Ontario Provincial Research Articles

Sleep quality and mental disorder symptoms among correctional workers in Ontario, Canada

Correctional workers (CWs) report high levels of work stressors, frequent exposures to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs), and substantial mental health challenges. There is evidence of associations between sleep disturbances and diverse mental health challenges, including preliminary evidence from public safety personnel; however, replications and extensions would better inform interventions to support mental health. The current study was designed to examine associations between quality of sleep, work stress, and mental health disorders in a sample of diverse CWs employed in a provincial correctional service in Ontario, Canada. Data were analyzed from 943 CWs who participated in the cross-sectional, web-based Ontario Provincial Correctional Worker Mental Health and Well-Being Study conducted from December 2017 to June 2018. Sleep quality indicators included symptoms of insomnia, total hours of sleep per night on work nights and off-shift nights, number of days feeling rested per week, and overall sleep quality. Descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, correlational analyses, and logistic regression were used to examine relationships among sleep quality, stress of shift work, and mental health disorder symptoms. CWs slept an average of 6.0 h per night when working and 7.2 h during off-shift nights. CWs reported waking up feeling rested an average of 2.6 days per week and rated their overall quality of sleep in the fair to poor range. Many CWs (64.9%) screened positive for clinically significant symptoms of insomnia. There were also differences across occupational groups such that CWs working as correctional officers reported the most sleep problems. There were statistically significant relationships between insomnia and mental health disorder symptoms. Higher levels of stress from shift work were associated with worse sleep quality. CWs, especially those working as correctional officers in a provincial prison, reported many indicators consistent with poorer quality of sleep. Poor quality of sleep was also associated with work stress and mental health disorders.

Is comprehensive event sampling necessary for constraining process models of water quality? A comparison of high and low frequency phosphorus sampling programs for constraining the HYPE water quality model

Model parameter calibration is an important step in process-based watershed water quality modelling. Calibration is commonly performed using readily available water quality data from long-term monitoring programs that collect samples periodically at a relatively low frequency (i.e. monthly). Higher frequency synoptic and targeted event data is becoming available from more intensive monitoring programs, yet there remains little consensus on whether relatively lower frequency data are sufficient to constrain process-based watershed water quality models. To investigate the effects of using water quality data from differing sampling regimes for calibration, we use an implementation of HYPE (HYdrological Predictions for the Environment), a process-based watershed water quality model, in Southern Ontario, Canada. HYPE was calibrated with two stream water quality datasets, one associated with the long-term Ontario Provincial (Stream) Water Quality Monitoring Network and characterized by routine approximately monthly sampling frequency, and one associated with the Multi-Watershed Nutrient Study and characterized by semi-regular synoptic sampling during baseflow and at increased frequency (∼4 to 8 h) during event flow. Performances varied widely between sites, with validation ranges of daily predictions having Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiencies (NSE) from > −1 to 0.48 for flow and > −1 to 0.98 for total Phosphorus. Medians for daily data during validation ranged from 0.15 to 0.24 for flow and from 0.19 to 0.36 for total phosphorus. We found that model performance and simulated total phosphorus loads were similar for the two calibration datasets, potentially suggesting that the dataset with approximately monthly water quality sampling was adequate to constrain the HYPE model. We attribute this to a combination of similar levels of statistical variability in the calibration datasets and prior knowledge in the HYPE model structure. Furthermore, while model performance was similar when HYPE was calibrated with datasets of differing sampling strategies, there was a large range in model performance within each modelling domain. Results suggest that this range in performance could be due in part to poor representation of cold-weather processes in the HYPE model, as sites with higher mean annual temperature and fewer freezing days had better model performance.

