés avec des agriculteurs participants, des coordinateurs et des membres du Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) dans quatre communautés ALUS de l’Ontario. En mobilisant l’économie de la proximité, le présent travail vise à comprendre les raisons pour lesquelles les agriculteurs participent au programme, et tente de vérifier si les spécificités dont se revendique ALUS incitent les agriculteurs à participer de façon pérenne. L’analyse montre que les spécificités du programme ont un effet différent sur la participation et la pérennité selon le type d’agriculteur, et que la coordination des acteurs est fortement assujettie aux réseaux et au contexte.Faced with the negative externalities arising from the intensification of agriculture, several industrialized countries, including Canada, have put in place intervention measures ranging from regulation to support. However, the literature shows that the adoption of beneficial management practices (BMPs) by farmers remains relatively limited to a clientele already convinced and that the sustainability of participation is not assured beyond the payment of aid. The absence of a market to monetize the environmental benefits of adopting BMPs also does not allow regulation by the market. Based on the collaboration between local actors and the involvement of the private sector in the financing of farmers' fees for producing environmental services, the Alternative Land Use Service (ALUS) program promote itself as an alternative between regulations, voluntary approaches and regulation by the market. This representation could well be translated into reality, since the program manages to involve farmers in large numbers, on a long-term basis. This study is based on documentary research and a series of 45 semi-structured interviews with participating farmers, coordinators, and Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) members in four ALUS communities in Ontario. By mobilizing the economy of proximity, the present work aims at understanding farmers' reasons for participating in the program and tries to verify if the specificities that ALUS claims encourage farmers to participate on a long-term basis. The analysis shows that the specificities of the program have a different effect on participation and sustainability depending on the type of farmer, and that the coordination of the actors is highly dependant on networks and context.
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Teare, Gary Frederick. "A prospective study of chemotherapeutic use on Ontario land-based trout farms over one production cycle." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/nq24429.pdf.
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Walker, Glenn. "Making a community : land policy in the Kawartha Lakes." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=98592.
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Between the mid-eighteenth and the mid-nineteenth centuries, the Crown coordinated a revolution in land usage in the Kawartha Lakes, as elsewhere in the colony, through 'civilization' and land redistribution. Attempts to change native society and build settler communities did not quite unfold the way the government intended. 'Civilization' helped the Mississauga farm and taught skills that eased interaction with colonial society, but they continued to produce much of their food by traditional means. Speculation isolated settlers and made land acquisition more difficult, though some speculators provided essential services. Most immigrants bought land privately and many were not able to establish themselves as farmers. Preferential grants were particularly poor at distributing land to settlers and Crown or Clergy Reserves sales were much more likely to transfer property directly to users. The transition to agricultural land usage occurred largely through the state's mediation of conflicting claims to access.
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Marcolongo, Tullia. "Playing by the rules, environmental justice and land use planning in Ontario; the Lands for Life case study." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ57993.pdf.
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Phelps, Anne Marie. "Investigating the fish community of the Rideau River, Ontario, with respect to historical changes and current land-use practices." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/9003.
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Agricultural and urban development incites change in aquatic ecosystems. It is generally hypothesized that change due to agricultural and urban development modifies the aquatic habitat characteristics, which ultimately affect the fish communities. The first objective of this study was to describe the appearance and disappearance of fish species within the Rideau River. Scientific literature, museum archives, newspaper articles, historical atlases, municipal reports, and anecdotal reports were consulted to reconstruct the past 120 years of the fish community. The results indicated that the diversity of fish species increased as a result of fish introductions, through increased boat tragic, fish stocking, transient species, baitfish introductions, live-well dumping and the introduction of exotics. The second objective of this study was to determine whether diversity and abundance of fish in the Rideau River could be attributed to agricultural, urban, or forested land-use type. In order to determine this, the fish community was intensively sampled in each of the three habitat types utilizing various sampling gear (trapnets, seines, backpack electrofisher). Over 9000 fish belonging to 33 species were captured between mid-July through mid-September 1998 and 1999. It was found that fewer species were captured in urban areas as compared to agricultural or forested areas and that the abundance of fish was higher in agricultural areas. Also, land-use was correlated with habitat characteristics and habitat characteristics were correlated with fish community diversity and abundance.
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Sioui, Miguel. "Asserting 'Miyo-Pimaadiziwin' on Unceded Algonquin Territory: Experiences of a Canadian 'Non-status' First Nation in Re-establishing its Traditional Land Ethic." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/23194.
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Typically small in number and poorly resourced, Canadian non-status First Nations often find themselves in conflict with more powerful private interests pursuing intensive resource development activities on their traditional lands. In the face of these threats, some non-status First Nations are using a combination of traditional environmental knowledge, a renewed commitment to traditional subsistence activities, and self-developed spiritual ecologies to reassert their sovereignty over ancestral territories. Eastern Ontario’s Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFN) is one such group. AAFN members carry out cultural activities such as canoe building, hunting, trapping and harvesting wild rice on their traditional lands at the headwaters of the (Canadian) Mississippi, Madawaska, and Rideau rivers, lands that are part of a larger unresolved land claim made by Ontario’s Algonquin peoples. This research reports findings from a multi-year participatory research project that sought to understand AAFN’s traditional spiritual ecology (miyo-pimaadiziwin), to describe how it is understood and practiced by community members, and to use these insights as a lens to better understand the current and future trajectory of relations between AAFN members, governments, and outside interests engaged in resource development in this region. While AAFN members hope their miyo-pimaadiziwin-based values will foster mutual respect with non-aboriginal neighbours, the results are yet uncertain. However, what is plainly clear is that miyo-pimaadiziwin has traditionally been fundamentally at odds with rural and resource development strategies being promoted by the provincial government, meaning the potential for future and ongoing conflict is great. Although the two land strategies in contention are in many ways different, this analysis identifies some possible future areas of reconciliation in which the two approaches share common goals. The findings from the study contribute to broader scholarly efforts that seek to better understand the challenges faced by non-status First Nations in preserving