Niagara Region Of Ontario Research Articles

Gender Matters: Exploring the Mental Health of Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Canada

The gender gap in adolescent mental health experiences is notable, with gender adding an additional layer to the already complex experience of being a young person who is experiencing homelessness. Yet, research in this area is limited. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive description study was to understand how gender shapes the mental health of youth who are experiencing homelessness in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. Eleven young people between the ages of 16 and 24 were recruited from a youth shelter and participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis and Gender-Based Analysis Plus was used to analyze the data, and findings revealed four contextual factors that appear to influence a young person’s mental health while homeless but that is experienced differently depending on one’s gender identity. These factors are: (1) housing acquisition is challenging, (2) physical presentation is meaningful, (3) cleanliness and hygiene are expected, and (4) utilizing mental health resources is complicated. Additionally, the many strengths that the youth identified and demonstrated in navigating their circumstances are highlighted in the results. These strengths involve (1) exhibiting resilience, (2) expressing the ability to survive, (3) imagining a world that is better, (4) articulating their needs, and (5) drawing on their social connections. The gendered lens that guides this study provides a challenge to the homogenous way that young people experiencing homelessness are often portrayed within the literature. Intersecting identities that include gender and age need to be considered within the mental health-related experiences of youth who live with homelessness. Ensuring that interventions are tailored to meet young people’s specific gendered needs is both a matter of human rights and health equity. Practical implications for service providers are discussed.

Assessing Factors of Environmental Stewardship Success: Organizational Perceptions from the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada

Environmental stewardship is increasingly important as human actions threaten the natural world. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to understand what makes stewardship initiatives successful. This study investigates stewardship success in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. Specifically, the research seeks to determine what factors are associated with the success of environmental stewardship initiatives, differences between stewardship organizations (staff-based vs. volunteer-based), and reasons why those factors are important. Ten factors for successful stewardship initiatives were uncovered. Differences between volunteer and staff-based organizations were revealed, especially regarding factors of motivations and capacity. Qualitative analysis provided rich insights into why factors were important for success, with the physical ability to conduct the work and the importance of motivation being highlighted. The findings from the study provide a basis for future research which expands the empirical contexts for understanding stewardship success, broadens the variety of stewardship organizations considered, and incorporates additional measures of success.

Filling in the blanks: The Anti-Cahn Anthology of Alternative Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Education

This article arose as a critical response to the second edition of Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Education (2012) edited by Steven M. Cahn (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Lissa Paul, a professor in the Faculty of Education, Brock University in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, assigned Cahn’s anthology as the core text in a postgraduate course she taught in the winter of 2021: ‘The right to education: Historical frameworks’. As the course was designed to interrogate the philosophical grounds of (primarily North American) pedagogical practices, the masculine, Eurocentric biases of Cahn’s anthology mirror those underlying our educational institutions. In response to those biases, the five students in the class addressed Cahn’s errors of both omission and commission by developing something like a prospectus or book proposal for what Lissa dubbed the Anti-Cahn Anthology of Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Education. In this article each student contributes a rationale for the inclusion of someone ‘missing’ from Cahn’s book and suggestions for selections from key texts. Adriana Brook writes on the medieval African-Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun, Jessi Skye on the eighteenth-century Indigenous philosopher Handsome Lake, Rebekah Carlsson on the famous advocate of early childhood education, Maria Montessori, Jessica Dieleman on the late African American scholar bell hooks and Breanne Wilde on Jules Gill-Peterson and histories of the transgender child.

Using value equity drivers to understand parents’ perspectives of youth summer Hockey camps: an importance-performance analysis

ABSTRACT Like many sports, ice hockey has become subject to year-round participation; here, many summer hockey camp operators compete against each other for consumers (players). Using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) and Customer Equity (CE) theory, where customer acquisition and retention are the foundational concepts, the purpose of the research was twofold. First, the aim was to understand what Value Equity (VE) drivers are most important to parents when deciding to register their child for a summer hockey camp. A second goal was to ascertain if summer hockey camp operators are performing to the level of importance ascribed to those factors, as determined by parents of camp attendees. Surveys with 148 parents, who registered their child in a summer hockey camp in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, were used in order to complete the IPA. The findings indicate that parents deem ‘quality’ factors, versus elements of convenience and/or price, as both ‘most important’ and ‘most in need of managerial attention’.

Adventures in Intergenerational Service-Learning: Laughter, Friendship, and Life Advice.

