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Since the 2008 financial crisis, federal and provincial governments in Canada has consistently monitored its housing market. However, real estate markets in Canada seem to have significant regional imbalances with moderate evidence of overheating and price exuberance and strong evidence of over-evaluation for several quarters. In this perspective, this paper seeks to test the existence of real estate bubbles in Canada and their contagion. Our methodology, based on monthly data, relies on two steps: First, we build on a GSADF test developed by Phillips, Shi, and Yu (2015) to detect bubbles. Second, using a method developed by Greenaway-McGrevy and Phillips (2016), a non-parametric regression with time-varying coefficient, we verify if, in case of bubbles, there is a contagion among Canadian cities. Our results suggest that there are bubbles in the real estate markets of Toronto and Vancouver, while this is not the case for Montreal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leakage of water distribution networks is the most common reason of undesirable losses of potable water. Problems associated with water main leaks pose growing concern around the globe. These problems include water and energy loss, in addition to the risk it poses to structural damage of adjacent properties. In current practice, not all water leaks can be detected in a timely and cost effective manner. This paper presents a study conducted for detection of water leaks in underground pipelines, and identification of their respective locations using thermography infrared camera. The paper describes the field work and the experimental protocol which were carried out over 2 years in three different locations in greater Montréal (Canada) area in order to investigate factors that affect the applicability and limitations of using IR camera in water leak detection. These factors beyond those studied in previous work carried out by American Water Works Association and National Research Council. The paper presents a model developed to determine approximate location of leaks in water mains. The developed model was then applied successfully to detect and locate leaks in water mains in fall and spring seasons. It failed, however, to detect leaks in the summer and winter due to high pavement temperature and the snow coverage, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Labour productivity plays an important role in the successful delivery of engineering, procurement and construction projects. This paper aims to present a field study that determines the effects of a set of variables on daily and/or short-term jobsite labour productivity, using artificial neural network model. Design/methodology/approach - The data used in this paper were collected over a period of ten months, directly from the job sites of two building construction projects in Montreal. A neural network model was used to study a number of factors considered to impact labour productivity on daily basis. These included temperature, relative-humidity, wind speed, precipitation, gang size, crew composition, height of work, type of work and construction method employed. The data were then analyzed to determine the influence of these parameters on site labour productivity. Findings - Among the nine parameters studied, temperature was found to have the most significant impact on productivity, closely followed by the height then by the type of work. Given the range of the collected data available on the variables considered, temperature, humidity and crew composition were found each to have a similar trend, with an optimum value that corresponds to the normalized maximum productivity. Originality/value - The findings of this paper will provide awareness and better understanding of parameters that impact labour productivity in building construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily weather records for the St Lawrence Valley region in Québec, Canada, exist on a continuous basis for nearly two centuries and on a more fragmentary level back to the French regime. Daily and sub-daily observations allow for the potential to reconstruct and analyse not only hazardous weather events of short duration but also high impact events such as freezing rain, snowstorms, blowing snow or thunder. Weather records can also give us a more detailed understanding of longer lasting events, such as consecutive dry days leading to drought, or long winters with consecutive frost days which have an impact on health and the demand for domestic heat, which can itself lead to hazardous conditions for air quality. Dry summers, severe snowstorms and long winters have always occurred in the St Lawrence Valley region. This paper looks at the frequency and evolution of a subset of weather events which constitute natural hazards over a period of centuries, from 1742 to the present day, with gaps from 1754–1798 and 1870–1953. The annual frequencies of most events fall broadly within the same ranges over the course of the past centuries. However, a decrease in the number of consecutive dry days and a concomitant increase in precipitation-related hazardous events, such as thunder and freezing rain, can be seen in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries compared to the nineteenth century. The mid-eighteenth century also saw a high frequency of freezing rain events. A mid-twentieth century peak in the number of days with smoke also stands out and is related to industrial and domestic sources of heating and energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of VLC Arquitectura is the property of VLC Arquitectura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Canada is often characterized as a multicultural country with two official languages associated with two official population groups: the national majority of white, anglophone Canadians and the national minority of white, francophone Quebecers. Racialized minorities, including immigrants, are situated as the third node in the construction of Canada as a multicultural society. While there is often discussion of the minority/ majority relationship between the national majority and the national minority, or the national majority and racialized