cultural knowledge and traditional land-based activities more generally.Les Premières nations canadiennes non-statuées sont typiquement petites, et elles disposent de peu de moyens financiers. Ces Premières nations se retrouvent souvent dans des situations conflictuelles avec des intérêts privés qui visent à réaliser des projets de développement de ressources naturelles intensifs sur des territoires autochtones traditionnels. Face à cette menace, certaines Premières nations non-statuées ont commencé à élaborer des stratégies de gestion territoriale ancrées dans le savoir écologique traditionnel, ainsi que dans les activités de subsistance. Ces stratégies ont pour but de réaffirmer leur souveraineté territoriale. La vision de gestion territoriale de la Première nation algonquine d’Ardoch (PNAA), située dans l’est de l’Ontario, est représentative de ce nouveau courant. Les membres de la PNAA pratiquent couramment des activités culturelles, telles que la fabrication de canoës, la chasse, le piégeage, et la récolte du riz sauvage, sur leurs territoires traditionnels, localisés à la source des rivières Mississippi (ontarienne), Madawaska et Rideau. Ce territoire fait actuellement partie d’une revendication territoriale algonquine toujours non-résolue. Cette étude présente les résultats d’un projet de recherche pluriannuel qui visait à mieux comprendre l’écologie spirituelle algonquine (miyo-pimaadiziwin) de la PNAA, de décrire comment ce concept est interprété et mis en pratique par les membres de la communauté, ainsi qu’à obtenir un aperçu quant à la trajectoire des relations entre les membres de la PNAA, les gouvernements et les intérêts privés, qui sont responsables du développement des ressources naturelles dans la région. Bien que les membres de la PNAA espèrent pouvoir (en suivant les principes éthiques de miyo-pimaadiziwin) éventuellement établir et maintenir un sentiment de respect mutuel et d’harmonie avec leurs voisins non-autochtones, cette vision reste loin d’être en mesure d’être réalisée. Cependant, il reste que les principes de miyo-pimaadiziwin sont fondamentalement irréconciliables à la vision du développement de ressources naturelles intensif que promeut le gouvernement provincial de l’Ontario. Par conséquent, la possibilité de futures mésententes et de conflits entre la PNAA et le gouvernement provincial reste élevée. Bien que ces deux stratégies territoriales soient, à plusieurs égards, fondamentalement différentes, cette analyse identifie quelques objectifs et ambitions partagés par la PNAA et le gouvernement ontarien, ce qui indique la possibilité de collaboration entre ces deux partis. Les résultats et conclusions de cette étude pourront contribuer aux tentatives de la part de l’érudition de mieux comprendre les défis auxquels font face les Premières nations non-statuées, en ce qui concerne la conservation culturelle, qui va de pair avec la pratique d’activités de subsistance sur le territoire traditionnel.
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Haslauer, Claus P. "Hydrogeologic Analysis of a Complex Aquifer System and Impacts of Changes in Agricultural Practices on Nitrate Concentrations in a Municipal Well Field: Woodstock, Ontario." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/1223.
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The Thornton Well Field, located in an area of dominantly (~80%) agricultural land-use, produces ~50% of the drinking water for the city of Woodstock. Since the mid 1990?s nitrate concentrations in some of the supply wells are above the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) of 10mg-N/L. The source of the nitrate is believed to be from agricultural fertilizing practices. As response to this problem, the County of Oxford purchased 111 hectares of farmland within the capture zone of the Thornton Well Field. This land is rented back to farmers with restrictions placed on the amount of nitrate fertilizer that can be applied in an attempt to sustainably reduce the nitrate concentrations in the ThorntonWell Field below MAC. The objective of this thesis is to improve the site conceptual hydrogeologic model, both at a spatial scale suitable for numerical analysis through regional groundwater flow modelling (representative distance ~9km) and at a smaller scale (representative distance ~2km) for nitrate transport modelling in the vicinity of the Thornton Well Field and the purchased land. Field investigations aimed to support the site hydrogeologic model involved drilling, geologic logging, and instrumentation of a 72m deep borehole completed to bedrock in the center of the nitrate plume, at the border of the farmland under consideration. The shallow subsurface features encountered during this initial drilling operation were tracked below the farm fields with geophysical tools and additional drilling and core logging throughout the field site. Transient hydraulic head observations in combination with on-site precipitation measurements were used to indicate where a hydraulic connection between ground surface and deeper layers exists, which allow rapid infiltration to occur into a glaciofluvial outwash channel which was identified as one important pathway for nitrate transport to the Thornton Well Field. One receptor at the end of that pathway, the screen of the supply Well 01, was depth-discrete profiled for water inflow and nitrate concentrations to obtain better characteristics of the receptor.
A method was developed to estimate the nitrate mass stored in the unsaturated zone below Parcel B, permitting an estimation of the time frame required for flushing the nitrate out of this zone, and the anticipated effects on nitrate concentrations in the supply wells. The spatial distribution of nitrate concentrations in the unsaturated zone and in the aquifer units was analyzed. It was found that the nitrate concentration within the unsaturated zone below Parcel B is ~16mg-N/L, resulting in a total nitrogen mass of ~20t within that zone. It was shown that significant reductions (~10%) in nitrate concentrations in the supply wells of the Thornton Well Field can be achieved, assuming zero nitrate mass influx into the domain from Parcel B.
A comprehensive data base was developed to organize, manage, and analyze all site measured data for that purpose, and regional hydrogeologic data from the MOE Water Well Record Database. The contents of this database in conjunction with the MOE Water Well Record Database were used to construct a three-dimensional digital representation of the hydrostratigraphic units at a regional and at a local scale. This three-dimensional hydrostratigraphic unit spatial distribution along with surface watershed information and potentiometric surfaces of the various aquifer units will be used to define a suitable spatial domain and associated boundary conditions for future modelling efforts. This hydrostratigraphic model will serve as basis for predicting the effects of agricultural land-use changes within the capture zone of the Thornton Well Field (Parcel B) on the nitrate concentrations in the supply wells of the Thornton Well Field.
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Harrison, Sarah. "Relationships Between Land Use and Mercury Contamination in Twelve Tributaries of the Lake St Francis Region of the St Lawrence River near Cornwall, Ontario." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28873.
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In the environment, oxidized mercury (Hg) can be converted to more toxic chemical species, such as methylmercury (MeHg), as a result of both abiotic and biotic reactions. Hg and MeHg are present in aquatic ecosystems that flow into the Lake St. Francis region of the St. Lawrence River, but their origin is still being debated. A study of mercury and methylmercury contamination in Lake St. Francis in cooperation with the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) is ongoing, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the Great Lakes Program. A recent report detailed the experimental results for one portion of the area of concern, the Raisin River. The goal of the present project is to update and expand upon the previous work in order to include other existing and new data for this river and several other watercourses feeding Lake St. Francis. Special attention was paid to the MeHg hotspots in an attempt to link methylation and subsequent mobilization to different types of land use and nutrient profiles compiled from new and existing data.