Using pre- and post-visit reflection papers from a third-year undergraduate leisure and aging course, this paper describes the ways in which an intergenerational service-learning project fostered greater understanding of aging, long-term care (LTC) homes and the people who reside in them. Partnering with a LTC home in the Niagara Region of Ontario, 50 students gathered first-hand life stories from older adults over a period of 5 weeks. In pairs, students considered course content in relation to stories of life transitions they have yet to experience and reflected on generational similarities and differences. The overall project incorporated biography and photography-based assignments in order to create individual narratives for each participant in the project. Supplementary coursework enabled students to develop skills related to creative representation of the stories (e.g., lessons on photography and biography writing). This intergenerational project culminated with an exhibit of students' work at the end of the term, attended by our storytellers, their families and friends as well as staff at the home. In pre- and post-visit reflection assignments, students described how their experiences disrupted assumptions they held about older adults, LTC homes and the experience of aging.

Hard-to-Reach Populations and Administrative Health Data: A Serial Cross-sectional Study and Application of Data to Improve Interventions for People Experiencing Homelessness.

Intervention studies with vulnerable groups in the emergency department (ED) suffer from lower quality and an absence of administrative health data. We used administrative health data to identify and describe people experiencing homelessness who access EDs, characterize patterns of ED use relative to the general population, and apply findings to inform the design of a peer support program. We conducted a serial cross-sectional study using administrative health data to examine ED use by people experiencing homelessness and nonhomeless individuals in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2018. Outcomes included number of visits; unique patients; group proportions of Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) scores; time spent in emergency; and time to see an MD. Descriptive statistics were generated with t tests for point estimates and a Mann-Whitney U test for distributional measures. We included 1,486,699 ED visits. The number of unique people experiencing homelessness ranged from 91 in 2010 to 344 in 2017, trending higher over the study period compared with nonhomeless patients. Rate of visits increased from 1.7 to 2.8 per person. People experiencing homelessness presented later with higher overall acuity compared with the general population. Time in the ED and time to see an MD were greater among people experiencing homelessness. People experiencing homelessness demonstrate increasing visits, worse health, and longer time in the ED when compared with the general population, which may be a burden on both patients and the health care system.

P084: Hard-to-reach populations and administrative health data: a serial cross-sectional study and application of data to improve interventions for people experiencing homelessness

Introduction: Administrative data can aid in study and intervention design, incorporating hard-to-reach individuals who may otherwise be poorly represented. We aim to use administrative health data to examine emergency department visits by people experiencing homelessness and explore the application of this data for planning interventions. Methods: We conducted a serial cross-sectional study examining emergency department use by people experiencing homelessness and non-homeless individuals in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. The study period included administrative health data from April 1st, 2010 to March 31st, 2018. Outcomes included number of visits, number of unique patients; group proportions of Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) scores; time spent in emergency; and time to see an MD. Descriptive statistics were generated, and t-tests were performed for point estimates and a Mann-Whitney U test for distributional measures. Results: Our data included 1,486,699 emergency department visits. The number of unique people experiencing homelessness ranged from 91 in 2010 to 344 in 2017, trending higher over the study period compared to non-homeless patients. The rate of visits increased from 1.7 to 2.8 per person. People experiencing homelessness tend to present later in the day and with higher overall acuity as compared to the general population. Time in emergency department and time to see an MD were greater among people experiencing homelessness. Conclusion: Administrative health data allows researchers to enhance interventions and models of care to improve services for vulnerable populations. Given the challenging fiscal realities of research, our study provides insights to more effectively target interventions for vulnerable populations.

An analysis of aquatic invasive species management in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada: establishment of a database to improve knowledge sharing

An analysis of aquatic invasive species management in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada: establishment of a database to improve knowledge sharing

Winery wastewater management and treatment in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada: A review and analysis of current regional practices and treatment performance

AbstractThe winemaking process produces a large volume of wastewater with highly variable characteristics. Methods in place to manage winery wastewater (WWW) vary, with some wineries treating their WWW on‐site, while others direct the WWW to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Despite the significant presence and growth of the wine industry in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, few data are available regarding the characteristics and treatment of WWW in this geographic region. This work presents a comprehensive review of full‐scale treatment methods currently in place to manage and treat WWW at 53 wineries in the Niagara Region. The most common type of on‐site treatment is the constructed wetland process, providing overall removal rates of >98% for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and >98% for total suspended solids (TSS) for the combined treatment of WWW and site‐generated sanitary sewage. Subsurface effluent discharge is the most widely used disposal strategy, while larger systems treating WWW alone also reuse the effluent for vineyard irrigation. The construction and operation of on‐site treatment systems at wineries does not address all WWW treatment needs, requiring a portion of the WWW to be co‐treated at WWTPs. While full‐scale operating data indicate that anaerobic co‐digestion with municipal sludges is effective (89% COD removal), the co‐digestion capacity is limited. Co‐treatment in the municipal WWTPs' liquid treatment train leads to negative operational and performance impacts. No efficient WWW co‐treatment options, viable in the long‐term, are currently available at municipal WWTPs. Improved co‐treatment strategies are required to address WWW treatment needs in the Niagara Region.

