Introduced Phragmites australis (common reed) is one of the most invasive plants in North America. Existing management is costly, can negatively affect other species, and is often only effective for small infestations. Classical biological control (i.e., introducing herbivores from the weed’s native range) is a promising tool for P. australis management that can contribute to a broader program of integrated pest management (IPM). Our goal is to partner with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) to implement biological control of introduced P. australis in southern Ontario.
Manitoba’s 55 community foundations (CF) play a critical role in community development. These CFs are committed to building their community for generations to enjoy yet each are unique in their experiences and capacities. Many CFs capacities are stretched and they are pulled between advancing their organizational and operational capacities in order to plan for and achieve specific social and economic goals, while also being attentive to their communities’ priorities and responsive to issues such as governance, transparency, and accountability.
This project aims at developing information and knowledge that will promote public and policy support for the long-term sustainability of the agricultural system surrounding the greenbelt. Based on a preliminary research led by the Friends of Greenbelt Foundation, this research will develop a monitoring framework for the viability and protection of the agricultural system in the greenbelt and assess the trends of agricultural viability and protection in Greenbelt during the past 15 years.
The aim of the current project is to assess the level of representation of visible minorities, indigenous peoples, and women in leadership roles in the public and non-profit sectors in London. The current project also aims to conduct in-depth interviews with key stakeholders in London to determine if and what some of the organizations in the public and non-profit sector in London have done to improve the representation of visible minorities, indigenous peoples, and women over the last four years.
The proposed project consists of a literature review and jurisdictional scan. We are seeking to understand the past and current literature on youth economic engagement, labour market engagement, post-secondary and training strategies and research, social wellbeing, and specific vulnerabilities for youth when engaging in the labour market.
Vaccination is a widely accepted public health intervention, yet public confidence in vaccines is affected by misinformation about vaccine safety shared mainly on Facebook. This project aims to increase availability of credible information about HPV vaccines and influenza vaccines on Facebook.
Ontario’s Greenbelt is composed of nearly 2 million acres of protected land including natural areas that provide ecosystem services to millions of people. While these areas face reduced pressure from land use conversion, they still face a pressures typical of natural systems in peri-urban landscapes including loss of biodiversity, invasive species, impacts from infrastructure projects and a changing climate. In order to determine the extent to which these pressures are shifting natural systems, indicators of system health are needed.
Narwhals are an iconic ice-associated species that are seasonably distributed across much of the Canadian archipelago that are also of immense cultural importance to the Inuit First Nations. While narwhal are highly adapted to their sea-ice environments, their susceptibility to the stresses of a changing climate and increased human activity in the area are a major concern.
The Greater Toronto Area has experienced significant urbanization during the past decade; meanwhile, the consequences of the urban heat island and the frequency and duration of the heat waves are becoming more evident. Preserving the green areas and increasing vegetation leads to a decrease in air temperature, an increase in evapotranspiration, a decrease in cooling energy demand; and provide better thermal comfort for inhabitants.
The Canadian agricultural sector has been particularly effected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to shortages in agricultural labour, the sector relies on the annual arrival of migrant workers, which in 2020 was disrupted due to the travel restrictions and quarantine orders enacted to fight the spread of this virus. As a result, many agricultural employers are struggling to find workers to cultivate their crops. This research initiative is designed to address this problem.