minorities, there is much less attention given to the relationship between Quebec and racialized minorities in the province. This paper examines the construction of difference in this relationship through the experiences of Pakistani Muslims living in Montreal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Action Research is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Location planning for pedestrian zones is a multifaceted problem. The selection of best location from a list of potential stations involves consideration of different technical, economical, environmental, and social factors. For some of these factors, numerical values can be provided, but the others are based on the qualitative data. In this paper, a multicriteria decision analysis approach is presented based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for location planning of pedestrian zones under lack of quantitative data. A decision-making committee comprised of representatives of city transportation officials, public administration, and city residents or users is formed to select the criteria/subcriteria for evaluating pedestrian zones. Five locations for pedestrian zones are considered for evaluation in the city of Montréal: namely, Downtown, Jean Drapeau, Olympic stadium, Old Montréal, and Saint Denis. The results of this study indicate that the downtown area is the best choice for a pedestrian zone. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the influence of criteria and subcriteria weights on the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster management planning in Canada is government led, and the responsibilities are divided among federal, provincial, and local levels of government. The Civil Emergency Plan of Greater Montreal (Plan de sécurité civile de l'agglomération de Montréal) describes operations and responsibilities during emergencies and provides a framework for the strategic management cycle, which includes action, coordination, and communication between various decision centers. However, evacuation planning processes have not been described for any of these levels of government. Recognizing the necessity for evacuation planning, this paper proposes a three-step framework for earthquake evacuation planning for Montreal: (1) vulnerability assessment of the built environment and community demographics, (2) shelter and evacuation route planning, and (3) preparation of community evacuation maps. This paper also acknowledges the need for participatory and advocacy planning during the preparation of community evacuation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the influence of Korean ethnic churches on the maintenance of heritage language (HL) and culture among Korean-Canadian students. The ethnographic and qualitative study on which it is based involved participant observation over a 4-month period, group discussions, interviews, and a questionnaire. Participants were 15 immigrant students aged 13-19, who live in Montreal and attend a Korean ethnic church. Results indicate that these churches play an important role in the maintenance of the HL and cultural identity. It is argued that immigrant students would benefit from being more aware of the linguistic and cultural maintenance role that these churches play and of the importance of taking advantage of the institutional resources they provide: the opportunity to interact with other Koreans, to use the language and improve their proficiency, and to become immersed in the Korean cultural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada’s book trade is fascinating not only because it really consists of two book trades—the Anglophone and the Francophone—but also because it is a site of intense and sustained policy interventions designed to foster greater domestic control. Examining the country’s book policies, Statistics Canada data, trade association membership rosters and trade directories, this paper reveals that Canada’s contemporary book trade is characterized by three features: circa 40 years of government interventions in response to foreign dominance; the central role of foreign firms despite these interventions; and the dominance of Toronto and Montreal as domestic sites of book production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of a detailed, in-depth study of the operations and strategic decision-making of Centraide, a charitable organization in Greater Montreal, this paper suggests that dependency on the environment can be a stimulus to organizational adaptation. Two major changes over a 10-year period are studied to show that strategic management in high dependency situations requires a continual attention to the organization's relationships and interactions with the forces in its environment, and a continuous management of the process by which change takes place. The basic position advanced is that: strategy in philanthropic organizations is more effective in ensuring survival and growth when the search for autonomy is seen as irrelevant and when dependence is seen as an unavoidable fact that should shape behavior. A set of propositions helps conceptualize the findings and is offered as a guide for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Criminology & Criminal Justice is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article explores Iranian international students’ (IISs) experiences of human dignity (HD) within Canadian universities, compared to Iranian ones. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 24 current and former IISs (10 women and 10 men in Montreal and two women and two men who had left Canada), I created a conceptual HD framework to analyze the data. Three themes emerged as key to IISs’ experiences of HD in the context of postsecondary education: 1) the relationship between students and university faculty/staff, 2) gender equality and freedom, and 3) having a minority or marginalized identity. I conclude with observations about how an awareness of students’ HD experiences could strengthen the support offered to international students (ISs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are interested in the role of the intermediary actors of a given territory and their relation to the innovation process in small businesses. Innovation and technological change evolve differently in small businesses than in large companies that have more resources and can afford the cost of research and development. Four main factors determine innovation in small businesses: strategic advantages (or market opportunities); technological competencies; organisational capacities and the decision-making process. During the innovation process, small businesses usually need the assistance of intermediary actors in order to access external resources. Those intermediaries assume what we call an 'intermediation function', that is essential for the innovation process. By using the concept of 'intermediation function', we have suggested a classification of the intermediary actors according to their contributions to the innovation process. We found that these contributions could be in the commercialisation of the product, in the knowledge base, in the financial and human resources or as sources of information. Among these contributions, the knowledge base is the one that appears to be most important for the development of small businesses and is the main contribution of the intermediary actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent proliferation of new-build gentrification has led researchers to emphasize the need to explore the effects of indirect displacement (i.e. the effects of changes caused by neighbourhood gentrification) as experienced by long-term residents (Davidson & Lees 2004). This paper develops a four-tiered indirect displacement typology sub-dividing the concept into: cultural displacement, social displacement, political displacement and housing market displacement. This framework is operationalized in a case study of Saint-Henri, a gentrifying neighbourhood in Montréal (Québec, Canada), to assess whether it is useful in understanding the meanings of displacement in the lives of incumbent residents. The case study reveals that in Saint-Henri, social, cultural and housing market displacement are all relevant to understanding residents' experiences in the face of gentrification and mega-project development. There was not however, evidence of political displacement in Saint-Henri. For example, there were no indications of explicit conflicts between incumbent residents and incoming gentrifiers in trying to shape the future dimensions of place, as has been found elsewhere (see Davidson 2008). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Some neighbourhoods in urban areas are characterised by concentrations of socially and materially deprived populations. Additionally, levels of ambient air pollution in a city can be variable at the local scale and can create disparities in air quality between neighbourhoods. Socioeconomic and physical characteristics of neighbourhood environments can affect the health and well-being of local residents. In this paper we identify whether neighbourhoods in Montreal, Canada characterised by social and material deprivation have higher levels of ambient air pollution than do others. We collected two-week integrated samples of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at 133 sites in Montreal during three seasons between 2005 and 2006. We used these data in a geographic information system, along with data describing characteristics of land use, roads, and traffic, to create a spatial model of predicted mean annual concentrations of NO2 across Montreal. Next, we collected neighbourhood socioeconomic information for 501 census tracts and overlaid their boundaries on the pollution surface. We calculated Pearson correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between neighbourhood-level indicators of deprivation and levels of ambient NO2. We found associations between concentrations of NO2 and neighbourhood-level indicators of material deprivation, including median household income, and with indicators of social deprivation, including proportion of people living alone. We identified specific neighbourhoods that were characterised by a double burden of high levels of deprivation and high concentrations of ambient NO2. Because of the particular social geography in Montreal, we found that not all deprived neighbourhoods had high levels of pollution and that some affluent neighbourhoods in the downtown core had high levels. Our results underscore the importance of considering social contexts in interpreting general associations between social and environmental risks to population health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper compares the transformation of metropolitan institutions in two Canadian city-regions (Toronto and Montreal). Taking Neil Brenner's argument about new state spaces as a starting point, we discuss comparatively how governance restructuring in recently consolidated Toronto and Montreal has been part of more general changes to the architecture of governance in Canada. We look specifically at changes to the mediation channels between civil society and metropolitan institutions. A "nationally" scaled comparison, this project must take into account the specific differences between Francophone and Anglophone Canada, between the different civic traditions in Montreal and Toronto and different traditional significance attributed to the scale and nature of metropolitan governance structures and variously scaled agency in both cities. This makes our case in many ways more like an international comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Levenshtein linguistic distance measure to explore the question of whether the distance between an immigrant's mother tongue and a Canadian official language (English or French) has an impact on his/her economic integration into the labor market. Using microdata from the master files of the 2001 and 2006 Canadian censuses and from the 2011 National Household Survey, we investigate the relationship between linguistic distance and the intensity of use of English and French at work in the Montreal metropolitan area. That region is characterized by the presence of sizeable French- and English-speaking communities, as well as by a large number of immigrants from a wide variety of linguistic backgrounds. Those elements of linguistic diversity interact in the environment of English being the lingua franca. We find that linguistic distances between immigrants' mother tongues and English and French have an important impact on the relative intensities of use of the two Canadian official languages at work. We further investigate the role of the languages used at work on the earnings of immigrants by estimating earnings functions. We find that the use of both French and English is remunerated positively in the labor market, but that using English at work has a larger impact on earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many recent studies on soil and crop management practices have demonstrated their possibility in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from cropland. The response of GHG emissions to management practices can be quantitatively simulated using biophysics-based agricultural system models. However, the economic feasibilities of such management adoption are yet to be evaluated, especially when the producers have to adopt only one profitable management plan. This paper presents a field-scale economic analysis software that is capable of estimating the net benefits under various greenhouse gas mitigating management practices. The calculated net benefits are based on the benefit-cost analysis (BCA), where GHG emissions are converted to the CO2 equivalent and priced using the information from the current carbon trade market. GHG emissions and crop yield are simulated using the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2), an agricultural system model coupled with the BCA software. A case study for a cornfield at the Saint Emmanuel site near Montreal, Canada, from 2012 to 2015 under two water table management practices, i.e., free-drainage (FD) and controlled drainage (CD), results showed that FD was more profitable than CD. Although fewer greenhouse gases were emitted under CD than under FD, the potential benefit under current carbon credit payment from GHG reduction under CD was far less than the additional cost from installing new instruments and excessive maintenance fees. This study suggests that the government subsidy is needed to provide further incentives for producers to adopt new greenhouse gas emission mitigating management practices. • RZWQM2 can be combined with economic models to provide a reliable economic appraisal for farmers. • Free drainage is more profitable than controlled drainage. • Carbon credit from controlled drainage is less than the additional costs of adopting it. • Subsidization policy is essential to promote controlled drainage for reducing GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent scholarly work in the social sciences has engaged with the concept of hospitality in order to explore immigration dynamics, especially in relation to the situation of asylum-seekers. As an ambivalent concept, it captures the tension between, on the one hand, the act of hosting and welcoming foreigners and, on the other, controlling their entry. In this article, I reflect on the relevance of this concept for the study of the bureaucratic process of selecting qualified immigrants in Quebec, which aims to identify those future 'skilled' immigrants who would be most likely to integrate, both culturally and economically. These migrants, far from being unwanted, constitute the core of the federal and provincial immigration policies and the main mechanism through which a foreigner could obtain permanent residency in Canada. Through a fictional narrative based on my fieldwork with permanent residents living in Montreal, I show how the immigration selection system works in practice. Applied to the case of selected immigrants, the concept of hospitality forces us to distinguish practices from national discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Bioethics / Revue canadienne de bioéthique is the property of Ecole de Sante Publique de l'Universite de Montreal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: La Maison Bleue is a community-based perinatal health and social centre in Montreal that provides services during pregnancy up to age five to families living in vulnerable contexts. The study aimed to describe: 1) the challenges and protective factors that affect the well-being of migrant families receiving care at La Maison Bleue; and 2) how La Maison Bleue strengthens resilience among these families. Methods: We conducted a focused ethnography. Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants were invited to participate. We collected data from November to December 2017 via semi-structured interviews and participant observation during group activities at La Maison Bleue. Data were thematically analysed. Results: Twenty-four mothers participated (9 interviewed, 17 observed). Challenges to well-being included family separation, isolation, loss of support, the immigration process, an unfamiliar culture and environment, and language barriers. Key protective factors were women’s intrinsic drive to overcome difficulties, their positive outlook and ability to find meaning in their adversity, their faith, culture and traditions, and supportive relationships, both locally and transnationally. La Maison Bleue strengthened resilience by providing a safe space, offering holistic care that responded to both medical and psychosocial needs, and empowering women to achieve their full potential towards better health for themselves and their families. Conclusion: Migrant mothers have many strengths and centres like La Maison Bleue can offer a safe space and be an empowering community resource to assist mothers in overcoming the multiple challenges that they face while resettling and raising their young children in a new country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential segregation into spatial neighborhoods and boroughs is a well-known spatial dynamic process that characterise complex urban environments. Existing models of segregation, including the pioneering Schelling ones, often do not consider all the factors that can contribute to this process. Segregation as well as aggregation emerges from local interactions among individuals, and is rooted in the complexity of social, economic and environmental interactions. The main objective of this study is to develop and implement a geospatial agent-based model to simulate the decision-making process of location of new household for incoming immigrant populations. Particularly this study aims to simulate and analyse the dynamics of the new immigrant populations arriving in the bilingual cities and boroughs of the island of Montreal. The model was implemented in NetLogo software, using real geospatial datasets. The obtained simulation results indicate realistic spatial patterns of spatial composition of the ethnographic fabric on the island of Montreal. The proposed model has the potential to be used as part of the city planning purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Regionalne i Lokalne is the property of University of Warsaw and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Little research in Canada has examined the perspectives of women living with HIV on decision-making across the stages of motherhood. In 2004-2005, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 African, Caucasian and Haitian HIV-positive women recruited in Montreal. All were or wished to be biological mothers. Transcripts underwent thematic analysis organised by three culturally informed models of motherhood described by the participants, which influenced decision-making and perceived risks. For women who saw motherhood as 'self-fulfilment and completeness', vertical HIV transmission was a primary concern. It threatened their identity as a 'good mother', which also meant adhering to antiretrovirals. For women who viewed motherhood as a 'social realisation' (all African or Haitian), fears of compromised fertility dominated. Not becoming pregnant threatened their social status and presumed health within their community. Antiretrovirals were abandoned after delivery, fearing they would reveal their HIV status. For women endorsing a 'personal growth' model of motherhood (all Caucasian), threats to personal health were paramount. Pregnancy meant purifying body and soul. Antiretrovirals, seen as pollutants, were stopped after delivery. These findings can inform current research and sensitise health providers to the complex biological, psychological, social and spiritual risks that HIV-positive women negotiate in motherhood-related decision-making, towards more patient-centred care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used a contingent choice method to determine the economic value of improving various ecosystem services (ESs) of the Blue Network of Greater Montreal (Quebec, Canada). Three real projects were used and the evaluation focused on six ESs that are related to freshwater aquatic ecosystems: biodiversity, water quality, carbon sequestration, recreational activities, landscape aesthetics and education services. We also estimated the value associated with the superficies of restored sites. We calculated the monetary value that a household would be willing to pay for each additional qualitative or quantitative unit of different ESs, and these marginal values range from $0.11 to $15.39 per household per unit. Thus, under certain assumptions, we determined the monetary values that all Quebec households would allocate to improve each ES in Greater Montreal by one unit. The most valued ES was water quality ($13.5 million), followed by education services ($10.7 million), recreational activities ($8.9 million), landscape aesthetics ($4.1 million), biodiversity ($1.2 million), and carbon sequestration ($0.1 million). Our results ascribe monetary values to improved (or degraded) aquatic ecosystems in the Blue Network of Greater Montreal, but can also enhance economic analyses of various aquatic ecosystem restoration and management projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The intent of this article is to reflect on the notion of empowered participatory governance in order to gain a better understanding of the institutional contexts and parameters that encourage a more participative democracy, and thereby bring to light the political mechanisms that contribute to broadening the decision-making process. The example we consider is the Montreal Participative Budget ( PB). We focus on the impact of decentralization, more specifically on the form this took as the Montreal PB was being elaborated. We examine how much decentralization circumscribes the PB process. The Montreal Participative Budget provides an illustration of the emergence of a participative level in a political context that is, on the whole, hostile to participatory decision making. We suggest that the PB in this context benefits from a new window of opportunity. The chosen example has a dual significance: it underlines the role of temporal contingencies and scales of the process of decentralization in the participative structures at the local level, and it enables us to gain a better grasp of the problem of institutional architectures in implementing participatory democracy by emphasizing the political and social realities underlying new loci for decision making. Résumé Cette réflexion entend participer à l'agenda de recherche autour de la Empowered Participatory Governance lancé par Fung et Wright. Après avoir dressé un bilan d'analyses consacrées à différentes expériences participatives, afin de préciser les configurations institutionnelles et politiques favorables à une gouvernance plus participative, nous examinons ces résultats à l'aune du Budget Participatif du Plateau Mont-Royal à Montréal. Notre étude s'attarde plus particulièrement sur les liens entre décentralisation et démocratie participative, soulignant la nécessité d'une analyse qui prenne en compte les rapports de force entre les acteurs au sein des systèmes de gouvernance antérieurs à l'instauration des instances participatives. Si la présence de mouvements sociaux et de partis politiques, soutenant le projet participatif, s'avère incontournable, un mouvement uniquement bottom up risque également de cantonner la portée transformatrice de la démocratie participative à sa portion congrue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of International Migration & Integration is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the early 1940s, Arab lobbying activities started to be noticeable in Canada. In 1944 the Canadian Arab Friendship League was founded in Montreal by Muhammad Said Massoud, a Druze emigrant from Lebanon. The League soon became the spearhead of Arab lobbying activity in Canada. Its declared goal was to improve Canada's relations with the Arab world, yet in the second half of the 1940s its main focus of interest was to struggle against the partitioning of Palestine and the establishment of a Jewish state there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates assortative mating patterns with respect to race (visible minority status) in Canada. Using the 2001 Census data, the article analyses the occurrence of White/non-White unions in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Log-linear models indicate that the relative levels of interracial relationships vary across racial groups, immigration status, and place of residence. First, the highest odds of cohabiting or marrying a White person are found among Blacks. Whereas the high level of racial exogamy of Blacks is observed in all metropolitan areas under study, the relative position of other groups varies. Second, the highest levels of racial exogamy are found among couples composed of an immigrant and a non-immigrant but this effect varies across racial groups. Third, our hypothesis that residents of Montreal (Quebec) will inter-partner less was confirmed only for unions between two native-born Canadians. Finally, we found that French Canadians are not more inclusive of their linguistic counterparts than Anglophones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An organised market for financial securities in Montreal prior to 1874 developed slowly because finance of major infrastructure projects was carried out in London, not Montreal. Growth was not driven by speculation or tempered by successive boom and bust; this makes the Montreal experience practically unique in the history of finance. The Montreal Board of Trade was the focus of commercial activities that eventually evolved through increased specialisation to a stock market. Some businessmen who called themselves brokers traded stocks and bonds for their own account but not on commission since trading volume was too low for any form of auction to take place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1933 Hitler and the Nazi party came to power in Germany. At the same time, in Canada in general and in Montreal in particular, anti-Semitism was becoming more widespread. The Canadian Jewish Congress, as a result of the growing tension in Europe and the increase in anti-Semitism at home, was reborn in 1934 and became the authoritative voice of Canadian Jewry. During World War II the Nazis embarked on a campaign that resulted in the systematic extermination of millions of Jews. This article focuses on the Montreal Jewish community, its leadership, and their response to the fate of European Jewry. The study pays particular attention to the Canadian Jewish Congress which influenced the outlook of the community and its subsequent actions. As the war progressed, loyalty to Canada and support for the war effort became the overriding issues for the community and the leadership and concern for their European brethren faded into the background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To examine possible differences between crack users and crack non-users across Canada. Design Cohort study of illicit opioid and other drug users in five cities across Canada. Setting Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. Participants Regular illicit opioid and other street drug users not in treatment at time of assessment. Measurements Participants ( n = 677) were assessed at baseline (2002) by way of an interviewer-administered questionnaire, a psychiatric diagnostic instrument (Composite International Diagnostic Interview), and salivary antibody tests for infectious disease. Findings Approximately half the sample had used crack in the past 30 days, although prevalence rates differed strongly between study sites. When examined by discriminant analysis, crack users in the study population were more likely to have: no permanent housing, have illegal and sex work income, indicate physical health problems and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies, use walk-in clinics, use heroin and to have been arrested and in detention (in past year). They were less likely to report depressive symptoms, and use Dilaudid (hydromorphone) and alcohol. Conclusion These results illustrate crack users' pronounced social marginalization (as expressed by homelessness and high involvement in illegal activities) as well as extensive health problems compared to non-crack users in the Canadian context. The development of targeted interventions—addressing the dynamics of social marginalization—of this population is urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Victoria Bridge across the St. Lawrence River at Montréal is one of the great engineering achievements of the 19th century. At the time of its construction it was the largest bridge project in the world. It was also the last major project of the last of the “legendary” engineering figures of the “Victorian” era of engineering, Robert Stephenson. There were many doubters as to the ability of the engineers of the day to construct a project of this size given the physical conditions of the site. The story of the construction of the Victoria Bridge is one that combines business imperatives, engineering design skills, and construction ingenuity with the enormous challenges presented by one of the world’s great, fast flowing rivers and with the severity of Canadian winters and the massive “ice shoves” that occur as a result. Following its completion controversy raged as to who deserved the most credit for the conception and design of the bridge. The bridge was constructed between 1854 and 1860 and was formally opened by the Prince of Wales in the summer of 1860. Starting in 1897, the original Tubular Superstructure was replaced by pin-connected through trusses designed to carry two rail tracks with a roadway and sidewalk cantilevered out on each side. The bridge was formally reopened on October 16, 1901 and renamed the “Victoria Jubilee Bridge.” It continues to serve rail and road traffic to the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]