Using ethically sourced training aids for human remains detection dog training

Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) play vital roles in forensic investigations and search and rescue missions by detecting decomposing human remains. However, there is a lack of standardized training protocols globally. This study evaluates various ethically sourced HRDD training aids, including amputated limbs, blood, and teeth used by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Expanding on prior research, this study assesses amputated limbs stored outdoors, bone, tissue, blood, and teeth. The volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of these aids are compared to cadavers decomposing at the Research in Experimental and Social Thanatology (REST) facility. The results highlighted that the combined VOC profile from all HRDD training aid types demonstrates a 68% similarity to REST cadavers, emphasizing the potential benefit of exposing HRDDs to a diverse range of training aids. This is because the similarities in VOC profiles of individual training aid types (amputated limbs stored indoors, bone, blood, tissue, amputated limbs stored outdoors, teeth) with REST cadavers were lower than 68%. Teeth (without organic matter) were identified as the least ideal training aid for enabling dogs to detect cadavers based on VOC profiles and HRDD responses. However, training on teeth may be required for operational needs, particularly when HRDDs need to locate teeth during field searches. This study also highlights the effectiveness of using amputated limbs and blood together as they comprise a majority of the 68% VOCs found similar to the REST cadavers and elicit desirable HRDD responses to decomposition odor.

Healthy Aging in Algoma: Tests of Change Program

Introduction: In Algoma District, Ontario, Canada, approximately 25% of the population is 65 years of age and older. The Ontario Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Office (2020) predicts that by 2040 this number will increase to 32% and that 29% of older adults will be living with frailty. In February of 2022, Tests of Change (ToC) Program work commenced to bring an integrated care approach to healthy aging in Algoma. Healthcare member organizations of the Algoma Ontario Health Team (AOHT) and community patient, family, and caregiver advisors identified older adults living with frailty as the target population. A driver diagram of change ideas was conceptualized to support improving care for the identified population. To enact the recommended changes, three priority projects - Outpatient Geriatric Rehabilitation Capacity, Coordinated Access to Geriatric Services and Early Frailty Identification - complement each other with the common purpose of improving early frailty intervention and increasing access to the most appropriate care.
 Aims: The ToC Program entails:
 Embedding a frailty screening tool into electronic medical records for use in primary care;
 Initiating coordinated access to geriatric services leveraging eReferral and a common platform for electronic referral management; and
 Designing an outpatient geriatric rehabilitation program.
 This Program aims to advance the following elements:
 Design upstream engagement strategies (e.g., screening, prevention, disease self-management) for the target population;
 Increase patient access to the appropriate level of care; and
 Transform care coordination, transitions and recovery at home.
 Highlights: The AOHT has engaged partners from across the continuum of care who provide services for frail older adults. Partners include: community support services, home and community care support services, primary care, acute care, specialized geriatric services, and patient advisors. These critical partners assume leadership roles in program design, implementation and evaluation.
 Conclusions: Early frailty identification can improve quality of life, increase intervention success, and delay the need for specialist care. This program is predicated on the establishment of foundational processes enabled by digital tools to identify frailty early, streamline referrals for access to the most appropriate geriatric services, and provide patients with the opportunity to fully participate in interventions such as outpatient geriatric rehabilitation to increase their ability to live independently in the community. By taking an integrated collaborative approach to program planning and execution, overall patient outcomes will be improved.
 Transferability: The WHO Guidelines on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) recommend advancing integrated care through community collaboration, a patient centered approach and supportive leadership. In 2019, the Ontario Health Team (OHT) model was introduced provincially as a way for healthcare providers to partner to deliver coordinated, integrated care. Of significance, several of the 54 approved OHTs have identified older adults living with frailty as a target population. Globally, as older adults are living longer lives, it is anticipated that there will be proportionally more older adults living with frailty. Through collaboration and sharing of the ToC program results, program scalability can be achieved at the OHT level and support the global knowledge base on efforts to strengthen integrated care for older adults.

Hospital encounters and associated costs of prostate evaluation for clinically important disease MRI vs. standard evaluation procedures (PRECISE) study from a provincial-payer perspective.

