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Canada's immigration policy is regarded globally as a best practice model for selecting highly skilled migrants. Yet, upon arrival many immigrants face challenges integrating into employment. Where immigrants settle is one factor that has been shown to impact on employment integration. In Canada, regionalization policies have resulted in more immigrants settling in small to mid‐sized cities. It is important to understand how these local systems are organized to promote immigrant integration into employment. Using a systems approach, this paper presents a case study of immigrant employment in a mid‐sized city in Ontario, Canada. Through a document review and stakeholder interviews, a systems map was developed, and local perspectives were analyzed. Results demonstrate that in a mid‐sized city, few organizations play a large role in immigrant employment. The connections between these core organizations and the local labour market are complex. Any potential challenges to the system that interfere with these connections can cause a delay for newcomers seeking employment. As cities begin to experience growth driven by immigration, there is a need to ensure local services are not only available but also working effectively within the larger employment system. Key messages: An important focus of Canada's immigration policy has been to improve employment integration locally.Using a systems approach allows mid‐sized cities to identify local services and how they are connected to promote employment integration of newcomers.Greater connectivity between services can streamline the employment process for immigrants settling in mid‐sized cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explains the operation and role of statute labor as well as its advantages and disadvantages in the fundamental mechanism of township road construction and maintenance in Ontario. Historical geography on the declining use of statute labor; Key element in statute labor decline.

In mainstream media, policy circles and academic scholarship, economic discourses have highlighted the importance of knowledge, creativity and innovation for generating economic growth. This has been translated into an urban planning and policy agenda which favours the establishment of research parks, innovation clusters, and especially universities along with amenities to attract creative-class workers. In much of this literature universities are invested with an almost magical power to spur economic growth, and the benign language of 'transition' is used suggesting a rather seamless progression from one urban economic engine to another. Through analysis of policy documents and key informant interviews related to the establishment of a new university in Oshawa, Ontario, this case study seeks to challenge the straightforward relationship that is assumed to exist between universities and local economic development. Like other lagging regions across the OECD attempting to repair their economies through creative and knowledge urbanism, Oshawa's recent achievements are tempered by growing concerns about poverty, homelessness and inequality. Planners and policymakers that mistake the complexities of economic restructuring for a smooth 'urban transition' put their cities and citizens at risk of creating new problems out of efforts to improve local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Increasing our understanding of the differences between obesity and overweight status across various geographical areas may have important public health implications. We aimed to explore prevalence and factors (i.e., demographic and lifestyle) associated with overweight and obesity among youth across urban, suburban and rural settings. Methods. A cross-sectional study used self-reported data collected from students (grades 9–12) attending 76 high schools in Ontario, Canada, as part of the SHAPES-Ontario study (2005–2006). Of the 34 578 eligible students selected to complete the Physical Activity Module in the 76 participating schools, 73.5% (n=25 416; 50.8% males, 49.2% females) completed the survey. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using body mass index for weight measurement and self-reported data on lifestyle factors, and self-perception of body weight. Results. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 14.3% and 6.3%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight in urban, suburban and rural areas was 14.6%, 13.8% and 15.1%, respectively, while the prevalence of obesity was 6.3%, 6.0% and 6.7%, respectively, and the difference was significant (χ2= 16.53, p<0.05). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, age, TV watching, level of urbanization and perception of body weight were important predictors of overweight and obesity. Conclusion. Our understanding of how overweight and obesity rates vary depending on the level of urbanization may help health professionals to either tailor programs to the needs of the individuals living in these different areas or to target existing programs to the contexts where they are most likely to have an impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Examines the unwritten rules and uncertain relations characterizing hospital restructuring efforts in urban Ontario. Framework for understanding executive decision-making in the human services sector; Analysis on the experiences of hospital administrators; Features of hospital reconstruction.

Presents the spatial structure of the Kitchener Central Metropolitan Area (CMA) as one of the more dispersed metropolitan areas in Ontario, Canada. Factors unique to the Kitchener's locale that have precipitated dispersed city form; Canadian cities sharing features of Kitchener's dispersed city form; Explanation of dispersion as a change in balance between `space,' `proximity' and `place.'

Aims. The impacts on the community of the opening of a casino in Niagara Falls are studied. Design. The study uses a pre/post design for the community data, with pre/post data from Ontario as a whole as a comparison. Setting. The study site is the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, where a casino opened in early December, 1996. Participants. Using random-digit dialing, telephone interviews were conducted with adult residents of Niagara Falls in 1996 and 1997, and with adult residents of Ontario in 1995 and 1997. Measurements. Aside from demographic variables, measures included general attitudes to gambling, expectations about (1996) and experiences with (1997) the casino's opening, extent of participation in 11 types of gambling and 18 items on problems with gambling: five key items from a standard gambling problems score (SOGS), five life-area problems items, and items on pressures from others concerning the respondent's gambling and on gambling problems among family and friends. Findings. Attitudes to gambling remained stable in Niagara Falls, while there was some evidence of decline in approval in Ontario as a whole. While strong majorities of 1996 respondents had expected many positive and negative effects on The Community of the Casino's opening, Significantly fewer respondents in 1997 reported actually experiencing most of these effects. While a small increase in employment was found, it fell far below projections, a result probably reflecting displacement effects. The rate and level of casino gambling increased in Ontario, but increased even more in Niagara Falls, with little displacement of other gambling. Reported gambling problems increased significantly in Niagara Falls for two of 10 gambling problem items and for the short SOGS score, while rates were generally stable or declining in the province. Pressure from others about gambling rose significantly in Niagara Falls (in contrast to the province), and reported rates of family members or friends with gambling problems also rose substantially. There was an increasing trend in Niagara Falls for all 18 problem indicators. Conclusions. The casino's opening brought more gambling by local residents, and an increase in reported gambling problems; yet support for the casino, already strong, if anything grew. At least in the short term, problems from the increased availability of gambling manifested themselves not in the public arena but rather in the arena of private life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines a range of restructuring proposals considered and or adopted during 1995-1997 in six municipalities in southern Ontario, to explores the application of the agenda of the government to the municipal sector. Delineation of the manner in which the term `rationalize' has been understood by the municipalities and the province; Analysis of the government's promise to `sit down with the municipalities' in the process; In-depth look at the government.

The article discusses the steps implemented by the government of Ontario to promote ethical behavior in their municipalities, focusing on elected local government and not on staff employed by those governments. One significant step taken by the Ontario government is the passing of a legislation which provides freedom of information as well as protection of individual privacy in municipalities and local school boards. The provincial government also amended the Ontario Municipal Act, which opened all municipal council meetings to the public with limited exemptions as well as the Municipal Elections Act which set out rules for campaign contributions.