September 2022: Volume 7 Issue 2

Domestic dogs are a significant, but poorly recognised, threat to native wildlife inhabiting natural environments within urban areas. Human presence is the main driver of dog abundance and habitat use. The objective of this study is to i) determine the level of uncontrolled dog activity (off-leash, without human accompaniment) in on-leash designated areas within the City of Calgary, ii) identify off-leash problem areas, and iii) provide recommendations to parks management on how to reduce the impacts of domestic dogs on wildlife in city parks. There was a lot of documented off-leash dog activity in all of the natural areas with camera traps, and the majority of this activity occurred in on-leash areas. A large portion of uncontrolled dog activity occurred within 250 m of off-leash designated areas (the majority occurring within 50 m), suggesting that a lack of public awareness of where off-leash areas end and on-leash areas begin may be contributing to the high off-leash rates. The results also suggest that dog owners behave similarly with respect to dog leashing, regardless of leash rules. In order to decrease the number of off-leash dogs in on-leash designated areas and the subsequent effects that dogs have on wildlife in Calgary, an increased vigilance by the city and increased public awareness of the effects that domestic dogs have on wildlife, e.g., signage in problem areas, is recommended.

Indigenous groups across Turtle Island, the name given to North America by the Lenape, Iroquois and Anishinaabe, are often marginalized in the creation of contemporary theories and policies, creating a knowledge gap between the traditional Indigenous ways of teaching, and knowing in academia. Land-based learning encompasses the ways of knowing of Indigenous groups, and when implemented as part of the ii’ taa’poh’to’p, the University of Calgary Indigenous Strategic Plan promotes the decolonization of current pedagogies and the understanding of the importance of land to Indigenous peoples. We aimed to decolonize a university course through land-based learning and bridge the gap between Western and Indigenous knowledge, while remaining respectful of Indigenous protocols and inflicted traumas by settler-colonial goals to extract knowledge from their communities. This study sought to research how land-based learning could be integrated into an Indigenous Studies course on animal-human relationships at the University of Calgary. Through a qualitative study of peer-reviewed sources predominantly written by Indigenous authors, we found common themes on how we could implement land-based learning into the course. Based on our findings, we propose a three-part learning module. Firstly, students should be introduced to the topic of land-based learning before attempting a land-based activity. Secondly, we suggest the incorporation of a land-based activity be led by an Indigenous Knowledge Holder or Elder. Lastly, the learning module should be finalized with a class discussion and self-reflection assignment to provide students with the opportunity to solidify their learning. Canada must reconcile the broken relationship between Indigenous groups, the Earth, and our current institutions. The integration of traditional ways of knowing promotes the resurgence of Indigenous ways of being in education.

This paper explores the current ethical issues in the potential use of germline gene therapy. This paper will also discuss the ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence in the context of germline therapy. The balance between potential benefits and potential harm in its use will be appraised. Moreover, the principle of autonomy will be further studied. More specifically the issue of consent and the potential dilemma when the modified individual’s will and those who chose the modifications do not align will be examined. Furthermore, the ethicality in the potential non-medical use of germline gene therapy will be investigated. Also, the consequences for the non-medical use in the therapy such as potential human rights violations and a breach in the ethical principle of justice will be speculated. Moreover, this paper highlights the use of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Code of Ethics to help guide nurses through the complex ethical problems that they may face in germline gene therapy.

Motherhood and childbearing are culturally prestigious, a consequence related to gender roles, life milestones, social function, and population growth. However, external forces such as the community and the state have often overlooked power over the construction of socially acceptable forms of reproduction. Sexual violence-related pregnancies (SVRP) provide unique insight into social constructions of what is deemed as acceptable forms of pregnancy and motherhood, and understandings of the children—sometimes invoked as “monster babies” (Muller, 2016)—that come from these circumstances. This review seeks to examine the relationship between state and community understandings of appropriate motherhood, sexual violence, and gendered perceptions of “good” or socially supported motherhood. SVRP represents an intersection between stigmatization, social support, and criminality in conversations of reproductive health and decision-making, which will be demonstrated using abortion laws as a cross-cultural lens through which to understand the policing of SVRP comparatively between the United States, Australia, Nicaragua, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Furthermore, the contentious nature of abortion debates and legislation will be utilized as a lens to understand which forms of motherhood and childbearing can be considered state and community sanctioned and which are unsupported. This review will include discussions of difficult topics such as sexualized and gender-based violence, abortion, unwanted pregnancies, and reproductive coercion which may be distressing to readers.

Suicide is a major health problem, with a lack of decline in suicide rates over the past few decades suggesting that existing treatment methods are insufficient for dealing with suicidal behaviour. A review of the existing neuroimaging literature on suicidal behaviour suggests that a core, “skeleton” neural pathway exists in most suicidal individuals, who tend to have structural and functional alterations in the anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and insular cortex. This altered neural pathway explains the two main cognitive-behavioural characteristics observed in suicidal individuals: impaired decision-making, and emotional dysregulation. Abnormalities in other brain regions may exist in certain suicidal individuals; most notably, the presence of a comorbid mental disorder may be correlated with impairments of specific brain structures depending on the disorder present. Future neuroscientific and psychological research should aim to increase the replicability of neuroimaging studies, determine the extent that a comorbid mental disorder impacts an observed location of neural abnormality, and unify terminology definitions used in the study of suicide to increase validity and compatibility across suicidology research.

Indigenous sex workers are subject to colonial rule over their lives through Canadian law. Canadian colonial law restricts the agency of Indigenous sex workers resulting in a hazardous working environment. Outreach programs in Canada are vital resources in ensuring that Indigenous sex workers are provided with a safe working environment through occupational safety precautions. Understanding how outreach programs resist or invoke Bill C-36 is crucial to discover whether or not they create a safe environment for Indigenous sex workers. In this article, I critically review the policies of four outreach programs across Canada: Maggie’s Toronto, Hope Restored Canada, PACE (Providing Advocacy, Counseling and Education) Society, and Exit Doors Here. Their connection to Canadian law will be reviewed to discover whether or not they work from a decriminalization and a decolonial framework or reinforce Bill C-36. The following questions are asked of the outreach programs: (1) are they positioned as prohibitionists or are they aiming for sex work decriminalization? and (2) do they respect and support the voices of Indigenous sex workers? This article is premised on providing information for individuals who may have an impact on outreach program policies, in terms of how to improve accessibility to Indigenous sex workers.

Due to high rates of infection and contagion of the COVID-19 virus in Canadian prisons, the Parole Board of Canada implemented new guidelines to facilitate the early release of low-risk prisoners to limit the spread of novel coronavirus. This study examines Canadians’ opinions regarding the early release of prisoners from correctional institutions due to COVID-19 and seeks to discover if psychoeducational intervention can positively alter these opinions. Additionally, level of education was examined to ascertain whether years of formal education influenced openness to change. Data from 286 Canadians was collected using an online survey and found that overall, opinions towards the early release of prisoners due to COVID-19 were negative. It was also found that psychoeducational intervention was an effective way to improve attitudes towards the early release of prisoners and that those with a higher level of education were not more affected by psychoeducational intervention than those with a lower level of education; however, it was noted that those with a higher level of education expressed less concern overall regarding the increase of released offenders in the community.

Background: The use of COVID-19 vaccinations to prevent serious illness and infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been accepted by approximately two-thirds of the Canadian population, at the time that this article was completed. Although COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are widely accessible in North America, there remains a substantial portion of Canadians who demonstrate vaccine hesitancy. The objective of this study is to examine whether there exists a predictive relationship between one’s perceived stress-levels, general support for conspiracy theories, and antivaccination attitudes.

Methods: Fifty-one participants from the Vancouver, British Columbia region were recruited through social media. Participants completed a survey, which asked about perceived stress, vaccine hesitancy, and belief in conspiracy theories. Regression models were developed to measure the association between perceived stress and vaccine hesitancy. Simple mediation analysis was conducted to determine if belief in conspiracy theories mediated the relationship between perceived stress and vaccine hesitancy.

Results: Higher levels of conspiratorial thinking were associated with increased vaccine hesitancy (β = -0.465, p < .001, 95% CI [-0.81, -0.21]). Belief in conspiracies was not found to mediate the relationship between perceived stress-levels and vaccination attitudes.

Discussion: The results support a positive correlation between anti-vaccination attitude and the tendency to adopt general conspiracy beliefs. However, no association between vaccination attitudes and perceived stress was found, nor did conspiracy belief mediate the relationship between perceived stress and vaccination attitude. The role scientific uncertainty plays in civilian trust and conspiratorial thinking was explored. Some limitations include the use of a small sample size.