Following the completion of the Annapolis River Tidal Power Generating Station in 1984, the abundance of many native diadromous fish species declined in the river. In 2019, new regulatory directives resulted in the abrupt termination of power generating activities, and tide gates that had barred access to the river were left open for the first time in 35 years.
Excess water can damage roads by weakening the aggregate base soil or underlying native soils, from formation of ice in colder regions, and causing ground to swell where expansive soils are encountered. Relatively new products called wicking geotextiles can improve drainage and remove water through suction to prevent these causes of road damage. These products are polymer fabric sheets which are laid down under the road prior to construction.
Public transit offers both a relatively low GHG-to-passenger ratio and affordable options for local travel in comparison to personal vehicle travel, thusly presenting as a key area for making progress toward climate change mitigation and social justice. Working with stakeholders in the Greater Victoria Area, this project will identify, map, and examine three different new regional transit network scenarios, which respectively align with objectives around (1) climate change mitigation, (2) social justice, and (3) climate justice.
This project will explore the measures of sustainability described by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) measures; find the key measures that venture capital investors review to make their investment decisions and create a framework to integrate sustainability measures within the early-stage entrepreneurship.
This research project addresses needs identified by First Nation communities across BC to develop a framework to gather data regarding the state of salmon habitat in their territories in a way that is community led and driven. The project will conduct experiments leading to the development of a methodological framework and training materials focussed on the collection and analysis of UAV based thermal, lidar, and photogrammetric data to enhance community capacity to conduct long term salmon habitat monitoring.
The purpose of this project is to develop and pilot a social enterprise for a sexual assault centre. In this context, the term social enterprise refers to adding revenue-generating services to the sexual assault centre. The proposed idea for the social enterprise is to offer training modules and educational material on a variety of topics. The project consists of creating, marketing, and implementing accessible training modules. Research conducted will include focus group to test out the training material.
In 2017, Canada hosted over 13 thousand asylum seekers younger than 15 years. In Canada asylum seekers wait on average for two years for the determination of their refugee status. Moreover, asylum seekers are being vulnerablized not only by pre-migration trauma, but also because of the ongoing stressors of resettlement, including legal precarity, racism, discrimination, insecure housing, and other forms of social exclusion. The need for programs that can protect and prevent mental health problems in asylum seekers families is crucial.
This research will evaluate the group programming offered by the non-profit counseling service, Gentle Path, which provides professional mental health services to everyone regardless of their financial means. The proposed study will involve recruiting participants from the organization and asking them about their reasons for expressing interest in counseling but not enrolling in it. The results of the study will inform recruitment processes and help identify barriers to accessing counseling services.
Cougars are one of the most important predators of BC’s large mammals, especially species valued for hunting. Yet, we know little about the habitat needs and responses of cougars to landscape disturbance and hunter harvest. In this project, we fit GPS-collars on 50 adult cougars in order to quantify their seasonal habitat use and predation rates of mule deer and other ungulates in relation to wildfires, roads, and forestry activity.
Mice and rats are commonly used in biomedical research to model human diseases. Usually, we house them in "shoebox-sized" cages in small same-sex groups. Since they are social species, we know having social contact is important for their well-being. For example, rodents will choose to spend time with other rodents rather than live alone, and when given a choice, rats will choose to spend time with another rat before eating. However, laboratory rodents are often housed on their own without contact with other rodents.
