Shaping “Digital Futures” in Alberta: Community Engagement for Rural Broadband Development

Background Despite rich literature on rural and remote broadband and community networking initiatives in Canada, limited research is available on the sequencing, mechanisms, and processes of community engagement for this purpose.Analysis The authors use a case study of the Digital Futures initiative in Alberta, Canada—a biannual symposium that engages a range of public, private, and community stakeholders to discuss rural broadband—to illustrate the iterative formation and application of such mechanisms.Conclusion and implications The authors demonstrate how an engaged approach to communications research situated in the unique context of the involved community of practice—in this case, stakeholders involved in addressing broadband deployment and sustainability in Alberta—can help generate a cycle of research and praxis that reflects the normative goals of the scholarship of engagement.Contexte On possède une littérature riche sur les initiatives canadiennes de réseautage communautaire et à large bande dans les régions rurales et reculées. En revanche, la recherche sur le séquencement, les mécanismes et les processus d’engagement communautaire demeure limitée.Analyse Digital Futures en Alberta est un symposium biannuel rassemblant un éventail de parties prenantes des secteurs publics, privés et communautaires pour discuter de la transmission rurale à large bande. Les auteurs ont recours à une étude de cas sur ce symposium afin d’illustrer la formation et l’application itératives de tels engagements communautaires.Conclusion et implications Les auteurs démontrent comment une approche engagée envers une recherche en communication se situant dans le contexte unique d’une communauté de praticiens—dans ce cas, des parties prenantes impliquées dans le déploiement et le maintien de transmissions à large bande en Alberta—peut aider à réaliser un cycle de recherche et de pratique reflétant les objectifs normatifs d’un savoir engagé.

Mechanical analysis and interpretation of excavation damage zone formation around deep tunnels within massive rock masses using hybrid finite–discrete element approach: case of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) Underground Research Laboratory (URL) test tunnel

The construction of an underground opening leads to changes in the in situ stress regime surrounding the excavation. The opening influences the rock mass owing to the redistribution of the stresses and results in the disturbance of the surrounding ground. At great depths, massive to slightly or moderately fractured rock masses are usually encountered, and under high stresses, they are more likely to behave in a brittle manner during an excavation. While constitutive models have been developed and proposed for the numerical simulation of such excavations using continuum mechanics, this brittle response cannot be simulated accurately enough, since the material behaviour is governed by fracture initiation and propagation. On the contrary, discontinuum approaches are more suitable in such cases. For the purposes of this paper, the brittle behaviour of hard, massive rock masses and the associated spalling failure mechanisms were simulated by employing a finite–discrete element method (FDEM) approach using Irazu software. The generated numerical model was utilized to replicate field conditions based on the observations at the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) Underground Research Laboratory (URL) test tunnel located in Pinawa, Manitoba, Canada. The model results are compared with field observation data to explicitly demonstrate the suitability of the method.

Rural Homelessness in Western Canada: Lessons Learned from Diverse Communities

Until recently, there was little acknowledgement that homelessness existed in rural areas in Canada. Limited research and scarce data are available to understand the scope and dynamics of rural homelessness in Canada. As suggested in our previous work, there is a need for rural homelessness research to examine themes from a provincial perspective. The aim of this research was to contribute to expanding the knowledge base on the nature of rural homelessness at a provincial level in the Canadian province of Alberta. In order to understand the dynamics of homelessness in rural Alberta, we conducted interviews with service providers and other key stakeholders across Alberta. We examined homelessness dynamics and responses to rural homelessness in 20 rural communities across the province. Across all of the communities in the study, homelessness was reported however, the magnitude of the issue and its dynamics were distinct depending on the local contexts. We also identified several themes which serve as descriptors of rural homelessness issues. We note a number of recommendations emerging from this data which are aimed at building on the experiences, capacities, and strengths of rural communities.