It was predicted that water draining off wetlands would have higher MeHg concentrations than water from catchments with other land use profiles. Total and methylmercury were expected to be correlated to the concentrations of nitrogen compounds, sulfate, phosphorus, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and especially dissolved organic carbon (DOC). However, wetlands could not be correlated to MeHg as predicted but the area of crop land was correlated positively with the percentage of THg present as MeHg. Forest and impermeable areas were associated with a decrease in mercury. There was no difference in mercury during wet years compared to dry years when compared on an annual basis, but a significant seasonal difference exists between the two categories. MeHg was positively correlated to DOC, NH3, and BOD. THg was positively correlated to BOD, TSS, Escherichia coli, and fecal coliforms. The percentage of THg present as MeHg (%MeHg) was positively correlated to phosphorus. There were also some statistically significant negative correlations. Forest and impermeable area were negatively correlated with the quantity of MeHg, and impermeable area was negatively correlated with %MeHg. Greater predictor strength and more numerous significant correlations are expected under more thorough sampling and more data.
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Munoz-Marquez, Trujillo Rafael Arturo. "Future climate change impacts on the boreal forest in northwestern Ontario. Implications for the forestry sector and the local community." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/1002.
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A large body of research has documented evidence of climate change impact already occurring on different systems on earth, future impacts can be expected. Accordingly, research is urgently needed to analyze the potential impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems in order to contribute to better landscape planning and management. This thesis investigates how climate change affects landscape change, and how to use this understanding in the analysis of land-use and landscape planning and management to adapt to climate change impacts. In particular, this study examines how climate change may impact a managed forest in terms of timber availability, and the regional community that relies on it for its survival. I hypothesized that the Boreal forest in north western Ontario will change in the short term (i. e. 60 years) in species composition and will produce less available timber as a result of human-induced climate change as modeled by different General Circulation Models plus harvesting, compared to a baseline climate. The study objectives were (a) to evaluate the degree of change in land cover (species composition) under forest harvesting and various climate change scenarios; (b) to analyze timber availability under different climate change scenarios, and harvesting; (c) to describe possible scenarios of land cover change as a result of climate change impact and harvesting to assist in policy-making related to land-use and landscape planning; and (d) to identify possible sources of both land-use conflicts and synergies as a result of changes in landscape composition caused by climate change.
The study area was the Dog-River Matawin forest in north western Ontario (? 8 x 104 ha). It is currently under harvesting. I used the Boreal Forest Landscape Dynamic Simulator (BFOLDS) fire model to simulate landscape change under different climate change scenarios (CCSRNIES A21, CGCM2 A22), which were then compared to simulations under a baseline climate scenario (1961-1990). I also developed an algorithm for the geographic information systems Arc View©, that selected useful stands, and simulated harvesting and regeneration rules after logging, processes not currently included in BFOLDS. The studied period covered 60 years to analyze impacts in the medium term in the landscape change.
Results obtained were the following. (1) There will be a shortage in timber availability under all scenarios including the baseline. The impacts of climate change will cause a deficit in timber availability much earlier under a warmer scenario with respect to the baseline. The combined impact of climate change and harvesting could diminish timber availability up to 35% compared to the baseline by year 2040 under the CCSRNIES A21 scenario mainly due to an increase in fires. Deficits will occur 10 years before in the same scenario compared to the baseline (by year 2035). (2) In both scenarios and the baseline, there will be a younger forest. In 60 years, there will not be mature forest to support ecological, social and economic processes, as the forest will only have young stands. (3) Results obtained indicated that species composition will not change importantly among the scenarios of climate change and the baseline every decade, but there will be a change in dominance along the 60 years of the simulation under each scenario including the baseline. Softwood increased in dominance and hardwood decreased in all scenarios.
The period length used in the simulation of 60 years appeared to be too short to reveal conspicuous changes in species composition. Increases observed in softwood over hardwood related to the increase in fires which promoted the establishment of species such as jack pine as well as the application of regeneration rules after logging. This finding did not agree with the hypothesis. Results of timber availability were consistent with what I expected. Warmest climate change scenarios (CCSRNIES A21) impacted both the amount of timber available (less availability every ten years) from the beginning of the simulation and the time when deficits occurred.
There are important economic, social and environmental implications of the results of this study, namely a future forest that would be young and would supply much less timber. For the forestry industry, production goals would be hindered in the medium term, falling short of industry demands. For a society that depends heavily upon the forest to survive, declining production can imply unemployment, thus affecting the welfare of the community. For the environment, such a young, fragmented forest could be unable to sustain important key species and ecological processes, leading to a loss of biodiversity, Land-use and landscape planning should be used to regulate how the land is used to minimize climate change impact. They should be further used as adaptation tools, to help in ameliorate those climate change impacts that do occur.
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Longston, Kristopher J. "Planning For Wind Energy: Evaluating Municipal Wind Energy Land Use Planning Frameworks in Southwestern Ontario with a Focus on Developing Wind Energy Planning Policies for the City of Stratford." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/2905.
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Wind energy provides an environmentally friendly and renewable source of electricity, that can help meet Canada's Kyoto commitments, help safeguard against future blackouts, reduce air pollution and create economic opportunities in the form of manufacturing jobs and land leases for farmers. From a land use planning perspective, however, wind turbines create challenges that municipalities and planners have to deal with more frequently. Ontario in particular lags behind countries such as Ireland and Australia in terms of providing a clear, equitable and comprehensive land use planning framework to deal with wind energy. What is lacking in particular is a clear understanding of how Ontario municipalities are dealing with the issue of wind energy developments, whether the policies that are being developed adhere to good planning principles, what are the land use planning issues that are impacting wind energy development in Ontario and what are some recommendations that could be made to improve wind energy policies. A secondary goal of this thesis was to identify common elements of good wind energy planning frameworks that could be used to develop wind energy planning policies in the City of Stratford, which currently does not have any policies or a wind energy land use planning framework and is also where the author is employed as the City Planner.