Survey of the reproductive development of field-caught Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada

AbstractHalyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), also known as the brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive agricultural and nuisance pest. Knowledge of the life history of insect pests is important for informing pest management activities. Some North American populations of H. halys have two generations per year, and it is suspected that H. halys may have a partial second generation in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. We determined the number of H. halys generations in Ontario by examining the reproductive development of field-caught adult females. The pattern of reproductive development we observed supports the conclusion that H. halys complete one generation per year in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Reproductively active H. halys were captured as early as May and continued until early September, and the peak of reproductively active individuals occurred between 250 and 550 degree days calculated with a sine-wave function and a lower threshold set to 14.17 °C.

Impact of Plum pox virus (PPV-D) infection on peach tree growth, productivity and bud cold hardiness

In 2000, the Dideron (D) strain of Plum pox virus (PPV) was detected in commercial peach and nectarine orchards in the Niagara region of Ontario where most of Canada’s stone fruit crops are produced. As part of a disease management research programme, peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) trees in a commercial orchard at Niagara-on-the-Lake were assayed for PPV annually for 3 years. The orchard consisted of two blocks of the cultivars ‘Allstar’ and ‘Brighton’, of which 4 of 288 and 5 of 252 trees, respectively, were infected with PPV-D. The growth and health of these PPV-infected and non-infected trees were evaluated based on the annual growth rates, vigour (chlorophyll content) and bud winter hardiness. Comparative fruit quantity and quality index values were based on total yield and marketable yield per tree, fruit size and weight, fruit pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, flesh firmness, and fruit skin colour. Results from these preliminary studies showed that trees infected with this mild Ontario isolate of PPV produced slightly more fruit of smaller size that ripened earlier than non-infected trees. However, yield efficiencies based on weight of fruit relative to the trunk cross-sectional area did not differ statistically. Screenhouse studies on three graft-inoculated fresh market peach cultivars (‘Babygold’, ‘Catherina’, and ‘Garnet Beauty’) similarly did not demonstrate any differences in growth or fruit production in the second and third year post inoculation, but fruit on infected trees matured somewhat earlier.

Knowledge, attitude, willingness and readiness of primary health care providers to provide oral health services to children in Niagara, Ontario: a cross-sectional survey.

Most children are exposed to medical, but not dental, care at an early age, making primary health care providers an important player in the reduction of tooth decay. The goal of this research was to understand the feasibility of using primary health care providers in promoting oral health by assessing their knowledge, attitude, willingness and readiness in this regard. Using the Dillman method, a mail-in cross-sectional survey was conducted among all family physicians and pediatricians in the Niagara region of Ontario who have primary contact with children. A descriptive analysis was performed. Close to 70% (181/265) of providers responded. More than 90% know that untreated tooth decay could affect the general health of a child. More than 80% examine the oral cavity for more than 50% of their child patients. However, more than 50% are not aware that white spots or lines on the tooth surface are the first signs of tooth decay. Lack of clinical time was the top reason for not performing oral disease prevention measures. Overall, survey responses show a positive attitude and willingness to engage in the oral health of children. To capitalize on this, there is a need to identify mechanisms of providing preventive oral health care services by primary health care providers; including improving their knowledge of oral health and addressing other potential barriers.

Development of cryopreservation methods for cherry birch (Betula lentaL.), an endangered tree species in Canada

Cherry birch (Betula lenta L.) is an endangered species in Canada, with only a single natural population of 18 trees found in the Niagara region of Ontario. The tree was reportedly used for medicinal purposes by First Nations and Native American peoples. The current study describes a cryopreservation method for seeds and in vitro shoot tips of B. lenta in hopes of conserving available germplasm. Cryopreservation of mature seeds was successful, with 24% of seeds germinating in the greenhouse and 12% of seeds germinating in vitro on medium supplemented with 10 μmol·L–1 thidiazuron or 6-benzylaminopurine. Postcryopreservation regrowth of in vitro shoot tips was achieved using a droplet-vitrification protocol after preculture in 0.3 mol·L–1 sucrose for 24 h followed by osmoprotection in loading solution for 20 min and treatment with vitrification solution A3 composed of glycerol, sucrose, ethylene glycol, and dimethyl sulfoxide at 0 °C for 60 min. The highest plant regeneration (52%) was obtained after unload...

Reported electronic cigarette use among adolescents in the Niagara region of Ontario.

Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among adolescents has not been fully described, in particular their motivations for using them and factors associated with use. We sought to evaluate the frequency, motivations and associated factors for e-cigarette use among adolescents in Ontario. We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, involving universal screening of students enrolled in grade 9 in co-operation with the Heart Niagara Inc. Healthy Heart Schools' Program (for the 2013-2014 school year). We used a questionnaire to assess cigarette, e-cigarette and other tobacco use, and self-rated health and stress. We assessed household income using 2011 Canadian census data by matching postal codes to census code. Of 3312 respondents, 2367 answered at least 1 question in the smoking section of the questionnaire (1274 of the 2367 respondents [53.8%] were male, with a mean [SD] age of 14.6 [0.5] yr) and 2292 answered the question about use of e-cigarettes. Most respondents to the questions about use of e-cigarettes (n = 1599, 69.8%) had heard of e-cigarettes, and 380 (23.8%) of these respondents had learned about them from a store sign or display. Use of e-cigarettes was reported by 238 (10.4%) students. Most of the respondents who reported using e-cigarettes (171, 71.9%) tried them because it was "cool/fun/new," whereas 14 (5.8%) reported using them for smoking reduction or cessation. Male sex, recent cigarette or other tobacco use, family members who smoke and friends who smoke were strongly associated with reported e-cigarette use. Reported use of e-cigarettes was associated with self-identified fair/poor health rating (odds ratio [OR] 1.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-3.0), p < 0.001), high stress level (OR 1.7 (95% CI 1.1-2.7), p < 0.001) and lower mean (33.4 [8.4] × $1000 v. 36.1 [10.7] × $1000, p = 0.001) and median [interquartile range] (26.2 [5.6] × $1000 v. 28.1 [5.7] × $1000) household incomes. Use of e-cigarettes is common among adolescents in the Niagara region and is associated with sociodemographic features. Engaging in seemingly exciting new behaviours appears to be a key motivating factor rather than smoking cessation.

A vertical flow constructed wetland for the treatment of winery process water and domestic sewage in Ontario, Canada: Six years of performance data

Wine production is a growing industry in the Canadian province of Ontario. Due to the high organic loads and large amount of suspended solids found in winery process water it is important for wineries to adopt sustainable water management practices. Constructed wetlands (CW) have been shown to be a viable option in the warmer climates of the Mediterranean and the western USA but little research has examined their feasibility in the cold climate of Ontario. The purpose of this paper was to assess six years of performance data from a vertical flow CW treating winery process water and domestic sewage at a winery in the Niagara region of Ontario with an average hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 22.3mmd−1 and an average chemical oxygen demand (COD) surface loading rate (SLR) of 34.0gm2d−1. The CW has four cells, each 101m2, and was designed to treat 16,620Lday−1 of wastewater consisting of winery process water and domestic sewage. The performance data were separated by season to determine the effect of temperature on treatment performance during the colder months. There was little variation in seasonal performance and the average treatment efficiencies over the six-year period were: 99% for COD, 99% for carbonaceous COD, 98% for total suspended solids, 83% for total phosphorous, 94% for total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and 85% ammonium. Effluent nitrate, total coliforms, and Escherichia coli concentrations were also monitored and consistently met the regulatory standards for discharge to a subsurface leaching bed. The CW system proved to be an option for treating winery wastewater.

The Influence of Aerobic Fitness on the Relationship between Academic Performance and Motor Proficiency

Purpose: To determine whether physical fitness mediates the relationship between academic performance and motor proficiency in children. Methods: The academic achievement of 1864 students (F:926, M:938, age 11.91 (SD:0.34) from the Niagara Region of Ontario was derived from the average of provincial standardized tests for reading, writing, and mathematics. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Performance (short-form) determined motor proficiency. Fitness (peak oxygen uptake) was established with the 20-metre shuttle run multistage test. Results: Hierarchical linear modeling identified several significant predictors of academic performance. After controlling for age (p=0.7002), gender (p<0.0001), and parental education (p<0.0001), both motor proficiency (p<0.0001) and physical fitness (p=0.0004) remained significant. The addition of physical fitness to the model reduced the point estimate of motor proficiency from 0.004 to 0.003, a reduction of 25%. However, further examination of the 95% confidence intervals suggests that this reduction is not significant. Conclusions: These results suggest that aerobic fitness does not mediate the relationship between motor proficiency and academic performance. Both physical fitness and motor proficiency have independent roles in predicting academic performance.

The National Hockey League and Cross-Border Fandom

This article uses daily border-crossing data within the Niagara region of Ontario and New York to evaluate the Canadian market for a U.S.-based National Hockey League (NHL) team, the Buffalo Sabres. We conservatively estimate that 15% of attendees at Buffalo Sabres home games travel from Canada. This effect is heterogeneous with respect to the opponent country of origin, with higher levels of game day border crossing associated with a Canadian visiting team. We also find fan substitution effects between Buffalo and the Toronto Maple Leafs with respect to both the price of attendance and the quality of each team. Implications extend to NHL expansion near international borders and compensation to incumbent teams both within and across the national border near where an expansion or relocated team is placed.

Sleep disturbance and cardiovascular risk in adolescents

Evidence suggests that inadequate or disturbed sleep is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in adults. There are limited data on sleep quality and associated cardiovascular risk in children. We obtained data on adolescents from the 2009/10 cycle of the Healthy Heart Schools' Program, a population-based cross-sectional study in the Niagara region of Ontario. Participants underwent measurements of cardiometabolic risk factors, including body mass index (BMI), lipid profile and blood pressure, and they completed questionnaires measuring sleeping habits and nutritional status. We assessed sleep disturbance using the sleep disturbance score derived from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We explored associations between sleeping habits and cardiovascular risk factors. Among 4104 adolescents (51% male), the mean hours of sleep per night (± standard deviation) were 7.9 ± 1.1 on weeknights and 9.4 ± 1.6 on weekends. In total, 19% of participants reported their sleep quality as fairly bad or very bad on weeknights and 10% reported it as fairly bad or very bad on weekends. In the multivariable regression models, a higher sleep disturbance score was associated with increased odds of being at high cardiovascular risk (highest v. lowest tertile odds ratio [OR] 1.43 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-1.77], p < 0.001), increased odds of hypertension (highest v. lowest tertile OR 1.44 [95% CI 1.02-2.05], p = 0.05) and increased odds of elevated non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (highest v. lowest tertile OR 1.28 [95% CI 1.00-1.64], p = 0.05). The mean duration of sleep was not associated with these outcomes. In healthy adolescents, sleep disturbance is associated with cardiovascular risk factor abnormalities. Intervention strategies to optimize sleep hygiene early in life may be important for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Influence of elevation and avian or mammalian hosts on attraction of Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) in southern Ontario

AbstractWe studied Culex pipiens L. in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, to establish whether or not these mosquitoes are attracted to hosts other than birds at different elevations or as the season progresses. Guinea-pigs and chickens were used as representative mammalian and avian hosts, respectively. Bait animals were placed next to modified CDC miniature light traps (no light and no CO2) hung 1.5 or 5 m above ground in a Niagara woodlot. The season was divided into three 6-week periods (early, middle, and late). Significantly more C. pipiens were captured at the 5 m than at the 1.5 m elevation. In general, chicken-baited traps were preferred over control and guinea-pig-baited traps, with one important exception: there was no significant difference among traps during the late period at 1.5 m elevation. The potential role of C. pipiens as a bridging vector of West Nile virus to humans is discussed.

HYDROPONIC CUCUMBER PRODUCTION USING A NEW RECYCLABLE GROWTH SUBSTRATE AND IRRIGATION SYSTEM

In the Canadian vegetable greenhouse industry, the traditional soilless substrate used in hydroponic production systems is costly to recycle and is undesirable as landfill. After more than five years of research and development, SRI Inc. in collaboration with the University of Guelph (UoG) has developed a system that incorporates a synthetic growth substrate with an internal irrigation system. This product is known as the Enviro-Grow System (EGS) and can be recycled at the end of its lifecycle using conventional recycling technologies (similar to recycling a plastic bottle). During spring 2008, we conducted a large scale cucumber production experiment comparing the EGS vs. conventional rockwool (RW). Plant development and yield were evaluated at a commercial hydroponic greenhouse facility located in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. Each substrate treatment (the EGS and RW) contained 2,310 linear meters of substrate and 6,720 cucumber (Cucumis sativus 'Camaro') plants for comparison. Irrigation scheduling for both substrate treatments were determined by solar radiation accumulation and plant demand. Plants grown using the EGS exhibited a significantly higher relative growth rate (RGR) than plants grown in RW. This resulted in an earlier harvest date (by one day). No difference in yield was found between plants grown in the EGS vs. plants grown in RW.