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There exist ongoing calls among social work scholars and practitioners to cultivate applied knowledge of critical and emancipatory practice. In this paper, I explore the utility of text-based vignettes as instruments that can be used to elicit insight from marginalized service users on critical social work practice. To do this work, I draw on data from interviews with 20 transgender and gender diverse (TGD) social service users, along with 10 social workers, whose responses to a text-based vignette were originally used to build an understanding of the constituents of equitable social work practice with TGD people. Incorporating critical pragmatism as a conceptual framework and constructivist grounded theory as a methodological orientation, I analyze data from this study as an exemplar that substantiates the promise of using text-based vignettes in qualitative social work research to generate knowledge of critical social work practice. Specifically, I demonstrate how text-based vignettes in this study (1) contextualized the meaning, significance, and impact of oppression for service users, (2) built insight on practice that reflects solidarity and allyship, and (3) identified opportunities for social workers' reflexive use of professional power to effect change. Accounting for the tensions between empiricism and critical praxis in social work, I consider the promise of incorporating text-based vignettes to develop empirical social work literature that is rooted in the voices of marginalized service users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stigma of mental illness contributes to silence, denial and delayed help seeking. Existing stigma reduction strategies seldom consider gender and cultural contexts. The Strengths in Unity study was a multi-site Canadian study that engaged Asian men in three stigma reduction interventions (ACT, CEE, psychoeducation) and mobilized them as Community Mental Health Ambassadors. Our participants included both men living with or affected by mental illness (LWA) as well as community leaders (CL). This paper will: (1) describe the baseline characteristics of the Toronto participants including their sociodemographic information, mental illness stigma (CAMI and ISMI), attitudes towards social change (SJS), and intervention-related process variables (AAQ-II, VLQ, FMI, Empowerment); (2) compare the differences among these variables between LWA and CL; and (3) explore factors that may correlate with socio-economic status and mental health stigma. A total of 609 Asian men were recruited in Toronto, Canada. Both CL and LWA had similar scores on measures of external and internalized stigma and social change attitudes, except that LWA had more positive views about the acceptance and integration of those with mental illness into the community on the CAMI, while CL had a higher level of perceived behavioral control on the SJS. Group differences were also observed between LWA and CL in some process-related variables. Exploratory analysis suggests that younger and more educated participants had lower stigma. Our findings underscore the importance of engaging both community leaders and people with lived experience as mental health advocates to address stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to broaden the discussion and debate about the continuity and change in the governance and decision making of Canada's NSOs and to develop arguments that address why institutional theory provides a strong foundation for advancing our understanding and management of this continuity and change. First, the theoritical contributions of institutional theorists are discussed. This is Followed by a critical evaluation of previous institutional perspectives on change in Canada's NSOs. Then a description is given of three aspects of governance and decision making-the institutionalization of volunteer boards, the deinstitutionalization of volunteer con- trol, and the semi-institutionalization of paid executive roles-that provides an alternative institutional explanation of continuity and change in governance and decision making in NSOs. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future research and a consideration of the implications for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper begins with a review of the literature on tourism in rural economies, to establish a framework for analyzing large‐scale tourism products in rural and small town regions. The review is followed by the development of a typology of large‐scale attractions in rural and small town regions, including parks, casinos, events, heritage, and cultural products. The typology leads into the example of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) in Manitoba, Canada. Located in an agricultural region of south‐central Manitoba, the community of Morden is located 125 km from the provincial capital city, Winnipeg, which had a population of 811,900 in 2016. Morden is also located 35 km north of the border with North Dakota. Thus, while a small town in a traditionally rural region still dependent upon an agricultural economic base, Morden has been recently successful in diversifying its economy, including through manufacturing, services, hospitality, and tourism. In part, this success is due to a south‐central Manitoba location; however, it is also the result of innovative local leadership, including the prioritization of hospitality and tourism related to the CFDC. This paper describes the case study as an example of successful tourism development within an already economically and socially diversifying region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes four basic points about movement toward a low carbon economy in Canada: first, that it is important for political leaders, policy analysts, and researchers to approach the issue in terms of a transition to a carbon-emission–free society; second, that in Canada the development of regional pathways to a low-carbon economy is crucial; third, that we need ‘‘green development strategies’’ if we are to maximize the opportunities presented by this transition; and finally, that we should think about low-carbon politics as well as low-carbon economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic governance is an important dimension of institutional self-governance. This paper reports on the findings of a new study of university senates (academic councils) in Canadian universities in order to analyze changes in structure and in senate members' perceptions of the structure and role of senates over the last decade. Following the basic