Credit unions and co-operatives share a common identity and foundational values as organizations that meet the economic, social, and cultural needs of their member-owners. A perennial concern for the credit union and co-operative sectors has been the need to identify opportunities for collaboration to advance the prominence of member-owned models. This research surveys and interviews […]

Meeting Canada’s commitment to the Paris Agreement will require a fundamental shift in the energy systems of Canadian cities. Regina, Saskatchewan is located in the sun-belt of Canada and also lies within the Great Plains wind corridor. Recognizing this potential for renewable energy, the City of Regina has committed to a target of meeting 100% […]

Phytoremediation is a promising in-situ technology that uses plants and its associated microorganisms (particularly bacteria and fungi) to clean up contaminated soils. The efficacy of these processes however, requires an in-depth knowledge on the diversity of microbial communities closely interacting with plant roots. Several studies have demonstrated that plants growing in contaminated soils select for […]

Innovative geosynthetic drainage products have been developed that have the potential to significantly benefit the stability of constructed embankments or reconstructed slopes especially where these are constructed from soil (or soil-like materials such as tailings) that are finer and less permeable (and thus weaker) then free-draining coarse-grained granular fills. Applications include reconstruction and stabilisation of […]

Firefighting water additives are a mixture of chemicals that are mixed with water to more effectively extinguish fires (i.e., residential, industrial, forest fires). The use of these additives is likely to increase in fighting forest fires due to the projected increase in forest fire occurrence and intensity due to climate change. Ingredients of firefighting water […]

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Halyomorpha halys (Stål)) is an invasive pest with a large host range that includes many economically important fruits, vegetables, and row crops. Native to Asia, BMSB was first detected in North America in 1998 and since has become established in British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario; and 44 American states. In […]

Climate change, land development, invasive species, and other disturbances can alter the composition, structure, and functions of native vegetation across landscapes. These disturbances also impact insect parasitoids, which are a key, and often overlooked, component of biodiversity. By their ability to control other insect populations, they are integral for fostering resilient and functional forests. Understanding […]

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are major contributors to smog, causing harm to both the environment and human health. However, VOCs control faces tremendous challenges. The aggregation of low VOCs concentration emitted by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have significant environmental and social impacts. However, SMEs find the current “on the market” technologies impractical and too […]

We will analyze long-term monitoring data that were sampled over ten years from nearshore regions of the Great Lakes to find out key factors that cause the proliferation of nuisance benthic algae and fouling of shorelines of Lake Ontario in the Toronto–Durham region and throughout the Great Lakes. Additionally, we will test whether environmental DNA […]

The research undertaken through the Regenerative Neighbourhoods Project explores the ways that specific building and infrastructure projects can act as catalysts for transformational change at the neighbourhood scale with respect to sustainability objectives. It encompasses both substantive performance improvements and the changes in the project delivery processes required to achieve them. Through collaboration with local […]

Public food forests can be an important way to increase urban resilience, sustainability, and food security. The food forest, or forest garden, is an edible landscape designed for food production. This research investigates how publicly-accessible urban food forests are currently being utilized to enhance food production and resilience. By reviewing existing examples, this research seeks […]

My internship focuses on the creation of a weighted scale that ranks different types of environmental disturbances, both natural (i.e. wildfires) and anthropogenic (i.e. seismic activity), by the level of transformation they incur in arctic tundra ecosystems. Currently, there is a lack of a widely used ranking system to help understand which types of environmental […]