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Background: Improving equity and early access to palliative care for underserved populations in Canada is a priority. Little is known regarding access to palliative and end-of-life care in the Black population. Methods: We undertook a scoping review using the framework by Arksey and O'Malley to identify knowledge, access gaps, and experiences of palliative and end-of-life care among Blacks living with life-limiting illnesses in Canada. Primary studies, discussion papers, books, and reports were considered eligible. We followed a comprehensive search strategy developed by an information scientist. Searches were performed in the following bibliographic databases: Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO via OVID, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, Scopus and Cochrane Library via Wiley. The search strategy was derived from three main concepts: (1) Black people; (2) Canada and Canadian provinces; (3) Palliative, hospice, or end-of-life care. No publication date or language limits were applied. Titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility by one reviewer and full text by two independent reviewers. Results: The search yielded 233 articles. Nineteen articles were selected for full-text review, and 7 articles met the inclusion criteria. These studies were published between 2010 and 2021, and conducted in the provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia only. Studies used both quantitative and qualitative methods and included cancer decedents, next of kin, family caregivers and religious leaders. Sample sizes in various studies ranged from 6 − 2,606 participants. Included studies reported a general lack of understanding about palliative and end-of-life care, positive and negative experiences, and limited access to palliative and end-of-life care for Blacks, across all care settings. Conclusion: Findings suggest limited knowledge of palliative care and inequities in access to palliative and end-of-life care for Blacks living with life-limiting illnesses in 2 Canadian provinces. There is an urgent need for research to inform tailored and culturally acceptable strategies to improve understanding and access to palliative care and end-of-life care among Blacks in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the labour behind local food in the Canadian Atlantic province of Nova Scotia. Based on surveys and interviews with farmers, migrant farmworkers, and farmers' market consumers in the province, we suggest that the celebration of local food by government and industry is a form of "local washing." Local washing hides key aspects of the social relations of production: in this case, it hides insufficient financial and policy supports for Nova Scotian farms and the increased reliance on migrant farmworkers via the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Our research found that a growing reliance on migrant farmworkers was not just the case for larger, industrial farms, but also for smaller farms participating in local and alternative food initiatives, like farmers' markets and fresh produce subscription boxes. Additionally, our surveys show that while farmers' market shoppers expressed an interest in supporting local foods, they reported knowing little about farm workers or working conditions. Our paper contributes to the literature on local and alternative food initiatives by connecting the relations of production to consumption. Rather than focusing solely on the nature of the relationships between farmers and consumers and the values embodied in direct agricultural markets, this research explores the central role of permanently temporary migrant workers in local agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is evidence of the benefits of integrated knowledge translation (IKT), yet there is limited research outlining the purpose of a knowledge broker (KB) within this approach. The Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit (MSSU) acts as a KB to support patient-oriented research across the Maritime provinces in Canada. The "Bridge Process" was developed by the Nova Scotia (NS) site as a strategy that involves work leading up to and following the Bridge Event. The process supports research addressing priority health topics discussed at the event by stakeholder groups. The objectives of this paper were to (1) describe the outputs/outcomes of this IKT approach; and (2) examine the role of the KB. Methods: Quantitative data were collected from registration and evaluation surveys. Outputs are described with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were collected through evaluation surveys and internal documents. Data related to KB tasks were categorized into three domains: (1) Knowledge Manager, (2) Linkage and Exchange Agent, and (3) Capacity Developer. Results: The Bridge Process was implemented four times. A total of 314 participants including government, health, patient/citizen, community, and research personnel attended the events. We identified 24 priority topics, with 7 led by teams receiving support to complete related projects. Participants reported improved understanding of the research gaps and policy needs and engaged with individuals they would not have otherwise. Although patients/citizens attended each Bridge Event, only 61% of participants who completed an evaluation survey indicated that they were 'actively engaged in group discussion.' The KB's role was identified in all three domains including Knowledge Manager (eg, defining questions), Linkage and Exchange Agent (eg, engaging stakeholders), and Capacity Builder (eg, research interpretation). Conclusion: The MSSU facilitated an IKT approach by acting as a KB throughout the Bridge Process. This deliberative and sequential process served as an effective strategy to increase collaborative health research in the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global research on new immigrant destinations prioritizes the study of places experiencing rapid demographic change. Immigration is increasingly promoted, however, as a policy tool to encourage stability in peripheral regions, cities, and communities. This paper introduces the concept of the aspiring gateway to describe locations that attract few immigrants but proactively aspire to become welcoming communities. We make this case through an examination of the geographies of immigrant receptivity in Atlantic Canada. Our findings are based on 22 interviews with participants in the immigration sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (PEI). Highlighting the powerful role of nonstate actors and public discourses, our analysis considers the ambiguities and mixed messages of the place-based immigration policies of this region. We argue that a more pluralistic understanding of immigrant gateways must include peripheral spaces that are relatively isolated from international migration flows. Aspiring gateways require a rethinking of assumptions formed in and about new immigrant destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This paper will explore the social history of the transnational migration of foreign-trained doctors to western countries in the post-WWII era, by examining, as a case study, South Asian-trained doctors who were first licensed in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia between 1961 and 1971.Design. This article draws on both quantitative and qualitative primary sources. First, we analyzed the 1966 and 1971 copies of the Canadian Medical Directories (CMD), the annual compendium of all licensed practitioners in the country (over 20,000 practitioners). These CMD entries were supplemented by the annual returns of ‘intended occupation’ (those designated as ‘physician’ or ‘surgeon’) of landed immigrants to Canada, as compiled by the