To address this lack of information, this report focuses on the current state of wind energy planning policy development in southwestern Ontario and in particular; the types of wind energy planning frameworks have been developed in the world, the elements of "good" planning principles and frameworks and whether or not they are found in these frameworks, whether there are components of these policies that would be appropriate for wider adoption in Ontario and finally, what types of framework should the City of Stratford develop for wind energy?
To address these questions, a literature review was conducted on wind energy land use planning issues and examples of international wind energy planning guidelines were reviewed. Additionally, five southwestern Ontario municipalities with wind energy policies were selected as case studies and Planners and other wind energy stakeholders were interviewed.
This study found that the main issues and barriers surrounding wind energy planning policy development in Ontario are visual impact, lack of education and a lack of a municipal planning framework. It was also determined that, the public reaction to wind energy proposals in Southwestern Ontario has been mostly positive and the conflicts that have arisen have been in instances where wind turbines are proposed in the vicinity of recreational properties. In terms of a wind energy planning framework, southwestern Ontario municipalities have for the most part opted for General Official Plan policies supporting wind energy development in principle and directing its development to certain land use designations subject to a zoning by-law amendment. The planning frameworks in the case studies for the most part conform to good planning principles identified, however, there was a large variation between the municipalities in terms of the level of detail within the planning framework. Finally, it was determined that the City of Stratford Official Plan and Zoning By-law are inadequate in terms of policy and regulations for wind energy.
This study recommends that the Ontario Provincial Government should follow up on the Wind Energy Information Sheet and the recent Provincial Policy Statement with a comprehensive land use-planning framework for wind energy developments that should borrow on existing international guidelines that have been developed. This study also recommends that the City of Stratford should update its Official Plan to include policies that address wind energy generation, should initiate a study to determine if there are any areas within the City that are considered to be natural heritage views or areas that should be protected from the visual impacts of wind energy production, should investigate permitting wind energy facilities in certain industrial areas of the City, subject to a zoning by-law amendment and should work with the County of Perth to develop a common set of zoning by-law regulations for wind energy developments.
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Chipman, John George. "Policy-making by administrative tribunals, a study of the manner in which the Ontario Municipal Board has applied provincial land use planning policies and has developed and applied its own planning policies." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape9/PQDD_0003/NQ41083.pdf.
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Kinuthia, Wanyee. "“Accumulation by Dispossession” by the Global Extractive Industry: The Case of Canada." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/30170.
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This thesis draws on David Harvey’s concept of “accumulation by dispossession” and an international political economy (IPE) approach centred on the institutional arrangements and power structures that privilege certain actors and values, in order to critique current capitalist practices of primitive accumulation by the global corporate extractive industry. The thesis examines how accumulation by dispossession by the global extractive industry is facilitated by the “free entry” or “free mining” principle. It does so by focusing on Canada as a leader in the global extractive industry and the spread of this country’s mining laws to other countries – in other words, the transnationalisation of norms in the global extractive industry – so as to maintain a consistent and familiar operating environment for Canadian extractive companies. The transnationalisation of norms is further promoted by key international institutions such as the World Bank, which is also the world’s largest development lender and also plays a key role in shaping the regulations that govern natural resource extraction. The thesis briefly investigates some Canadian examples of resource extraction projects, in order to demonstrate the weaknesses of Canadian mining laws, particularly the lack of protection of landowners’ rights under the free entry system and the subsequent need for “free, prior and informed consent” (FPIC). The thesis also considers some of the challenges to the adoption and implementation of the right to FPIC. These challenges include embedded institutional structures like the free entry mining system, international political economy (IPE) as shaped by international institutions and powerful corporations, as well as concerns regarding ‘local’ power structures or the legitimacy of representatives of communities affected by extractive projects. The thesis concludes that in order for Canada to be truly recognized as a leader in the global extractive industry, it must establish legal norms domestically to ensure that Canadian mining companies and residents can be held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies abroad. The thesis also concludes that Canada needs to address underlying structural issues such as the free entry mining system and implement FPIC, in order to curb “accumulation by dispossession” by the extractive industry, both domestically and abroad.
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Kortright, Robin. "Edible backyards: Residential land use for food production in Toronto." 2007. http://link.library.utoronto.ca/eir/EIRdetail.cfm?Resources__ID=788735&T=F.
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Porterfield, Christine. "Recreational Hunting in Wellington County, Ontario: Identity, Land Use, and Conflict." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10214/6612.
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This thesis provides an ethnographic examination of the contribution of recreational hunting in developing a sense of rural identity among hunters in Wellington County, Ontario. Throughout Summer and Autumn 2012, 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with recreational hunters and their peers, with a total of 17 participants. Using the theoretical framework of anthropology of space and place, this thesis suggests that hunting functions to connect rural residents to a sense of identity in Wellington County, particularly in the context of landscape changes associated with rural gentrification. Hunting provides a means of control over hunters’ experience as rural people, while also providing a mechanism for establishing attachment to place through mastery and sensory experience. The results of this study indicate that hunting provides a reference point for establishing an identity in alignment with what participants recognized as rural values, and in opposition to what participants identified as urban characteristics.
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Warsh, Erica. "Assessing the Role of Planning Interventions in Achieving Desired Land Use Impacts Around Toronto's Yonge and Spadina Subway Lines." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7182.
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The effect transit investments can have on surrounding land uses has been studied in planning literature. Often it is argued that high-density, more sustainable development occurs around stations on newly constructed transit lines. This study examines the impacts of the Yonge-University-Spadina line on development in the north ends of the city of Toronto.
This study is guided by three objectives. First, the research aims to determine the extent of the differences in built form and densities between the two study sites. Second, the thesis explains why these differences have emerged and what factors have shaped the evolution of the two sites. Based on the first two analyses, the research provides recommendations to encourage intensified, transit-oriented development in areas that currently do not reflect these principles.
A variety of methods are used to achieve these objectives including: an analysis of empirical census data, a comparison of land uses and built form through archive and current photographs, a property value comparison, a transit ridership analysis, a review of archive newspaper articles, an examination of previous and existing policy documents, and a review of previously conducted interviews with Toronto area developers and municipal officials.
This study concludes that the Yonge line has experienced significantly more growth over time than the Spadina line. It finds that the policy provisions that dictate development along the Yonge line are much more conducive to intensified growth. As a result, recommendations are made that the city establishes a similar policy framework for land around the Spadina line so that obstacles to potential for intensified growth may be eliminated. More specifically, the thesis identifies contemporary monetary and policy incentives to developers to encourage sustainable development.