Systematic transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) biopsy has been the standard diagnostic tool for prostate cancer (PCa) but is subject to limitations, such as a high false-negative rate of cancer detection. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) prior to biopsy is emerging as an alternative diagnostic procedure for PCa. The PRECISE study found that MRI followed by a targeted biopsy was more accurately able to identify clinically significant cancer than TRUS biopsy. PRECISE study patients recruited in Ontario between January 2017 and November 2019 were linked to various Ontario provincial administrative databases available at the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences (ICES ) to determine health resources used, associated costs, and hospitalizations in the 14 days after biopsy. Costs are presented in 2021 CAD. A total of 281 males were included in this study, with 48.4% of the patients in the TRUS biopsy group, 28.1% in the MRI+, and 23.5% in the MRI- group. Twenty-one patients (15%) from the TRUS biopsy group were seen at a hospital in the 14 days after their biopsy compared to fewer than five patients (6%) from the MRI+ group. The mean per person per year (PPPY) costs for the TRUS and all MRI groups (MRI- and MRI+) were $7828 and $8525, respectively. Patients in the TRUS biopsy group experienced more hospital encounters compared to patients who received an MRI prior to their biopsy. This economic analysis suggests that MRI imaging prior to biopsy is not associated with a significant increase in costs.

Comparison of 3rd Grade Mathematics Classes in Terms of Mathematics Curriculum and their Implementation in the Classroom Environment: the Case of Turkey and Canada (the Province of Ontario)

Canada is one of the countries with the highest scores in mathematics achievement tests according to OECD and PISA reports. In this connection, the current study was planned with the intention of comparing Turkey and Canada in terms of both their mathematics curricula and practices in mathematics classes. In the current study, it was aimed to compare 3rd grade mathematics curricula and mathematics classes in Turkey and Canada (Ontario) in general and to compare them in terms of curriculum and any educational and instructional activity conducted in the classroom environment so that similarities and differences could be determined. The study was structured as a comparative case study. For the Canadian part of the study, the 3rd grade mathematics classes of a private primary school in the Ontario Provincial Region were observed in the classroom for 3 months. Similarly, the 3rd grade mathematics classes of a state school located in a central district of high socio-economic status in the city of Ankara were observed. The data were obtained from in-class observations conducted throughout the whole process, interviews with the teacher, and the teaching materials and curricula used by the teachers and students in the process. The results of the study revealed that mathematical process skills were presented in a little more detail in the Canadian curriculum and that skills such as reflection, choosing the appropriate electronic equipment were associated with problem solving and reasoning. It was observed that the inclusion of different skills in the curriculum caused differentiation in the roles of teachers in the classroom. It was determined that Canadian mathematics classes were student-centred, were dominated by the active learning process and richer cognitive content that supported the development of problem solving and reasoning skills.

Review of: Police psychology: New trends in forensic psychological science

Journal of Forensic SciencesEarly View BOOK REVIEW Review of: Police psychology: New trends in forensic psychological scienceBy P Marques, M Paulino (Ed.), London: Academic Press. 2022. 422 pp. Peter I. Collins MD, MCA, FRCPC, Corresponding Author Peter I. Collins MD, MCA, FRCPC [email protected] Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Criminal Behaviour Analysis Section, Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Correspondence Peter I. Collins, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Peter I. Collins MD, MCA, FRCPC, Corresponding Author Peter I. Collins MD, MCA, FRCPC [email protected] Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Criminal Behaviour Analysis Section, Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Correspondence Peter I. Collins, Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 30 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.15244Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Development of the Autonomous Nurse Practitioner Role in an Outpatient Malignant Hematology Unit a Twenty-Year Odyssey