design of a similar study in 2000, this study reveals that there have been modest changes to the structure and organizational arrangements of many Canadian university senates over the last 10 years, including the rationalization and reform of the committee structures at many institutions. Findings of the study suggest the importance of senate orientation programming, the need for better oversight and assessment of academic quality, some confusion or ambiguity about the respective roles of board, senate and the administration, and continuing controversy about the proper role of the senate in strategic planning, financial, research, and fund-raising issues and activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typically, sex offender programmes are evaluated using recidivism, a distal outcome measure. This paper proposes that sex offender programmes also incorporate proximal variables to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Proximal variables assess within treatment changes immediately following the intervention. To demonstrate this approach, the effectiveness of a sex offender treatment programme is evaluated using proximal variables, specifically locus of control, empathy, cognitive distortions and acceptance of responsibility. We provide the findings of this evaluation and discuss the implications of this approach. In particular, we conclude with the importance of identifying relevant treatment targets and selecting suitable proximal measures of those targets in evaluating treatment effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep duration has figured into claims of two trends promoted recently as dysfunctional in the mass media. One is the observation that the population at large is sleeping less than before. The second is that the annual change from Standard Time to Daylight Savings (or summer) Time causes adverse effects, largely through the loss of an hour's sleep. This paper relies on recent Canadian and U.S. time-use data to empirically test both of these value-laden allegations. Analysis of Statistics Canada's general social surveys containing time-use information in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2005 shows that the mean duration of sleep was unchanged between 1986 and 1998 and actually declined by about 15 min a night in 2005, reflecting an earlier bedtime and unchanged arising time. Sleep duration is not constant in the population, though, and the media view might reflect the habits of population sectors such as the intelligence with great access to the media. The American Time Use Study sample of 20,720 respondents in 2003 enabled the analysis of time-use before, on, and after the dates of semi-annual time changes that year. These data showed that any sleep time 'lost' in the spring-forward time change was insignificant and short-lived due to the fact that it occurred on the night between Saturday and Sunday, when people typically sleep much longer than on weekdays. While there are other time trade-offs observed after time changes, their explanation lies in other directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In an effort to address, the significant socio-cultural changes in the population demographics of the United States (US) and Canada, organizations are increasingly seeking ways of improving their level of cultural competence. Evaluating organizational cultural competence is essential to address the needs of ethnic and cultural minorities. Yet, research related to organizational cultural competence is relatively new. The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature with a specific focus on: (1) identifying the key standards that define culturally competent community health and social service organizations; and (2) outlining the core elements for evaluating cultural competence in a health and social service organization. Furthermore, issues related to choosing self-assessment tools and conducting an evaluation will be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the difference between the evolution of the protest movement against globalisation in Quebec and in Canada, especially since the end of the eighties. We argue that this difference can be best understood by taking into account the distinctive relationship which prevailed in these two social entities between the national project pursued by social and political actors and the reactions of these actors to the globalisation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the past 20 years in Québec reveals the extent of the social and economic change that has occurred there. Such change has demanded the redefinition of service delivery in the public, para-public and, indeed, the private sectors. Québec has shifted from a period centred, by and large, on growth, to a period of streamlined spending and optimum resource use. The Sûreté du Québec has had to adapt its management methods to this situation while dealing with numerous, major reforms. These changes have led to the establishment of the Development and Training Branch and helped to determine its mission, strategic policy directions, and action plans. Who we are, what we do, how we do it, and what results we are seeking are some of the questions that this paper prepared by the Development and Training Branch of the Sâreté du Québec, the Québec, Canada Provincial Police Force, addresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between family change and economic well-being among recent immigrant families with children to Canada during the 1977 to 1997 period. Whereas the average income to needs ratio of all Canadian families with children is up modestly over this period, this study documents a substantial decline in the average level of economic well-being of recent immigrants. In this context, this study draws attention to the relevance of not only structural explanations that emphasize the role of labour markets and/or government policy in shaping the economic conditions of immigrants, but also the potential impact of shifts in the living arrangements and family structure of immigrants. More specifically, an increased incidence of lone parenthood has had a net negative impact on the economic well-being of immigrants, albeit not to the same extent as among non-immigrants in Canada. Yet, other changes have had a slight positive impact, including an ongoing decline in the average number of children per family, an upward shift in the age distribution of parents, and a slight increase in the tendency of immigrants to co-reside with family members beyond the immediate nuclear family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]