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Mir, Mosharef Ali. "Multisensor satellite data and GIS for landuse/land-cover mapping and change detection in the rural-urban fringe of the Greater Toronto Area." 2004. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR00974.
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Thesis (M. Sc.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Geography.Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-172). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004 & res_dat=xri:pqdiss & rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation & rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR00974.
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Gruner, Sheila. "Learning Land and Life: An Institutional Ethnography of Land Use Planning and Development in a Northern Ontario First Nation." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/33200.
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This study examines intricately related questions of consciousness and learning, textually-mediated social coordination, and human relationships within nature, anchored in the everyday life practices and concerns of a remote First Nation community in the Treaty 9 region. Through the use of Institutional Ethnography, community-based research and narrative methods, the research traces how the ruling relations of land use planning unfold within the contemporary period of neoliberal development in Northern Ontario. People’s everyday experiences and access to land in the Mushkego Inninowuk (Swampy Cree) community of Fort Albany for example, are shaped in ways that become oriented to provincial ruling relations, while people also reorient these relations on their own terms through the activities of a community research project and through historically advanced Indigenous ways of being. The study examines the coordinating effects of provincially-driven land use planning on communities and territories in Treaty 9, as people in local sites are coordinated to others elsewhere in a complex process that serves to produce the legislative process called Bill 191 or the Far North Act. Examining texts, ideology and dialectical historical materialist relations, the study is an involved inquiry into the text process itself and how it comes to be put together. The textually mediated and institutional forms of organizing social relations—effectively land relations—unfold with the involvement of people from specific sites and social locations whose work is coordinated, as it centres on environmental
protection and development in the region north of the 51st parallel. A critique of the textually mediated institutional process provides a rich site for exploring learning within the context of neoliberal capitalist relations and serves to illuminate ways in which people can better act to change the problematic relations that haunt settler-Indigenous history in the contemporary period. The work asks all people involved in the North how we can work to address historic injustices rooted in the relations and practices of accumulation and dispossession. The voices and modes of governance of Aboriginal people, obfuscated within the processes and relations of provincial planning, must be afforded the space and recognition to flourish on their own terms.
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Wu, Qiaojun. "Multi-temporal RADARSTAT fine-beam SAR imagery for landuse and land-cover classification in the rural-urban fringe of the Greater Toronto Area /." 2004.
Find full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.Sc.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Geography.Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-174). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11927
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Barbre, James Orman. "Power of depiction a textual analysis of secondary-level history books currently in use in Toronto, Ontario and Stillwater, Oklahoma /." 2006. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/etd/umi-okstate-1713.pdf.
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Meyfarth, O'Hara Elke. "Moving from Landscape Connectivity Theory to Land Use Planning Practice: Ontario as a Case Study." Thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/4558.
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Landscape connectivity is a concept that refers to a landscape's structural and functional continuity, allowing for the flow of water, nutrients, energy, organisms, genes, and disturbances at many spatial and temporal scales. The loss of landscape connectivity leads to ecosystem fragmentation, which in turn contributes to a decline in biodiversity and threatens many species around the world. The importance of maintaining landscape connectivity is becoming recognized as a fundamental principle in land use planning.
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how the theory of landscape connectivity has been applied in Ontario's land use planning policy and practice between 1970 and 2008. This includes evaluating the degree to which theory has been applied to practice in landscape connectivity planning. In addition, the work investigates the processes that facilitated the movement from theory to practice in planning for landscape connectivity. Broadly framed within the theories of conservation biology, the research approach is qualitative and the research design includes a literature review, content analysis, and case study research.
This research found that there has been an evolution of theory to practice in planning for landscape connectivity in Ontario between 1970 and 2008. The introduction of conservation biology principles created a growing public awareness, which contributed to rising pressure on the Government of Ontario to reform its land use planning policies. The theory of landscape connectivity is included in key land use planning legislation and policies and is now an accepted part of planning for natural heritage in the province. The Ontario Municipal Board has regard for landscape connectivity as a legitimate planning concern. In the majority of cases in the last decade in which landscape connectivity was identified as a deciding factor, the Ontario Municipal Board ruled in favour of protecting landscape connectivity. Planners in Ontario are expected to plan for landscape connectivity, but Ontario’s planning law and policy does not provide strong direction to planners on the issue of landscape connectivity. Recommendations for the Government of Ontario, based on the research findings, include planning for landscape connectivity at a provincial scale, creating a guidance document specifically for landscape connectivity and revising the Provincial Policy Statement.
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Lee, M. Fatima Wai-Bun. ""Thou land of hope for all who toil"? The effects of social resources on job search and job outcome of skilled immigrants in Toronto (Ontario)." 2006. http://link.library.utoronto.ca/eir/EIRdetail.cfm?Resources__ID=442541&T=F.
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Hain, Michael David Lawrence. "Labour Market Model of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for Integration within the Integrated Land Use, Transportation, Environment Modelling System." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/25609.
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The Integrated Land Use, Transportation, Environment (ILUTE) modelling system simulates the activities of agents within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) as they evolve over time. However, in its currently implemented form, ILUTE lacks an endogenous treatment of the labour market and the associated wages. This is seen as the major weakness of the current model. This work describes a labour market framework to partially fill this gap and then develops the dynamic disaggregate model of year to year transitions of the labour force status of the people within the GTHA and the set of wage models components of this framework. The data used is a sample of individuals from the Toronto, Oshawa, and Hamilton Census Metropolitan Areas surveyed over twelve consecutive years between 1995 and 2007 in the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics.
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Pierce, Gaelen. "Building cycling infrastructure: a case study of provincial impact on municipal transportation and land-use policies in Hamilton, Ontario." 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/31957.
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This research examines the emergence of cycling-supportive land-use and transportation policies in Ontario and Hamilton, Ontario between 1990 and 2016. The focus of this thesis is on two questions that have been unexplored in previous research: (1) what cycling-supportive policies emerged in Provincial and Municipal government during this time?; and (2) what role, if any, did the Provincial position on cycling play in the development of Hamilton, Ontario cycling policies? A primary and secondary document review was undertaken to identify patterns between historical Provincial and Municipal policies.