federal Department of Manpower and Immigration. Secondly, we analyzed testimony of 26 oral histories and narrative accounts of foreign-trained doctors being compiled as part of an ongoing multiyear program of research on the immigration of foreign-trained doctors to Canada. We have interviewed 14 doctors who, at one point in their career, practiced in Nova Scotia, 8 of whom were South Asian-trained medical practitioners. These oral interviews provide personal reflections on the process of professional and social acculturation that occurred as these foreign doctors settled in Canada.Results.The results of this paper indicate that the social history of the immigration of South Asian-trained doctors to Canada in the 1960s must be seen within a larger and more complicated pattern of the international migration of health care professionals. Indeed, the demand for foreign-trained doctors in Britain was in part a reflection of the out-migration of British-born doctors who were leaving the National Health Service for Canada, the USA, and Australia. And the demand in Canada for doctors was itself a reaction to the drift of a certain number of Canadian-trained doctors for advanced training in the USA.Conclusions. In this way, this article sheds important historical perspectives on the globalization of health human resources and the complicated, multiple migrations that continue to animate international health human resources today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have found that public opinion influences policy outcomes. However, the question of whether some groups have more influence than others has received very little attention in empirical work, despite its theoretical significance. This study will represent a first step in addressing this issue. Specifically, it considers three hypotheses: (1) the opinions of highly educated people will have more influence than those of less educated people, (2) The opinions of rural dwellers will have less influence than those of urbanites, and (3) The opinions of visible minority groups will have less influence than those of mainstream (whites). The paper uses a different strategy to the majority of previous studies on the influence of public opinion on policy in which measures of policy are regressed on a measure of public opinion and appropriate control variables. Instead, it employs qualitative document analysis of transcripts of face-to-face consultations as well as written submissions on the issue of bringing to balance the fiscal deficit in Nova Scotia. I find fairly strong support for the hypothesis that the opinions of educated people have more influence, as well as stronger support for the hypothesis that the opinions of urban dwellers will have more influence on the policy than those of the rural dwellers. However, there was no support for the hypothesis that the opinions of visible minority groups will have less influence than those of mainstream (whites). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Nova Scotia experience is used to depict the grassroots perspective of providing compassionate services in an increasingly dispassionate society and to stimulate analysis by front line workers on what is happening to community-based services. Particular attention is paid to the role of small agencies by providing a snapshot of the struggles associated with being small. In the end, the purpose of speaking out is to challenge policy makers to make more informed and benevolent decisions on social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Currently, there is a dearth of baseline data on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) populations in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Historically, LGBTQ health research has tended to focus on individual-level health risks associated with poor health outcomes among these populations, which has served to obscure the ways in which they maintain their own health and wellness across the life course. As such, there is an urgent need to shift the focus of LGBTQ health research towards strengths-based perspectives that explore the complex and resilient ways in which LGBTQ populations promote their health. Methods: This paper discusses the findings of our recent scoping review as well as the qualitative data to emerge from community consultations aimed at developing strengths-based approaches to understanding and advancing LGBTQ pathways to health across Nova Scotia. Results: Our scoping review findings demonstrated the lack of strengths-based research on LGBTQ health in Nova Scotia. Specifically, the studies examined in our scoping review identified a number of health-promoting factors and a wide variety of measurement tools, some of which may prove useful for future strengths-based health research with LGBTQ populations. In addition, our community consultations revealed that many participants had negative experiences with health care systems and services in Nova Scotia. However, participants also shared a number of factors that contribute to LGBTQ health and suggestions for how LGBTQ pathways to health in Nova Scotia can be improved. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to conduct research on the health needs, lived experiences, and outcomes of LGBTQ populations in Nova Scotia to address gaps in our knowledge of their unique health needs. In moving forward, it is important that future health research take an intersectional, strengths-based perspective in an effort to highlight the factors that promote LGBTQ health and wellness across the life course, while taking into account the social determinants of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the possibilities for decolonizing approaches to intercultural learning for international students in Canada. In this article the authors present the findings from a series of photovoice workshops conducted as a part of a larger mixed-methods project that explores how informal and everyday pedagogies shape international students' mobility decisions in the Atlantic Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Participants' collaborative analysis of their own photographs reveal how everyday citizenship learning emerges from international students' affective relationships to place in such a way that obscures how international education is implicated in processes of settler colonialism. However, evidence suggests that participants' sense of belonging is deeply implicated in their connections to place, highlighting potential opportunities for integrating international students in current initiatives to "decolonize" higher education in the Canadian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how antebellum slave narratives by self-liberated individuals in the United States, which were circulated and read in Canada, are contextualized within a wider body of little-known stories about slavery in Canada. Critics have argued that antebellum slave narratives by self-liberated people are part of the Canadian literary canon, but they have not explored the connection between slave narratives and Canadian newspapers, which recirculated narratives about slavery. This article uses Gérard Genette’s concept of the paratext, functioning as the “threshold” to a text, to place a slave narrative back into the threshold of the newspaper that framed it for its religious readers. The self-liberated Wesleyan preacher and abolitionist Thomas H. Jones first arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in May 1851, and in 1853 his narrative was reprinted in Saint John. The article shares the results of research on two religious newspapers in Nova Scotia and three popular Saint John newspapers, 1851–53, arguing that Thomas H. Jones’s The Experience of Thomas Jones, Who Was a Slave for Forty-Three Years was read within a context that gave priority to its evangelical