APPLICATION OF THE ADVANCED ATMOSPHERIC PLUME PROFILER TO CURRENT CHALK RIVER LABORATORIES MONITORING SYSTEMS

The Advanced Atmospheric Plume Profiler (AAPP) was used to model emissions from facilities at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL, formerly Atomic Energy of Canada Limited). The model results were found to compare well with results from the current atmospheric monitoring program at the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL). The AAPP is a dispersion model designed and developed by CNL to model multiple emission sources from CRL operations. The AAPP used in conjunction with in-situ sampling can also estimate emissions from sources that are difficult to access or directly measure.

Collateral Benefits Revisited: A Case Comment on IBM Canada Limited v. Waterman

No abstract available

CANADIAN NATIONAL NUCLEAR FORENSICS CAPABILITY PROJECT

Following the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, Canada expanded its existing capability for nuclear forensics by establishing a national nuclear forensics laboratory network, which would include a capability to perform forensic analysis on nuclear and other radioactive material, as well as on traditional evidence contaminated with radioactive material. At the same time, the need for a national nuclear forensics library of signatures of nuclear and radioactive materials under Canadian regulatory control was recognized. The Canadian Safety and Security Program, administered by Defence Research and Development Canada's Centre for Security Science (DRDC CSS), funds science and technology initiatives to enhance Canada's preparedness for prevention of and response to potential threats. DRDC CSS, with assistance from Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, formerly Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, is leading the Canadian National Nuclear Forensics Capability Project to develop a coordinated, comprehensive, and timely national nuclear forensics capability.

CANDU Safety R&D Status, Challenges, and Prospects in Canada

In Canada, safe operation of CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium; it is a registered trademark of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited) reactors is supported by a full-scope program of nuclear safety research and development (R&D) in key technical areas. Key nuclear R&D programs, facilities, and expertise are maintained in order to address the unique features of the CANDU as well as generic technology areas common to CANDU and LWR (light water reactor). This paper presents an overview of the CANDU safety R&D which includes background, drivers, current status, challenges, and future directions. This overview of the Canadian nuclear safety R&D programs includes those currently conducted by the COG (CANDU Owners Group), AECL (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited), Candu Energy Inc., and the CNSC (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) and by universities via UNENE (University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering) sponsorship. In particular, the nuclear safety R&D program related to the emerging CANDU ageing issues is discussed. The paper concludes by identifying directions for the future nuclear safety R&D.

THE DEEP RIVER SCIENCE ACADEMY: A UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAM FOR ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENCE

For 28 years, the Deep River Science Academy (DRSA) has been offering high school students the opportunity to engage in the excitement and challenge of professional scientific research to help nurture their passion for science and to provide them with the experience and the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding possible future careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The venue for the DRSA program has been a six-week summer science camp where students, working in pairs under the guidance of a university undergraduate tutor, contribute directly to an on-going research program under the supervision of a professional scientist or engineer. This concept has been expanded in recent years to reach students in classrooms year round by engaging students via the internet over a 12-week term in a series of interactive teaching sessions based on an on-going research project. Although the research projects for the summer program are offered primarily from the laboratories of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited at its Chalk River Laboratories site, projects for the year-round program can be based, in principle, in laboratories at universities and other research institutes located anywhere in Canada. This paper will describe the program in more detail using examples illustrating how the students become engaged in the research and the sorts of contributions they have been able to make over the years. The impact of the program on the students and the degree to which the DRSA has been able to meet its objective of encouraging students to choose careers in the fields of STEM and equipping them with the skills and experience to be successful will be assessed based on feedback from the students themselves. Finally, we will examine the program in the context of how well it helps to address the challenges faced by educators today in meeting the demands of students in a world where the internet provides instant access to information.

Management Rights

Summary Some months ago (December 5th, 1957), the Employee Relations Section of THE MONTREAL BOARD OF TRADE sponsored a panel discussion on the very important and much debated question of MANAGEMENT RIGHTS. Here follow the VERBATIM contributions of three of the four participating panelists: Mr. W.F. Norcott (Personnel Manager, Gillette of Canada Limited), Mr. R.M. Bennett (Secretary-Treasurer, Montreal Typographical Union, No. 176), and Mr. C.-Marc Robert (Personnel Manager, Canadian General Electric Co., Ltd).