Three types of results are presented: (1) an examination of amendments to the Ontario Planning Act, emphasizing its effect on the role of policy in Ontario, the structure of the Ontario planning system, and on Municipal conformity; (2) a detailed review of emergent cycling-supportive policies and trends in Ontario and Hamilton, Ontario between 1990 and 2016; and (3) an analysis of evidence showing the influence of Provincial cycling-supportive policies on Hamilton plan policies.
This research concludes that (1) novel cycling-supportive policies have emerged at both the Municipal and Provincial levels during the research period, and (2) evidence exists that Provincial land-use and transportation policies have influenced Hamilton’s cycling policy over the research period.February 2017
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Port, Caitlin Marie. "The Opportunities and Challenges of Aggregate Site Rehabilitation in Southern Ontario. An Evaluation of the Rehabilitation Process from 1992-2011." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7966.
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Aggregate extraction has been identified as one of the most contentious land-uses in Southern Ontario. The siting or expansion of aggregate operations is often met with vehement debate from concerned members of the public, local municipalities, and additional parties who have various reasons to be opposed to aggregate extraction operations. “Aggregate wars” have now become a common planning challenge in a number of aggregate rich municipalities in Ontario. Due to a legacy of poor rehabilitation practices, aggregate site rehabilitation has been identified as one of the most serious problems plaguing pit and quarry developments. Aggregate site rehabilitation plays and essential role in preparing the land for its sequential land-use and is the primary mechanism for the mitigation of adverse environmental and social impacts caused by the extraction process. Using a mixed-methods research approach, this study aimed to determine the rate and quality of aggregate site rehabilitation occurring in Ontario for the time period of 1992-2011. This was completed using an assessment of production statistics and a sample of rehabilitation plans. In addition, interviews with representatives from key actor groups were conducted to strengthen the base for evaluating the effectiveness of the current policy framework to ensure the adequate rehabilitation of aggregate sites. Results from this study indicate that progressive rehabilitation efforts are falling short and a net gain in disturbed land is occurring each year. More research, in the form of field studies and long-term monitoring initiatives, is needed to permit a better assessment of the quality of rehabilitation occurring. Findings from this study illustrate that the current rate of aggregate site rehabilitation occurring in Ontario is not enough to moderate adverse environmental and social impacts. Changes are needed to the current policy framework in order to address this problem. Four policy recommendations are suggested: to set a maximum for disturbed areas at operating aggregate sites, to re-implement a security deposit type model, to introduce citizen advisory committees in the aggregate site management process, and to tie site and rehabilitation plans to predetermined timelines. An analysis of aggregate site rehabilitation prior to 1992 requires further research
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Fridman, Joel. "Settlement, Food Lands, and Sustainable Habitation: The Historical Development of Agricultural Policy and Urban Planning in Southern Ontario." Thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/65552.
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In this thesis I recount the historical relationship between settlement and food lands in Southern Ontario. Informed by landscape and food regime theory, I use a landscape approach to interpret the history of this relationship to deepen our understanding of a pertinent, and historically specific problem of land access for sustainable farming. This thesis presents entrenched barriers to landscape renewal as institutional legacies of various layers of history. It argues that at the moment and for the last century Southern Ontario has had two different, parallel sets of determinants for land-use operating on the same landscape in the form of agricultural policy and urban planning. To the extent that they are not purposefully coordinated, not just with each other but with the social and ecological foundations of our habitation, this is at the root of the problem of land access for sustainable farming.
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Spence, Kellie. "The Relationship of Landscape and Water Perceptions to Community Engagement in Rural Southern Ontario." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10214/5280.
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Engagement is an essential component to community building.
Among the factors which contribute to engagement is perception. Of
specific interest to landscape architecture are perceptions of landscape
and water as they reveal environmental attitudes.
Rural Southern Ontario has experienced notable land use pressures for
resource extraction and renewable energy. This study explores the
relationship between landscape and water perceptions by rural residents
and levels of community engagement in a changing rural landscape.
Instruments used for this study were a photo-based questionnaire and
Visitor Employed Photography. The study found that individuals who are
more engaged with the community have a greater ability to interpret
landscape in the context of resource extraction and are more critical in
their perception of quarry rehabilitation. Findings of this study can assist
rural groups by providing insight into social capital and inform landscape
planning and design practices when working with rural groups to increase
engagement.
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Bradford, Brad. "Planning for District Energy: Broad recommendations for Ontario Municipalities to help facilitate the development of community based energy solutions." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7171.
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District energy systems are a key component to addressing reductions in green house gases, encouraging compact settlement form and ensuring reliable community energy delivery. System development can also generate local economic benefits like aggregated energy pricing and employment creation. This research focuses on an exploration of Ontario’s planning framework with respect to energy generation and thermal energy distribution, providing broad recommendations to municipalities intended to help facilitate the development of district energy systems. In summary, this research was designed to accomplish the following objectives:
1. To craft a set of transferrable recommendations that will help Ontario municipalities facilitate the development of district energy systems where appropriate.
2. To add to the literature available on district energy system development from a municipal planning perspective.
3. To examine the tools available to planning practitioners to help engage communities and municipalities in planning for local energy generation and delivery.
The methodological approach employed for this research is qualitative in nature, relying on an inductive style building from particulars to general themes. The characteristics of a qualitative study are best suited to address the research questions and objectives because community energy planning and land use planning are largely unexplored in conjunction, and this methodology provides a framework to explore where the fields have integrated in practice as well as reveal some of the challenges and potential solutions. Case studies were used to examine the development of two different Ontario district energy systems. Additionally, key informant interviews provide insights from planners, system operators, customers and industry experts to provide a practice based foundation of information to development transferable recommendations.
The findings suggest that the development of a district energy system is a very complex process, requiring the expertise of many specialists, and the support from local stakeholders. There are planning implications for the implementation of district energy systems, which require forethought at the beginning of the planning process and opportunities to support community based energy solutions through policy. The adoption of a planning regulatory framework will ensure adequate consideration is given to community energy management in conjunction with land use and urban form. Going forward, accounting for the conservation of energy in land use will be imperative for achieving local, regional and provincial goals associated with infrastructure, the environment, and energy resource management.
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Minkin, Daniel Paul. "Cultural Preservation and Self-Determination Through Land Use Planning: A Framework for the Fort Albany First Nation." Thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1974/1473.