imperatives. Through examining a wider body of newspaper narratives that feature fictional enslaved African American characters and function as moral tales for evangelical readers, this article provides a more contextual reading of Jones’s narrative in Nova Scotia. When we place booklength slave narratives back into a wider body of newspaper narratives, it problematizes an oversimplified view of Canadian antislavery divorced from other imperatives and agendas. Book-length narratives, in their US and Canadian circulation context, should be read alongside lesser-known newspaper narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents 27 new records of Curculionoidea for the province of New Brunswick, Canada, including three species new to Canada, and 12 adventive species, as follows: Eusphryrus walshii LeConte, Choragus harrisii LeConte (newly recorded for Canada), Choragus zimmermanni LeConte (newly recorded for Canada) (Anthribidae); Cimberis pallipennis (Blatchley) (Nemonychidae); Nanophyes m. marmoratus (Goeze) (Brentidae); Procas lecontei Bedel (Brachyceridae); Anthonomus pusillus LeConte (newly recorded for Canada), Anthonomus (Cnemocyllus) pictus Blatchley, Archarius salicivorus (Paykull), Dorytomus hirtus LeConte, Ellescus bipunctatus (Linnaeus), Mecinus janthinus (Germar), Myrmex chevrolatii (Horn), Madarellus undulatus (Say), Microplontus campestris (Gyllenhal), Pelenomus waltoni (Boheman), Rhinoncus bruchoides (Herbst), Rhinoncus perpendicularis (Reich), Cossonus impressifrons Boheman, Cossonus pacificus Van Dyke, Rhyncolus knowltoni (Thatcher), Eubulus bisignatus (Say), Polydrusus cervinus (Linnaeus), Magdalis piceae Buchanan, Procryphalus mucronatus (LeConte), Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff), and Xyleborinus attenuatus (Blandford). Recent name changes in the genus Rhinoncus are applied to species known from New Brunswick. In addition, Orchestes alni (Linnaeus) is newly recorded from Nova Scotia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper treats 134 new records of Coleoptera for the province of New Brunswick, Canada from the following 41 families: Gyrinidae, Carabidae, Dytiscidae, Histeridae, Leiodidae, Scarabaeidae, Scirtidae, Buprestidae, Elmidae, Limnichidae, Heteroceridae, Ptilodactylidae, Eucnemidae, Throscidae, Elateridae, Lampyridae, Cantharidae, Dermestidae, Bostrichidae, Ptinidae, Cleridae, Melyridae, Monotomidae, Cryptophagidae, Silvanidae, Laemophloeidae, Nitidulidae, Endomychidae, Coccinellidae, Corylophidae, Latridiidae, Tetratomidae, Melandryidae, Mordellidae, Tenebrionidae, Mycteridae, Pyrochroidae, Aderidae, Scraptiidae, Megalopodidae, and Chrysomelidae. Among these, the following four species are newly recorded from Canada: Dirrhagofarsus ernae Otto, Muona & McClarin (Eucnemidae), Athous equestris (LeConte) (Elateridae), Ernobius opicus Fall (Ptinidae), and Stelidota coenosa Erichson (Nitidulidae). The Family Limnichidae is newly reported for New Brunswick, and one species is added to the fauna of Nova Scotia. Stephostethus productus Rosenhauer (Latridiidae), Tetratoma (Abstrulia) variegata Casey (Tetratomidae), and Chauliognathus marginatus (Fabricius) (Cantharidae) are removed from the faunal list of New Brunswick, and additional records of Lacconotus punctatus LeConte (Mycteridae) are presented and discussed. Lindgren funnel traps provided specimens for 104 (78%) of the species and were the sole source of specimens for 89 (66%) of the species reported here, suggesting they are a very useful tool for sampling Coleoptera fauna in the forests of New Brunswick. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting local food consumption for economic growth is a priority; however, defining "local" remains challenging. In Nova Scotia, Canada, this pioneering research establishes a comprehensive framework for assessing local food consumption. Employing three data collection methods, our study reveals that, on average, Nova Scotians allocate 31.2% of their food expenditures to locally sourced products, excluding restaurant and take-out spending, as per the provincial guidelines. The participants estimated that, in the previous year, 37.6% of their spending was on local food; this figure was derived from the most effective method among the three. However, the figure was potentially influenced by participant perspective and was prone to overestimation. To enhance accuracy, we propose methodological enhancements. Despite the limitations, the 31.2% baseline offers a substantial foundation for understanding local food patterns in Nova Scotia. It serves as a replicable benchmark for future investigations and guides researchers with similar objectives, thereby establishing a robust research platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the degree to which 'active living' varies along the rural-urban continuum, within the county-sized regional municipality of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Time-diary data from the Halifax Space-Time Activity Research project were used to compute daily participation rates (PRs) and time durations, at various physical effort levels, in the 4 activity domains of leisure, active transportation (AT), chores, and occupation. Geographic zones were based on the rural-urban fringe concept: the 4 zones are the Inner City (IC), Suburbs, Inner Commuter Belt (ICB), and Outer Commuter Belt (OCB). The Compendium of Physical Activities was employed to classify activity episodes into 5 effort levels. Light through maximum effort levels indicate 'healthy' activities, while moderate through maximum levels indicate 'aerobic' activities. Two threshold levels of 'active living' were defined and calculated. Mann-Whitney tests show that significant interzonal differences in activity-level durations exist for all domains. The IC contrasts strongly with the suburbs (more AT and active leisure, but less occupational activity), and the suburbs with the ICB, but there are fewer significant differences between the ICB and OCB. The percentage of respondents meeting 'maintenance' and 'enhanced' thresholds of active living is significantly higher in the OCB, and there is also significant urban-rural variation by sociodemographic characteristics. Position along the rural-urban continuum is significantly related to PRs and mean durations for levels of physical activity, and to the proportion of respondents meeting threshold levels of active living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboniferous rocks in the Joggins area, Nova Scotia, and the Maringouin Peninsula, New Brunswick, are world renowned for their well-preserved macroflora, but this paper is the first detailed study of the palynoflora. The section is comprised of the Mississippian Windsor and Mabou groups overlain disconformably by the Lower Pennsylvanian Cumberland Group. The Windsor Group rocks proved to be barren of palynomorphs but the Mabou Group yielded spores and pollen of Brigantian (late Visean) to Arnsbergian age (early Namurian = early Serpukhovian). The assemblages are assigned successively to the Schopfipollenites acadiensis-Knoxisporites triradiatus, the Grandispora spinosa-Ibrahimispores magnificus, and the Reticulatisporites carnosus Zones. A major palynofloral change takes place between the Mississippian Mabou and the Pennsylvanian Cumberland assemblages. This is believed to reflect a significant regional hiatus in the Joggins section and elsewhere in eastern Canada. The Cumberland Group is characterized by an abundance of Lycospora spp. and monosaccate gymnosperm species of Yeadonian? (Late Namurian = middle Bashkirian?) to late Duckmantian (late Bashkirian?) age. The palynological succession is divided into the Raistrickia saetosa, the Raistrickia fulva, and the Vestispora magna zones. Age determinations of the zones, based on comparisons with Western Europe and the North Sea, are tentative because the Cumberland assemblages lack diversity and many taxa diagnostic in Western Europe are absent in the assemblages of the Joggins area, possibly due to environmental and climatic differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to understand how Canadian farmwomen conceptualise food safety within the context of their daily food provisioning activities. We conducted a conventional qualitative content analysis of interview transcripts from a study that explored the food provisioning practices of farmwomen in Alberta (n = 6), Ontario (n = 6), and Nova Scotia (n = 10). Farmwomen provided a conceptualisation of food safety that appears to stem from their dual role as food producer and gatekeeper of the family meal. As food producers, they have an intimate knowledge of primary food production practices; as gatekeeper of the family meal, they draw on this knowledge to provide safe food for their families, either by growing or raising it themselves, obtaining it from local, trusted producers, or purchasing food that has been subject to Canada's food safety regulatory system, which safeguards the food produced in Canada. By knowing what has gone into their food, farmwomen feel that they are able to provide healthy, quality food for their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Canada's population is aging and there are concerns that the welfare system may not support the increased demands on it. Integrated health and social care (IHSC) produces positive health and system outcomes but it needs to be better understood within a Canadian context. The purpose of this collective case study of three IHSC initiatives in Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia was to determine the factors that support successful services integration among different healthcare and social services organizations serving older adults within a Canadian context. Design/methodology/approach: This study used the Cheng and Catallo (2020) IHSC conceptual framework (CF) to guide the research. Primary data were based on key informant interviews of representatives from organizations that comprised each case and focus groups. A cross-case analysis was undertaken to determine common themes. Findings: The cross-case analysis revealed that the three cases shared common integration and external influence factors based on the Cheng and Catallo (2020) CF. Some new factors were identified. Originality/value: The study revealed that the Canadian context was important in influencing integration in the three cases and that there is a unique Canadian aspect to IHSC. The study offers up practical insights for government leaders and service administrators to improve IHSC for older adults. The study also identifies how the Cheng and Catallo (2020) IHSC CF can be enhanced and points to research opportunities to test the framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first case of field-evolved resistance in European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to transgenic corn (Zea mays L.) producing a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner toxin was discovered in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2018. This case involved resistance to Bt corn producing Cry1Fa toxin. As a mitigation response, Bt corn hybrids producing only Cry1Fa were replaced in that region with hybrids producing two or three Bt toxins targeting O. nubilalis. In this study, we collected O. nubilalis in several corn-growing regions of Canada during 2018 to 2020 and tested their progeny for susceptibility to four Bt toxins produced by currently available Bt corn that targets O. nubilalis : Cry1Fa, Cry1Ab, Cry1A.105, and Cry2Ab. Based on toxin concentrations killing 50% of larvae from 23 field-derived strains relative to two susceptible laboratory strains, the resistance ratio was at least 10 for Cry1Fa for 12 strains (52% of strains) consisting of 10 strains from Nova Scotia, as well as strains from near Montreal, Quebec and Roseisle, Manitoba. We found low but statistically significant resistance relative to at least one of two susceptible strains for Cry1Ab (23% of strains), Cry1A.105 (45% of strains), and Cry2Ab (14% of strains), with maximum resistance ratios of 3.9, 5.8, and 2.0, respectively. These results provide key information for addressing O. nubilalis resistance to Bt corn in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Newest Vital Sign© (NVS) was developed in the USA to measure patient health literacy in clinical settings. We adapted the NVS for use in Canada, in English and French, and created a computerized version. Our objective was to evaluate the reliability of the Canadian NVS as a self-administered computerized tool.Design: We used a randomized crossover design with a washout period of 3-4 weeks to compare health literacy scores obtained using the computerized version with scores obtained using the standard interviewer-administered NVS. ANOVA models and McNemar's tests assessed differences in outcomes assessed with each version of the NVS and order effects of the testing.Setting: Participants were recruited from multicultural catchment areas in Ontario and Nova Scotia.Subjects: English- and French-speaking adults aged 18 years or older.Results: A total of 180 (81 %) of the 222 adults (112 English/110 French) initially recruited completed both the interviewer-NVS and computer-NVS. Scores for those who completed both assessments ranged from 0 to 6 with a mean of 3·63 (sd 2·11) for the computerized NVS and 3·41 (sd 2·21) for the interview-administered NVS. Few (n 18; seven English, eleven French) participants' health literacy assessments differed between the two versions.Conclusions: Overall, the computerized Canadian NVS performed as well as the interviewer-administered version for assessing health literacy levels of English- and French-speaking participants. This Canadian adaptation of the NVS provides Canadian researchers and public health practitioners with an easily administered health literacy assessment tool that can be used to address the needs of Canadians across health literacy levels and ultimately improve health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer patients experience financial hardship due to rising expenses related to cancer treatment and declining income levels associated with reduced employability. Employment Insurance Sick Benefits (EI-SB) is a social income support program which provides temporary income replacement to Canadians when they fall ill. Although EI-SB is designed to maintain continuity of income during an illness, little is known about the perspectives of cancer patients who receive EI-SB. This knowledge can inform the development of public policies which are responsive to the needs and priorities of cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a theory-informed thematic analysis of data collected from twenty semi-structured interviews with participants who were receiving care in a cancer centre in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and had received EI-SB. A coding framework was developed using Taplin and colleagues' intermediate outcomes of patient care across the cancer care continuum. Interpretation of findings was guided by the synergies of oppression theoretical lens. Results: Three overarching themes describe the experiences of cancer patients receiving social income support: Economic exclusion, in which the structure of the labour market and social welfare system determine access to workplace benefits and continuity of reasonable income; financial toxicity, a vicious cycle of financial burden and increasing financial distress; and constrained choices, where cancer influences employability and lowered income influences the need to be employed. Conclusion: Cancer patients need income support programs that are tailored to match their healthcare priorities. In addition, policies which strengthen working conditions and facilitate a reintegration to work when possible will be important in addressing the structural drivers of income insecurity experienced by cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the legalization and marketing of recreational cannabis in Canada, specifically the province of Nova Scotia, that has extended state monopoly over sales. Beginning with Howard Becker's classic analysis of "becoming a marijuana user," this ethnographic investigation of the first day of state cannabis sales utilizes and extends Bourdieusian analyses, particularly by showing how "symbolic violence" and "taste distinctions" work beyond overt class reproduction to establish state classifications and rituals. The practices we observe show state formation in action at the point of sale, including education, warning, prohibition, and promotion. As we demonstrate, the state marketing of cannabis works to invite emotional identification toward becoming the state consumer as an embodied habitus. The citizen is not just redeemed morally by the legal recategorization of cannabis but brought into a new subject position as good consumer citizen at the moment of ritual consumption, that is, brought into a "tasteful state." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Acute care regionalization has been pursued in health systems throughout the industrial world as a means of achieving better patient outcomes for specialized services. The evidence in support of this policy direction is compelling, but is primarily based on highly specialized care, such as coronary and cancer treatments. There exists another, largely unintended, form of regionalization that involves the flow of patients from smaller urban and rural settings to major urban centres to obtain routine procedures. Using data from the Nova Scotia Discharge Abstract Database, this paper presents an analysis of cross-district utilization of secondary level acute care. In particular, we examine spatial, demographic and individual healthcare seeking characteristics of those residents who obtained relatively routine hospital care in a different district in 2000/2001, even though an equivalent level of service was available within their home district. Implications of cross-district utilization for the viability of medical service provision in smaller centres in the province and elsewhere are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The northwest Atlantic subspecies of gray seal (Halicheorus grypus grypus) has been increasing for more than a half century and has reestablished breeding colonies in Canadian and US waters. In 2016, visual, oblique, and vertical large‐format digital photographic surveys were conducted at all known breeding colonies in the northwest Atlantic. Total pup production in the northwest Atlantic was estimated to be 109,000 (SE = 17,500) pups. At 87,500 (SE = 15,100) pups, Sable Island accounts for 80% of total pup production. Regional differences in pup production trends are evident. Pup production in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia has been relatively stable. Since 2004, the rate of increase in pup production at Sable Island has slowed to about 5%–7% per year, while the newer colonies in southwest Nova Scotia and the northeastern United States are increasing rapidly. In 2016, the Muskeget Island (MA) breeding colony produced 3,900 (SE = 200) pups, making it the third largest breeding colony in the northwest Atlantic. This southward shift in production may reflect climate‐mediated changes in population growth as well as reestablishment of colonies throughout the former range associated with increased protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the growing climate emergency and the negative social and environmental impacts of the industrial food system, significant attention is focused on the question of how we will feed ourselves sustainably. Small-scale fisheries are receiving more attention and communities are increasingly resisting a resourcist perspective that treats fish as a commodity by engaging in efforts to (re)envision fisheries as part of food systems. This paper presents four case studies from freshwater and marine fisheries across Canada to demonstrate ways of using food systems as an organizing concept to protect small-scale fisheries, build sustainable communities, and influence fisheries governance and policy. Insights are shared from the lobster fishery in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia; fish and country foods harvesting in Kakisa, Northwest Territories; traditional fisheries of Batchewana First Nation on Lake Superior, Ontario; and the national sustainable seafood partnership program, SeaChoice. We conclude by providing our collective ideas for how governance and policy may better support sustainability at the nexus of fisheries and food systems, emphasizing a need for structures and policies that are better adapted to the contexts of small-scale fisheries and that empower community participation in decision-making. • The food system is an integrative lens for analyzing small-scale fisheries. • Policy needs to support sustainability at the nexus of fisheries and food systems. • Communities are mobilizing to influence governance of food and fishing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: This paper reports on physical activity of students in grades 3, 7, and 11 from two surveillance studies (from 2001 and 2005). Methods: Randomly selected students (Study1 n =1730; Study2 n = 2341) from randomly selected schools in Nova Scotia participated. Physical activity was measured for seven consecutive days using Actigraph accelerometers. Descriptive statistics were calculated for moderate, hard, and very hard intensity, and total minutes of physical activity. Between study, grade, and sex differences were determined using univariate Analyses of Variance. Results: Students in Study2 were significantly less active (mean [SD]=531.0 [392.3] min/week) than Study1 (662.2 [495.1] min/week). Girls were significantly less active (525.4 [419.1] min/week) than boys (657.1 [460.3] min/week). Students in grade 11 were significantly less active (225.2 [171.1] min/week) than students in grade 7 (457.5 [227.2] min/week) who were significantly less active than students in grade 3 (1038.4 [387.6] min/week). A significant study–grade interaction indicated that compared to students in grades 7 and 11, the level of physical activity in students in grade 3 was considerably lower in Study2 compared to Study1. Conclusions: Given the lower level of physical activity found in Study2, efforts at informing public policy and strategies that promote physical activity in children and youth should be made. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To examine the relationship between household food insecurity (FI) and children's involvement in family meal choices and food preparation, used as proxies for children's food skills, and to explore gender differences within these associations.Design: Households were classified as food-secure or food-insecure using the six-item, short-form Household Food Security Survey Module. Children's involvement in family meal choices and food preparation were treated as proxies for children's food skills. Mixed-effects multinomial logistic regression models were used.Setting: Public schools in Nova Scotia, Canada.Participants: 5244 children in the fifth grade (10-11 years old) participating in the Children's Lifestyle and School Performance Study (CLASS).Results: Most children reported being involved in family meal choices or food preparation at least weekly (74 and 68 %). The likelihood of helping choose family meals once a week was 33 % lower among girls from food-insecure households compared to girls from food-secure households. No differences in boys' involvement in family meal choices were observed according to household FI status. Boys from food-insecure households were 65 % more likely than boys from food-secure households to assist with food preparation/cooking four times per week. No differences in girls' involvement in food preparation were observed according to household FI status.Conclusions: Findings support that household FI is not due to a lack of food skills but most likely due to inadequate access to resources. This supports the call for upstream policies targeting the structural issues underpinning household FI such as low income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the success of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) in the United States (US), Canada created the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). Both NPRI and TRI focus on public opinion to coerce facilities to reduce quantities of emissions, through market pressure, although early reductions in Canada may be attributed to traditional command-and-control mechanisms. NPRI uses a quantity-based approach to report atmospheric and effluent releases of pollutants to air and water, but does not account for relative toxicity of releases, which could lead to harmful chemicals being overlooked. A toxicity-based approach using characterization factors from the USEtox® environmental impact assessment tool was used for this study. Releases of organic and inorganic pollutants to both air and water in Nova Scotia for 2015 were analyzed. Using an ecotoxicity analysis found that the highest priority chemicals identified using the NPRI's quantity-based approach differed markedly from those identified using the toxicity-based approach. Many of the high-priority chemicals identified using toxicity-based analysis are detrimental to ecosystem health and warrant regulatory attention. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada recently suggested that the Canadian federal government needs to improve control risks of toxic substances. Using a toxicity-based approach may help decision makers in the Canadian federal government effectively control risks of toxic substances and help to inform decision makers, regulators, and Canadians about those risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With over three decades of attention drawn to the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada and around the world, an outpouring of health research has been undertaken. Much of this research, however, has emphasized the experience of disparity at the expense of recognizing strengths. In this case study, we challenge the damage-centred rhetoric of mainstream health research by reporting the findings of 20 qualitative interviews on community strength and health with members of Pictou Landing First Nation, a Mi'kmaw nation located in Nova Scotia, Canada. We then relate and compare these findings with the emerging conceptualization of Indigenous social capital, which is a concept that has been associated with positive health outcomes in a variety of contexts. Our findings indicate that Pictou Landing First Nation is strengthened by qualities of familiarity, reciprocity, safety, and solidarity, which are rooted in the value of family and embedded within a broader Mi'kmaw worldview. These strengths align, in part, with the concept of Indigenous social capital, which we suggest may be better harnessed to be a means for conducting strengths-based health research. To this end, our findings support the need for reworking social capital conceptualizations to more strongly centralize cultural identities and worldviews in order to authentically and comprehensively affirm Indigenous and decolonizing health research practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, the Nova Scotia wine industry has rapidly grown from 1 winery to 20 wineries. Recent market research suggests that most Nova Scotia wine consumers are not wine experts but identify Nova Scotia as a producer of quality wines. The objective of this study was to identify the attributes that drive Nova Scotia consumers' liking of wine. A literature review and a focus group of wine enthusiasts (n = 15) was conducted. Five attributes were identified, including wine style, production method, region of origin, price (in Canadian dollars) and flavour. These attributes were used to create a choice-based conjoint analysis survey. The survey was administered to 374 individuals (40.5 ± 11.6) who reside in Nova Scotia, Canada. The results indicated that price and region of origin are most important to Nova Scotian wine consumers. The flavour descriptions did not have a drastic impact on consumer preference. Three consumer clusters were identified, and they were all associated with locally produced wine and lower prices. However, cluster 3, consisted of younger consumers who preferred white wine and consume a variety of different alcoholic beverages. Overall, Nova Scotian wine consumers place a great importance on wine that is produced locally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The postpartum period is an exciting yet stressful time for first-time mothers, and although the experience may vary, all mothers need support during this crucial period. In Canada, there has been a shift for universal postpartum services to be offered predominantly online. However, due to a paucity of literature, it is difficult to determine the degree to which mothers' needs are being effectively addressed. The aim of this study was to examine and understand how first-time mothers accessed support and information (online and offline) during the first 6 months of their postpartum period. Using feminist poststructuralism methodology, data were collected from focus groups and e-interviews, and analyzed using discourse analysis. Findings indicate that peer support is greatly valued, and mothers often use social media to make in-person social connections. Findings highlight how accessing support and information is socially and institutionally constructed and provide direction for health professionals to provide accessible postpartum care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To examine how first-time mothers in Nova Scotia identified and prioritised their own postpartum needs and where they went for information and support, inclusive of informal or formal programmes and services, social media, family and friends. Background: The early postpartum period is an exciting, yet stressful life experience for first-time mothers. Mothers have often turned to families, friends and healthcare professionals for support and information; however, these social networks look differently today due to changes in institutional policies and postpartum healthcare practices, as well as the emergence of online resources and networks. There is currently limited understanding of how online resources have shifted mothers social networking practices and the degree to which programmes and resources are currently meeting the needs of mothers and families. Methods: Data were collected through focus group interviews in rural and urban Nova Scotia communities (n = 19) and online electronic interviews (n = 18). Data were analysed using feminist poststructuralism and discourse analysis to understand issues of inclusion and health equity for mothers and how relations of power were negotiated by first-time mothers in their search for support and information. Results: Most participants were savvy as they critiqued, compared, navigated and negotiated advice and information from various sources, including health professionals, family, friends and online forums. However, they unanimously wanted face-to-face support with other mothers and healthcare professionals. Participants enacted their agency to critically analyse information and support to ensure it matched their own beliefs, values and practices. Conclusions: It is important to understand first-time mothers’ practices and need for face-to-face support, as well as a need for further research with more diverse or marginalised demographics of mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the course of the eighteenth and early-to-mid-nineteenth centuries the Irish, who moved throughout the British Empire, helped to build the social, political and economic structures that would enable the success of countless colonial settlements. They were merchants, traders, fishers and labourers, and a significant proportion of them were Catholic. While many would go on to play pivotal roles in the development of Catholicism in the colonies, the Irish were not alone and often joined or were joined by other Catholic groups such as the French, Spanish and Scottish Highlanders. That the Irish achieved greater political and economic success, though, had a knock-on effect for the other Catholic groups could then use the foundation that the Irish established for their own progress and development. This article considers the place of Catholics on Britain’s expanding colonial landscapes by examining the political awakening of Irish Catholics in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, two of Britain’s north Atlantic colonies, between 1780 and 1830. These two colonies, like many others, witnessed the growth of an Irish Catholic laity that was ambitious, pragmatic and adept at using the political structures available to reframe their legal status. The election of Laurence Kavanagh, a second-generation Irish Catholic merchant from a tiny fishing outpost on Cape Breton Island, to Nova Scotia’s legislative assembly in 1820, is offered as an example of how this process actually worked on the ground and opens up a broader discussion about the importance of minority populations like Catholics to Britain’s imperial programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on current knowledge of the ecology and distribution of Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina), both in eastern Canada and elsewhere, we conclude this species is native to Cape Breton Island. Seventy-two reports of Snapping Turtle from Cape Breton (1999-2017) indicate a range centred in the area south of Bras d'Or Lake. Date of oviposition ranged from 19 June to 10 July (median = 26 June) among 26 nests observed during 2012-2014. Clutch size for these nests was 23-65 eggs (mean = 46) and among 25 protected nests average rate of hatchling emergence was 21.5%. Time from oviposition to emergence of hatchlings (n = 256) was 75-120 days (mean = 87.2; SD = 9.0) among 20 nests. First emergence ranged from 9 September to 20 October (75-114 nest days; mean = 90) and last emergence ranged ftom 13 September to 28 October (86-120 nest days; mean = 100). Duration of emergence ranged from one day (i.e., synchronous emergence; five nests) to 37 days (mean = 11 days). The number of days on which hatchlings emerged at a nest ranged from one to nine days (mean = 4 days). Maximum carapace length was 25.0-31.8 mm (mean = 29.0 mm) and maximum carapace width was 23.5-30.0 mm (mean = 27.0 mm) for 256 hatchlings that emerged from 20 protected nests. Mass of hatchlings was 4.9-9.9 g (mean = 7.8 g). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult and larval stoneflies were surveyed from 12 headwater streams in the boreal highland area of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, between May 2005 and November 2006, to determine diversity and life history patterns. Approximately 3,400 stonefly specimens were collected, with eight of the nine Nearctic families represented. Thirty-one taxa were identified from the study streams, with five taxa reported in Nova Scotia for the first time: Leuctra truncata Claassen, 1923, Amphinemura palmeni (Koponen, 1917), Isoperla dicala Frison, 1942, Cultus spp., and Malirekus iroquois Stark & Szczytko, 1988. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) drug dispensing patterns to Nova Scotia Seniors' Pharmacare program (NSSPP) beneficiaries over a 14-year period in response to: 1) rosuvastatin market entry in 2003, 2) JUPITER trial publication in 2008, and 3) generic atorvastatin availability in 2010. Methods: All NSSPP beneficiaries who redeemed at least one prescription for a statin from April 1, 1999 to March 31, 2013 were included. Aggregated, anonymous monthly prescription counts were extracted by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness (Nova Scotia, Canada) and changes in dispensing patterns of statins were measured. Data were analyzed using descriptive analyses and interrupted time series methods. Results: The percentage of NSSPP beneficiaries dispensed any statin increased from 5.3% in April 1999 to 20.7% in March 2013. In 1999, most NSSPP beneficiaries were dispensed either simvastatin (29.5%) or atorvastatin (28.7%). When rosuvastatin was added to the NSSPP Formulary in August 2003, prescriptions dispensed for simvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, and fluvastatin declined significantly (slope change, -0.0027; 95% confidence interval (CI), (-0.0046, -0.0009)). This significant decline continued following the publication of JUPITER (level change, -0.1974; 95% CI, (-0.2991, -0.0957)) and the availability of generic atorvastatin (level change, -0.2436; 95% CI, (-0.3314, -0.1558)). Atorvastatin was not significantly affected by any of the three interventions, although it maintained an overall decreasing trend. Only upon the availability of generic atorvastatin did the upward trend in rosuvastatin use decrease significantly (slope change, -0.0010, 95% CI, (-0.0015, -0.0005)). Conclusions: The type and rate of statins dispensed to NSSPP beneficiaries changed from 1999 to 2013 in response to the availability of new agents and publication of the JUPITER trial. The overall proportion of NSSPP beneficiaries dispensed a statin increased approximately 4-fold during the study period. In 2013, rosuvastatin was the most commonly dispensed statin (44.1%) followed by atorvastatin (39.1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Bay of Fundy, Atlantic sturgeon from endangered and threatened populations in the USA and Canada migrate through Minas Passage to enter and leave Minas Basin. A total of 132 sub-adult and adult Atlantic sturgeon were tagged in Minas Basin during the summers of 2010–2014 using pressure measuring, uniquely coded, acoustic transmitters with a four or eight year life span. The aim of this study was to examine spatial and seasonal distribution of sturgeon in Minas Passage during 2010–2014 and test the hypothesis that, when present, Atlantic sturgeon were evenly distributed from north to south across Minas Passage. This information is important as tidal energy extraction using in-stream, hydrokinetic turbines is planned for only the northern portion of Minas Passage. Electronic tracking data from a total of 740 sturgeon days over four years demonstrated that Atlantic sturgeon used the southern portion of Minas Passage significantly more than the northern portion. Sturgeon moved through Minas Passage at depths mostly between 15 and 45 m (n = 10,116; mean = 31.47 m; SD = 14.88). Sturgeon mean swimming depth was not significantly related to bottom depth and in deeper regions they swam pelagically. Sturgeon predominately migrated inward through Minas Passage during spring, and outward during late summer-autumn. Sturgeon were not observed in Minas Passage during winter 2012–2013 when monitoring receivers were present. This information will enable the estimation of encounters of Atlantic sturgeon with in-stream hydrokinetic turbines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For social movements, the mass media are a key means of reaching potential supporters, engaging public and political debate and reshaping cultural interpretations of relationships with the non-human environment. We examine how outdoor sport becomes the object of environmental movement mobilization and media claims-making in conflict over the Jumbo Pass ski resort, British Columbia, and Off-Highway Vehicle use in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, Nova Scotia. We use provincial and national news coverage and interviews with key movement actors to examine how activists interpret the success or failure of their media work. We find that environmentalists are generally successful at translating claims on behalf of nature to a general audience through newspaper coverage. Using an activist-centred approach to media and social movements, interviews with core activists provide insight into barriers that persist and characterize environmental movement relationships with the media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grynocharis quadrilineata (Melsheimer) and Tenebroides corticalis (Melsheimer) of the family Trogossitidae are newly recorded for New Brunswick, Canada. Additional records of the recently reported Calitys scabra (Thunberg) and Ostoma fraterna (Randall) are presented for the province. The record of O. fraterna is the first recent record of this species from New Brunswick. Additional New Brunswick records of the thaneroclerine, Zenodosus sanguineus (Say), are given, indicting that this species is common and widespread in the province. One species of Cleridae, Cymatodera bicolor (Say), is newly reported from New Brunswick, and the adventive Thanasimus formicarius Linnaeus is newly recorded from Nova Scotia and the Maritime provinces. Attalus morulus (LeConte) and Dolichosoma foveicolle (Kirby), family Melyridae, are reported for the first time for New Brunswick and the Maritime provinces. Collection, habitat data, and distribution maps are presented for these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed-methods study explored the racism-related experiences of 50 mid-life African-heritage women living in Nova Scotia, Canada, along with their use of spirituality as a coping strategy for dealing with racism-related stress. Four standardised instruments, along with qualitative in-depth interviews, were used to examine women's experiences of racism, depression, stress, and spirituality. Spirituality provided a key coping mechanism for racism-related stress, providing church community, spiritual community, faith, guidance, a personal relationship with God, and a source of meaning-making. For some women, spiritual belief provided a means of cognitive reinterpretation, allowing them to make sense of racism and other life challenges, recasting these as tests and trials which they were capable of surmounting with God's blessing and protection. Implications for mental health practitioners include working with spiritual and religious venues to help lessen stigma against mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2011, an amelanistic Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, was discovered in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is the second amelanistic Eastern Red-backed Salamander that has been documented from the Halifax area. Albino and leucistic individuals have also been identified from Nova Scotia. These aberrant conditions, including the two amelanistic individals, were discovered in isolated, fragmented, and disturbed habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although numerous writers have identified a different set of skills needed for employment in New Times, little analytic attention has been paid to how educational assessment policies contribute to envisioning such future citizens. This case study illustrates how Nova Scotia classroom assessment policy for Grades 7-9 English classes envisions young people as new workers who use new literacies in an knowledge economy for future employment in the province and elsewhere. The case study concludes that assessment policies must acknowledge their connections with ideal subject positions and the promotions of particular forms of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coastal Zone Canada Association (CZCA) was formed in 1993 to promote integrated coastal and ocean management (ICOM) in Canada and the world. The first Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) conference was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1994, and ever since the CZCA has carried the torch for ICOM in Canada through a series of biennial CZC conferences. Since the inaugural Halifax meeting, further CZC conferences have been held in 1996 in Rimouski, PQ, 1998 in Victoria BC, 2000 in Saint John NB, 2002 in Hamilton ON, 2004 in St. John's NL, 2006 in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, 2008 in Vancouver, BC, and 2010 in Charlottetown, PEI. This article reflects on the contributions of the CZCA to ICOM. Each of the conference statements, declarations, calls for action, publications, and toolkits have helped advance the discussion about ICOM in Canada, in particular the importance of community engagement and education as fundamental to ensuring the success of ICOM policies and processes. Through its publications, networking, and the influence of its members, the CZCA has played its part in raising the profile of ICOM in Canada and internationally, and influencing the legislative and public policy agenda in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old-growth forests have declined significantly across the world. Decisions related to old growth are often mired in challenges of value diversity, conflict, data gaps, and resource pressures. This article describes old-growth values of citizens and groups in Nova Scotia, Canada, for integration in sustainable forest management (SFM) decision-making. The study is based on data from 76 research subjects who participated in nine field trips to forest stands. Research subjects were drawn from Aboriginal groups, environmental organizations, forestry professionals, and rural and urban publics. Diaries, group discussions, and rating sheets were used to elicit information during the field trips. Findings show that different elicitation techniques can influence the articulation of intensity with which some values are held. In addition, certain values are more often associated with old-growth than with other forest-age classes. Some values associated with old-growth are considered more important than others, and some silvicultural treatments are perceived to compromise old-growth values more than others. Demographic characteristics, such as constituency group, gender, and age, are shown to influence value priorities. Ideas on how to incorporate old-growth values into SFM decision-making are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radiocarbon 14 C chronology determined for plant macrofossils in exposed salt-marsh sediments at Amherst Point, Nova Scotia, Canada, shows that the edge of the high salt marsh aggraded 7.5 m since 900 bc, equivalent to a mean rate of 25.9 cm 100 yr -1 . Four phases of rapid aggradation (900–600 bc, 100 bc– ad 200, ad 700–1100, and ad 1600 to present) were interspersed with three phases of slower aggradation (600– 100 bc, ad 200–700, and (tentatively) ad 1100–1600). The stepped pattern of marsh aggradation probably resulted from eustatic sea-level fluctuations superimposed on background signals of crustal subsidence and tidal-range expansion. Because the rate of high salt-marsh aggradation lagged or exceeded the rate of higher high water (HHW) increase at various times, the high salt-marsh aggradation trend only approximates the trend of HHW increase. The eustatic sea-level fluctuations are estimated to have a range of at least 0.8 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]