Abstract ASH 2022 Development of the autonomous Nurse Practitioner role in an Outpatient Malignant Hematology Unit: A Twenty-Year Odyssey Murray, C., Rowland, S. The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario is the largest cancer treatment facility in Canada. In 2020, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre received 222,825 clinic visits and treated 82,571 patients. During the year, it received 17,433 new patients, of which 72% required treatment for malignant cancers. These numbers continue to grow. As bed capacity concerns and physician shortages began to create delays in patient care and treatment during the late 1990s a nurse practitioner (NP) was hired to manage the care of leukemia patients in an outpatient setting. The administration of consolidation chemotherapy and follow up monitoring of patients was relocated from the inpatient areas to an ambulatory setting. This initiative proved to be safe and feasible and 'outpatient consolidation' became the standard of care for patients with acute leukemia. During the next 23 years, the Malignant Hematology Day Unit (MHDU) has evolved and now provides care for patients with multiple myeloma, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes and early post transplant allogeneic transplant patients. There are currently 7 NPs working Monday through Friday, and 1 on Saturdays with a total of 15 NPs rotating through the unit. The unit is also staffed with 12 specialized oncology registered nurses, working with the NPs to provide complete patient centered care for 45-60 patients per day. This care includes but is not limited to ordering and administration of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and blood products. The team also manages treatment and transfusion related reactions, febrile neutropenia, infections, pain and end-of-life care. The MHDU is truly 'nurse led'. The Ontario Provincial Legislation allows NPs to independently provide prescriptions to patients (including opioids and other controlled drugs), order and review diagnostic procedures and refer patients to other services such as Respirology or Infectious Diseases. This model of care that has evolved, remains collaborative with physician colleagues ensuring comprehensive patient care. Studies have shown, the use of advanced practitioners, such as NPs, in oncology, is cost effective while continuing the delivery of safe, high quality, patient care. Additionally, with the rapidly evolving treatment options and complexities of these diseases, the utilization of the NPs to monitor and support patients, allows the hematologist time to focus on treatment decisions. This presentation will describe the processes developed to allow for the safe transition of management of a complex patient population to a nurse-led outpatient setting. It will also examine and highlight the positive outcomes of establishing a specialized unit dedicated to the care and management of patients with malignant hematological diseases. These outcomes include, but are not limited to, fewer patients requiring assessment and care in the Emergency Department, less hospital admissions for infections and other complications and improved, seamless end-of-life care

Validating the Use of Amputated Limbs Used as Cadaver Detection Dog Training Aids

Cadaver detection dogs (CDDs) are trained to locate human remains and/or objects associated with human remains. This is possible due to their extraordinary olfactory capabilities compared to those of humans. To reinforce this capability, CDDs must be trained and regularly exposed to the target odor in the form of training aids which include—chemical formulations, animal remains, and/or human remains. Currently, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) use amputated limbs/feet from consented surgeries performed on diabetic patients as cadaver detection dog training aids. There is limited knowledge about the volatile organic compound (VOC) composition of these training aids and their appropriateness as an alternative to human remains for CDD training purposes, which formed the aim of the current study. VOCs were collected from amputated lower limbs/feet repeatedly using thermal desorption (TD) tubes and analyzed with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography—time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). The response of cadaver detection dogs to these training aids was also recorded to understand their alert in the context of the detected VOCs. VOC classes including acids, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, ester and analogues, ethers, aliphatic, cyclics, sulfur-containing, nitrogen-containing, and halogen-containing VOCs were identified. Of these classes, cyclic VOCs were most abundant followed by nitrogen-containing VOCs while ethers were the least abundant. The most prominent VOCs identified in amputated limbs/feet were decomposition related however, one VOC—sevoflurane, originated from anaesthesia during the surgeries. It was determined that the VOC profile of aged and relatively recent training aids were variable. The aged training aids sampled over time had less variability (compared to more recent training aids). Additionally, the VOC profiles of samples was not found variable owing to the storage conditions—room temperature, refrigerator or freezer. Overall, a 98.4% detection rate was observed for amputated limbs/feet used as CDD training aids and the presence of non-decomposition related VOCs such as sevoflurane did not appear to impact the CDDs’ detection capability. This study highlights that the presence of decomposition VOCs in amputated limbs/feet and their high detection rate by CDDs validates their use as alternative CDD training aids.

The Embodiment of Contempt: Ontario Provincial Prison Food

The Embodiment of Contempt: Ontario Provincial Prison Food

The Embodiment of Contempt: Ontario Provincial Prison Food.

Prison food is central to the prison experience and is a physically invasive manifestation of carceral power. This article draws on 61 interviews with individuals with lived experience of provincial prisons in Ontario, Canada. Participants reported that the food was unhealthy, small-portioned, bland, and steamed to the point that they could not discern what they were eating. Others reported living in fear of the food, whether because it was molding, spoiled, or had been tampered with. For many participants, their experience of incarceration was that of hunger and unwanted bodily changes. Poor quality prison food bolstered an underground food economy in which trading, gambling, or intimidation were used by prisoners to access more and/or better foods. Overall, prison food was a means through which social, political, and institutional contempt for prisoners was communicated to and embodied by prisoners.

Informing Cyber Threat Intelligence through Dark Web Situational Awareness: The AZSecure Hacker Assets Portal

To increase situational awareness, major cybersecurity platforms offer Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) about emerging cyber threats, key threat actors, and their modus operandi. However, this intelligence is often reactive, as it analyzes event log files after attacks have already occurred, lacking more active scrutiny of potential threats brewing in cyberspace before an attack has occurred. One intelligence source receiving significant attention is the Dark Web, where significant quantities of malicious hacking tools and other cyber assets are hosted. We present the AZSecure Hacker Assets Portal (HAP). The Dark Web-based HAP collects, analyzes, and reports on the major Dark Web data sources to offer unique perspective of hackers, their cybercriminal assets, and their intentions and motivations, ultimately contributing CTI insights to improve situational awareness. HAP currently supports 200+ users internationally from academic institutions such as UT San Antonio and National Taiwan University, law enforcement entities such as Calgary and Ontario Provincial Police, and industry organizations including General Electric and PayPal.

Situational and Ecological Predictors of Conducted Energy Weapon Application Severity

Despite being touted as a “less lethal” use-of-force option, conducted energy weapons (CEWs) do pose some risk of injury to civilians, and thus warrant empirical examination. CEWs provide users with multiple use modes constituting various levels of severity; yet apart from the work of Somers and colleagues, almost no research exists investigating these levels of severity. Further, research findings on the impact of suspect resistance on CEW deployment are somewhat mixed. We contribute an innovative application of environmental criminology in a Canadian setting by exploring situational and ecological predictors of CEW application severity, with special attention being paid to reasons cited for CEW use and the impact of subject resistance level. Using all 393 Ontario Provincial Police CEW-related use-of-force reports over a two-year period, we find probe deployment to be the most common level of CEW application severity, irrespective of subject resistance level, and even when officers and subjects are in close proximity to one another. Application of CEW for the purpose of effecting an arrest is consistently the strongest predictor of CEW application severity without any mediating effect of subject resistance level or presence of a weapon. The impact of applying CEWs for the purpose of effecting arrests on CEW application severity is partially mediated by lighting visibility. Results are discussed.

Using Administrative Data to Explore Potentially Aberrant Provision of Virtual Care During COVID-19: Retrospective Cohort Study of Ontario Provincial Data.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid increase in virtual care use across the globe. Many health care systems have responded by creating virtual care billing codes that allow physicians to see their patients over telephone or video. This rapid liberalization of billing requirements, both in Canada and other countries, has led to concerns about potential abuse, but empirical data are limited.ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to examine whether there were substantial changes in physicians’ ambulatory visit volumes coinciding with the liberalization of virtual care billing rules and to describe the characteristics of physicians who significantly increased their ambulatory visit volumes during this period. We also sought to describe the relationship between visit volume changes in 2020 and the volumes of virtual care use among individual physicians and across specialties.MethodsWe conducted a population-based, retrospective cohort study using health administrative data from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, which was linked to the ICES Physician Database. We identified a unique cohort of providers based on physicians’ billings and calculated the ratio of total in-person and virtual ambulatory visits over the period from January to June 2020 (virtual predominating) relative to that over the period from January to June 2019 (in-person predominating) for each physician. Based on these ratios, we then stratified physicians into four groups: low-, same-, high-, and very high–use physicians. We then calculated various demographic and practice characteristics of physicians in each group.ResultsAmong 28,383 eligible physicians in 2020, the mean ratio of ambulatory visits in January to June 2020:2019 was 0.99 (SD 2.53; median 0.81, IQR 0.59-1.0). Out of 28,383 physicians, only 2672 (9.4%) fell into the high-use group and only 291 (1.0%) fell into the very high–use group. High-use physicians were younger, more recent graduates, more likely female, and less likely to be international graduates. They also had, on average, lower-volume practices. There was a significant positive correlation between percent virtual care and the 2020:2019 ratio only in the group of physicians who maintained their practice (R=0.35, P<.001). There was also a significant positive correlation between the 2020:2019 ratio and the percent virtual care per specialty (R=0.59, P<.01).ConclusionsDuring the early stages of the pandemic, the introduction of virtual care did not lead to significant increases in visit volume. Our results provide reassuring evidence that relaxation of billing requirements early in the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario were not associated with widespread and aberrant billing behaviors. Furthermore, the strong relationship between the ability to maintain practice volumes and the use of virtual care suggests that the introduction of virtual care allowed for continued access to care for patients.

Who Runs? Canadian Federal and Ontario Provincial Candidates from 1867 to 2019

AbstractWho runs and is elected is one of the most fundamental questions in political science as it pertains to the issue of descriptive representation. Despite the importance of this issue, until recently there were no longitudinal datasets on candidates in Canadian elections. This article presents two novel datasets including information on all candidates who ran in Canadian federal and Ontario provincial elections from 1867 to 2019. I present how these data were collected and how they can be used to gain new insights. I expect these data will be a valuable resource to Canadian political scientists for both research and teaching purposes.

Conservative Populism, or Unpopular Liberalism? Review of the 2018 Ontario Provincial Election

Ontario’s general election on June 7, 2018, brought the Progressive Conservative party to government for the first time in the 21st Century. The PCs’ victory over the incumbent Liberals, however, reached this point despite much turmoil. Months before the election the party faced a crisis when its leader, Patrick Brown, resigned amid a scandal. The PC party hastily organized a leadership election that put Doug Ford at the helm, who then led the party to victory. The following election review traces these steps and looks at some dynamics that contributed to both the PC leadership vote and the overall result of the election. The PC leadership election is analyzed, providing evidence that Ford’s rise may reflect some of the populist sentiment that has gripped other democracies. The analysis then turns to the general election, focusing on media coverage and issue salience, particularly as they relate to the party leaders. Survey data are examined to build some explanatory vote-choice models, which shows that voters in the general election appeared less moved by populism than a desire to punish the Liberals.

Projecting thyroid cancer risk to the general public from radiation exposure following hypothetical severe nuclear accidents in Canada

A robust emergency management framework can limit radiation exposures and effectively minimise the potentially devastating consequences of a nuclear emergency. We projected thyroid cancer risk resulting from two hypothetical severe nuclear accidents occurring at the Darlington nuclear power plant (NPP) located in Ontario, Canada. Single- and multi-unit accidents were considered. A dose assessment was previously performed using the MELCOR Accident Consequences Code System. The generic criteria used to select the appropriate protective actions are described in the Ontario Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP). We hypothesised protection actions only within the 10 kilometre (km) radius of the NPP given the time sensitivity of iodine thyroid blocking. The excess risk of developing thyroid cancer was projected using the US National Cancer Institute’s radiation risk assessment tool RadRAT. We projected zero dose, and subsequently zero risk of developing thyroid cancer for people living within 10 km of the NPP, due to effective implementation of selected protective actions. Based on centreline doses, at the 12 km radius, excess childhood thyroid cancer risks for a one-year-old female as the most critical receptor were projected to be approximately 600% and 130% compared to the baseline were projected for the single- and multi-unit scenarios, respectively. The risk of developing thyroid cancer was projected to be low for adults for both scenarios. The results of this modelling study provide insights into the effectiveness of protective actions in reducing radiation-related thyroid cancer risk when considering hypothetical severe nuclear accidents. Implementation of select protective actions protects the population living near the Darlington NPP. The projected increase of developing thyroid cancer for children living beyond 10 km could potentially be eliminated with additional mitigation measures specified in the PNERP.

The People’s Champ: Doug Ford and Neoliberal Right-Wing Populism in the 2018 Ontario Provincial Election

The 2018 Ontario provincial election marked a decisive shift in the political direction of Canada’s most populous province. The election brought an end to the long reign of the Ontario Liberal Party (2003–2018), whose government devolved into a series of scandals that resulted in a third-place finish. The Liberal’s defeat came at the hands of the Progressive Conservative Party led by former Toronto city councillor, Doug Ford. The Progressive Conservative’s victory was propelled on the back of Ford’s deeply populist campaign where he promised to reassert the interests of ‘the people,’ expel the influence of elites and special interests, and clean up government corruption. This campaign discourse led many political opponents and media pundits to accuse Ford of importing the nativist, xenophobic, and divisive rhetoric of other radical right-wing populist leaders. This article advances the argument that rather than representing the importation of ‘Trumpism’ or other types of radical right-wing populism, Ford’s campaign is better understood within the tradition of Canadian populism defined by an overarching ideological commitment to neoliberalism. In appealing to voters, Ford avoided the nativist and xenophobic rhetoric of populist leaders in the United States and Western Europe, offering a conception of ‘the people’ using an economic and anti-cosmopolitan discourse centred upon middle class taxpayers. This article makes a contribution to both the literatures on Canadian elections and populism, demonstrating the lineage of Ford’s ideological commitment to populism within recent Canadian electoral history, as well as Ford’s place within the international genealogy of right-wing populism.

Stream nutrient and agricultural land-use trends from 1971 to 2010 in Lake Ontario tributaries

Urbanization is generally recognized as the most widespread form of landuse/landcover change (LULC) within populated regions, including southern Ontario, and is often at the expense of surrounding agricultural land. However, changes in agricultural LULC within these peripheral regions should be considered when interpreting water quality changes in watersheds containing mixed LULC. The objectives of this study were to first, quantify changes in LULC within twelve Lake Ontario tributaries between 1971 and 2010, and secondly, to determine whether these changes co-occurred with changes in total phosphorus (TP) and nitrate‑nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in streams. Water quality data were obtained from the Ontario Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network while historical land use was reconstructed from agricultural census reports, historical land cover maps, and modern remotely sensed datasets. Urban cover increased, although percent increases in urban cover were small in the most agriculturally dominated watersheds (3–8%). The area of agriculture declined across all watersheds, yet the proportion of agricultural land dedicated to crop (corn, soybean, and wheat) production increased, including in the most urbanized watersheds (e.g. Mimico 89% urban; 2009–11). Total P concentrations in streams were highest at the urbanized watersheds, particularly in the 1970s, before declining in recent decades. In contrast, NO3-N concentrations were highest (>1.5 mg/L; 2000–10) within the most agricultural watersheds (e.g. Gages 71% agriculture) and have increased over the same period of row crop expansion. Further research is needed to determine the mechanisms behind the potential relationship between expanding row crop cover and stream NO3-N concentrations in southern Ontario.

Cataract Surgery Quality and Capacity.

Cataract surgery is the most common operation performed in most developed countries, including Canada. Nuanced, evidence-driven policies are needed to ensure appropriate access to this sight-saving operation while maintaining the highest standards in quality of care. The Vision Health Services Research Program at Queen's University, in partnership with members of the Ontario Provincial Vision Task Force, has developed evidence to inform policies aimed at optimizing both access and quality across the eye care spectrum.