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The Fort Albany First Nation (FAFN) in Ontario’s western James Bay region is interested in undertaking a community-based process of land use planning for its traditional territory, in order to respond to increasing resource development pressure within the area. To construct a framework for such a process, semi-structured interviews were held with 12 members of the FAFN and two staff members of the Mushkegowuk Council, which represents the FAFN at the regional level. Interviews focused on the substantive values that community members see as worthy of protection or management through the land use plan, and on the procedural values that ought to guide the process. In addition, three group discussions on valued ecosystem components were observed, to supplement interview data on substantive values.
The results indicate that the community is concerned with preserving their way of life in the face of resource development pressure and social change, by protecting subsistence resources and strengthening the transmission of culture. Substantively, this means that the land use plan needs to protect wildlife and its habitat, navigable waterways, and water quality. Procedurally, this means that the planning process should engage the entire community in discussions of its cultural identity and connection to the land, in order to build a genuine consensus on appropriate land uses. It was felt that the process should be grassroots-based, that the FAFN should initiate the process autonomously, and that the planning process should pursue the twin goals of community self-determination and cultural continuity. It was also felt that neighbouring first nations should be invited to participate in the process or to conduct separate planning activities streamlined with those of the FAFN, because of overlap in traditional territories.
At the conclusion of this thesis, a set of recommendations outlines a planning process that is appropriate to the needs and values expressed by participants. This framework draws upon the principles of empowerment, advocacy, and collaborative planning, applying them to the local cultural context. It relies upon social learning as a vehicle by which to develop a community-wide vision for the traditional territory of the FAFN.Thesis (Master, Urban & Regional Planning) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-23 19:11:37.053
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Deutsch, Nathan. "Engaging Provincial Land Use Policy: Traplines and the Continuity of Customary Access and Decision-Making Authority in Pikangikum First Nation, Ontario." 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/23245.
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Canadian economic development is heavily reliant on natural resources in the north, which is home to many indigenous communities. Canada is facing increasing pressure to accommodate the cultural distinctiveness of indigenous peoples, and recognize their rights to self-determination within the boundaries of the state. This thesis investigates the customary land use system of Pikangikum First Nation in northwestern Ontario in the context of a community-led land use planning and resource management process, and explores the legacy and contemporary relevance of the Ontario trapline system which was introduced in 1947. Traplines represent the first intervention by the modern state in spatial organization of resource management by First Nations people outside reserves in northern Ontario. For this study, mixed methods were employed, including mapping, life history interviewing, observation in the field, and archival research. Results indicate that Pikangikum's access to resources and decision-making authority has continued to operate according to customary institutions that pre-date the traplines. While traplines were found to reduce flexibility of movement which characterized the customary system, they secured fur harvesting rights for First Nation groups, buffering Euro-Canadian encroachment on Pikangikum's traditional harvesting areas. Recent forestry activity on traplines held by Pikangikum residents indicated that traplines were no longer a sufficient buffer to intrusions. The planning initiative mandated the creation of novel community-level institutions. This process has in turn created new community-level management dilemmas, yet has had important consequences in terms of planning and management authority for Pikangikum \emph{vis-à-vis} state resource management. The main theoretical contributions of this thesis relate to the commons literature, and pertain both to strategic territorial robustness to interventions of the state and outside intruders, and to moral economic dimensions of community-managed commons undergoing rapid change.
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McWilliam, Wendy Janine. "Residential encroachment within suburban forests: Are Ontario municipal policies sufficient for protecting suburban forested natural areas for the long term?" Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3412.
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Many natural areas and systems within urban landscapes are small or narrow. Landscape ecology studies within forested and agricultural landscapes have found that small natural areas that are protected from development or resource extraction through land use planning are significantly affected by adjacent land use changes. Some eventually lose the values for which they were protected. Studies also indicate that natural area boundary structures and functions are important determinants of the extent to which external threats affect adjacent natural areas. Few studies have empirically tested whether small or narrow urban natural areas that are protected from development through municipal land use planning are significantly affected by adjacent land use changes. However, municipal planners and forest managers are concerned that activities of residents living adjacent to the forest edge, commonly referred to as residential encroachment, may be degrading the social values, and ecological forms and functions of their woodlands.
Studies have recorded evidence of human impacts within suburban forest edges, indicating that both recreation and yard-related activities are occurring and that these activities occur at significantly higher frequencies in the forest edge than in the interiors of these forests. However, no study has differentiated residential encroachment activities from those of other recreationists. In addition, although a number of municipalities have developed policies to address these activities, little is known about these policies, the extent to which they are implemented, or their effectiveness in protecting their small or narrow forested natural areas from residential encroachment activities. The principal research questions answered in this research are: 1) Do municipalities within Southern Ontario have policies for protecting natural areas from the activities of residents living adjacent to suburban forest edges? 2) To what extent are they implementing these policies? 3) What encroachment activities, if any, are occurring in Southern Ontario municipal forest edges? and 4) Are municipal boundary-related policies effective in limiting edge-resident encroachment activities?
Using a mixed method approach, the research incorporates qualitative and quantitative data collection to answer these questions. The content analysis of official and secondary plans and social surveys of key informants within six Southern Ontario municipalities identify boundary-related policies for protecting municipal natural areas from residential encroachment activities. They also determine the extent to which the study municipalities implement these policies. Field studies in 40 forests within these municipalities used unobtrusive measurements of encroachment behaviour to describe encroachment activities under two implemented municipal boundary demarcation policies, and other boundary treatments The three research methods, together with a literature review, were used to determine whether Ontario municipal policies are effective in limiting edge-resident encroachment activities within municipal forest edges.
The content analysis and interviews indicated that, in general, municipal policies were insufficient to address the edge-resident encroachment issue. Policies had been established, but not at a sufficiently authoritative policy level (i.e. the official plan level) to support their implementation by staff. In addition, policies were missing explicit goals, objectives and strategies to direct their implementation, and the municipalities had not integrated their disparate policy components into an integrated course of action through time and space. The municipalities were successful in implementing policies to prevent edge resident encroachment within natural areas adjacent to newly developing subdivisions. However, they had infrequently implemented their policies for preventing encroachment within natural areas adjacent to established subdivisions. Furthermore, all the municipalities were not frequently implementing their policies to remediate existing encroachments within natural areas adjacent to newly developing or established subdivisions.
The unobtrusive measurement of encroachment behaviour confirmed that residential encroachment activities generated a housing effect zone of impact within municipal forest edges. The distribution of the evidence of encroachment was significantly biased to the forest border. Encroachment traces were highly prevalent within study forests, occurring in over 94% of sites and covering 26 to 50% of the sampled area. Encroachment traces were particularly intense in the first 8 metres from the forest border; but extended a mean maximum extent of 16 metres from the forest border, with 95% of the evidence of encroachment lying within 34 metres.
Boundary type significantly affected the mean frequency, intensity and maximum extent of encroachment. Mean frequencies, intensities and extents of all encroachment, and of most encroachment categories, were generally higher in sites with boundary types that allowed edge residents ready access to the forest edge. Conversely, sites with boundary treatments that had barriers to entry, such as fences or grass strips, tended to have lower encroachment levels. Sites with multiple barriers, such as those with fences, grass strips and paths, tended to have the lowest mean frequencies, intensities and mean maximum extents of encroachment.
While sites with implemented municipal post and fence policies had significantly lower mean frequencies, intensities and, in the case of fences extents of encroachment, they were not significantly different from those of sites under some of the boundary types not subject to municipal policies. They were also significantly higher than those of sites with fences and grass strips (with or without pathways). Sites with municipal posts had significantly lower mean intensities of encroachment than sites with other boundaries that enabled residents to enter the forest edge, and had significantly lower mean frequencies of waste disposal traces than fenced sites. Sites with fences also had significantly lower mean intensities of encroachment than sites with no boundary demarcation, or sites with fences and gates, and were particularly effective in reducing the incidence of yard extension encroachments, and mean maximum extents of encroachment. Despite the effectiveness of these boundary demarcation policies, and that of some of the other boundary treatments evaluated, none of the boundary treatments was effective in eliminating encroachment traces. A buffer of between 10 and 20 metres in width would be required to segregate the mean maximum extent of encroachment activities from sensitive forest edges, depending on the boundary demarcation policy, or type.
The research concludes that current municipal policies are insufficient to meet the complexity and scope of the encroachment activities occurring. Some preventative policies have been developed and are regularly implemented within natural areas adjacent to new subdivisions. However, implemented boundary demarcation policies are insufficient to eliminate, or minimize residential encroachment. Wider more complex boundary policies that limit different types of encroachment and include elements that reduce access, spatially separate, and encourage informal residential surveillance (such as fences, grass strips and pathways) can further reduce encroachment levels. Few municipalities have established boundary demarcation policies to prevent encroachment within natural areas adjacent to established subdivisions, and study municipalities infrequently implement policies and bylaws to mitigate existing encroachments within these areas. Yet interviewees, and the results of the unobtrusive measurement of encroachment in study forest edges, indicate that encroachment activities are highly prevalent within these municipal forests. Policies at all levels, and particularly at the official plan level, are required to protect natural areas from edge resident encroachment, and other forms of post development impacts on natural areas. These policies are required to support the more rigorous enforcement of encroachment bylaws, and the negotiation, and implementation of effective buffers and boundary demarcation treatments. In consideration of these results and conclusions, the dissertation describes the implications for municipal planning policy and urban and regional planning theory, and provides recommendations for future research.
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Burlando, Catie. "Land use planning policy in the Far North Region of Ontario: Conservation targets, politics of scale, and the role of civil society organizations in Aboriginal–state relations." 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/5243.
Full textAbstract:
Aboriginal communities in Canada are increasingly involved in land use planning initiatives to promote community-led economic renewal and advance self-determination. As analyzed by political ecologists elsewhere, international and national civil society organizations are also increasingly important actors in environmental governance in Canada. However, nascent conflicts due to the role of civil society organizations in influencing planning policy development, and its effects on Aboriginal–state relationships, have not yet been explored. Through community-based fieldwork with Pikangikum First Nation, interviews with Provincial Ministries and conservation organizations, and in-depth document analysis, this thesis analyzes the roots of contentious politics for land use planning in the Far North Region of Ontario. Specifically, it analyzes 1) the evolution of land use planning policy development between 1975 and 2010 in the region; 2) the role and strategies of civil society organizations in influencing planning policy development, and 3) the impacts that different planning approaches have for enabling Aboriginal decision-making authority in their territories.
Results show that during four different planning processes held between 1975 and 2010, Aboriginal communities and organizations in the Far North actively resisted state-led land use planning and resource allocation, and developed partnerships with the Ontario Government to enable community-led planning in their traditional territories. Since 2008, Aboriginal organizations have condemned new comprehensive legislation for opening the Far North Region to development and setting a restrictive conservation target, without clarifying substantive issues of jurisdictional authority, sharing of resources, and consultation protocols. These changes were the result of international and national civil society organizations's actions to strategically mobilize public and political support. The planning approaches that emerged from different planning policies were found to directly influence how Aboriginal–state relations are developed; who sits at the decision-making table; how resources are distributed; and how knowledge systems are balanced. Without careful attention to how power is distributed across levels of governance and where accountability lies, multi-level governance—and the bridging role that is promoted for civil society organizations—may lead to patterns of scale dominance, and become a way to justify continued control by the state, corporations, and international civil society organizations on Aboriginal territories.
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Beaton, Andrew. "Testing and Refining a Unique Approach for Setting Environmental Flow and Water Level Targets for a Southern Ontario Subwatershed." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10214/3850.
Full textAbstract:
In this study Bradford’s (2008) approach for setting ecological flow and water level targets is tested and refined through application within the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority’s (LSRCA) subwatershed of Lover’s Creek. A method for defining subwatershed objectives and identifying habitat specialists through expert input is proposed and tested. The natural regime of each streamflow and wetland site is characterized along with the hydrological alteration at each site. Potential ecological responses to the hydrologic alterations are then hypothesized for the different types of changes calculated at each site.
Methods for setting overall ecosystem health and specific ecological objective flow targets are proposed and tested. These targets are integrated into a flow regime for each site and a process for using this information for decision making is suggested. Flow magnitude quantification is attempted using hydraulic modelling and sediment transport equations, however the data used were found to be inadequate for this application.
The accuracy of the targets developed using the method presented in this paper is mainly limited by the accuracy of the hydrological model and quantified flow magnitudes. Recommendations for improving these components of the assessment are made.
The unique approach and recommendations presented in this paper provide explicit steps for developing flow targets for subwatersheds within the LSRCA. This research contributes toward the advancement of EFA within the LSRCA, which provides opportunity for enhanced protection and restoration of ecosystem health across the watershed.Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority