In 2010 the Grand Falls-Windsor – Baie Verte – Harbour Breton Regional Council identified two priorities for community-based research in their region: community engagement and land use planning. In early 2011 the Council initiated a research partnership with Dr. Kelly Vodden, Memorial University to investigate past experiences with community engagement in the region and innovative approaches to citizen and community engagement that might be undertaken in the future. In investigating community engagement a multi-year research agenda was envisioned, with the potential for applying lessons regarding community engagement in the initiation of a dialogue in the region on land use issues and planning for appropriate land use. The ultimate goal is to work towards regional land use plan, which “provides a broad level vision and goals for the allocation, management and use of land and resources, including renewable, non-renewable and water-based resources within a region” (http://www.emr.gov.yk.ca/lands/regional_land_use_planning.html). The project has been undertaken in two parts, the first between 2011 and 2012 and the second slated for 2012-2013.

The first phase of the project entailed a thorough scan and analysis of existing literature on land use issues within the province and a focus on those occurring in the Grand Falls-Windsor – Baie Verte – Harbour Breton Rural Secretariat region. The second phase to commence in July 2012 will focus on tying the identified issues of effective community engagement and land use planning together and will entail interviews with key stakeholders as well as community-based consultations. The first phase of the research produced a scoping document entitled A Scan of Land Use Issues in the Grand Falls-Windsor – Baie Verte – Harbour Breton Region which gives an overview of the land use issues present within the region and across numerous topics such as agriculture, forestry, mining, cottage and cabin development, aquaculture, competing waterfront usage, access to Crown Lands, tourism and recreation, and other. Research Team and Partners: Kelly Vodden, Memorial University; Raïsa Mirza, Memorial University; Janelle Skeard, Memorial University; Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador; Rural Secretariat, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Weblink: http://ruralresilience.ca/?page_id=109

This project is part of a larger research initiative that explores the relationship between fisheries policy and island community development in Maine and Newfoundland and Labrador. Two communities in each study area will be used to examine the impacts of fisheries policy on island communities and, conversely, how small island communities seek to influence fisheries policy and management decisions. The Maine portion of this study will include two small communities of Swan’s Island and the island of Monhegan. In Newfoundland and Labrador the selected case studies are Anchor Point (on the western shore of the Northern Peninsula) and Fogo and Change Islands (located off the coast of northeastern Newfoundland). For each of these communities, the fishing industry is the largest economic player. On Fogo Island, for example, fishing and fish processing represented 61% of direct employment in Seldom-Little Seldom, 54% in Fogo, and 48% in Joe Batt’s Arm-Barr’d Islands-Shoal Bay in 2006; in Anchor Point the fishery provides 67% of direct employment (Community Accounts 2006).

The research has three key objectives: 1) To determine how residents in these island communities have been impacted by policy decisions about fisheries; 2) To see how communities have challenged past policies or responded to the impacts of past, current or anticipated future policies, and to explore the impact these efforts have had in the resiliency of these communities to changes in the fishery; 3) To connect these communities with one another and allow them to learn about, assess, and critique each other’s resilience and coping strategies and in doing so to enhance their own efforts to create more sustainable local fisheries and economies in the future. If something has worked for one area, then there is the possibility that the strategy will inform and benefit another. Differences between fishing policies and responses will be drawn out to explore how location and contextual factors affect policy practices and impacts. Research Team: Kelly Vodden, Memorial University; Ratana Chuenpagdee, Memorial University; Emily Thomas, University of Prince Edward Island; Maureen Woodrow, University of Ottawa.  Weblink: http://ruralresilience.ca/?page_id=244

In rural Newfoundland, our watersheds are the life blood of our cultural and economic identity as well as providing critical drinking water supplies. Drinking water issues in rural areas are inextricably tied to the health of watersheds. Therefore, protection and conservation of watersheds and all of their components is vital to rural livelihoods and well- being. Land-use practices occurring in watersheds have an impact on water quality and health of the overall ecosystem, including the individuals that rely on these resources for subsistence, culture, and recreation. The study has the following objectives: 1) To determine the presence of microbiological and/or chemical contaminants of surface waters and roadside springs in the Indian Bay watershed (elements of the local drinking water supply outside of the scope of the existing provincial monitoring program); 2) To determine population perspectives and practices related to water contamination, environmental management and sustainable solutions; and 3) To research community-based watershed water quality monitoring models employed elsewhere that may be applicable in Indian Bay along with their relative strengths and weaknesses. Research Team: Kelly Vodden, Memorial University; Atanu Sarkar, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University. Weblink: http://ruralresilience.ca/?page_id=239

 

 

The forest sector in Newfoundland is rapidly changing, with mill closures, shrinking employment, shifting cultural and social expectations, and conflicts and uncertainties surrounding land use and tenure. This project utilizes interviews with forest managers and other stakeholders, as well as document analysis, to evaluate the opportunities and challenges facing forests and forest communities in Newfoundland. Research questions include: What is the current forest policy framework, and how has this changed over time? How does forest management align with forest policy? Who is making decisions in the forests of Newfoundland, who is benefiting from these decisions, and who is excluded? After data collection, researchers will place Newfoundland’s forest sector within the broader Canadian and global context, in order to provide recommendations and to identify research gaps.

Fostering Sustainable Food Systems in Newfoundland: A Case Study of the West Coast Farmers' Market

This project, funded by the Harris Centre Applied Research Fund, has four main objectives: To assess the supply and demand of locally produced food in western Newfoundland, to gather and analyze views on the potential and barriers for developing farmers' markets in this region, to examine farmers' market governance models in other jurisdictions, and to evaluate the current efforts to develop a farmers' market in the Corner Brook area. (Lead: Dr. Angela Carter, Research Assistant: Katie Temple)

Regional Food Security in a time of Climate Change: Assessing and Building Capacity for Alternative Food Networks and Production in the Humber River Basin

Researchers at the Environmental Policy Institute (EPI) are exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the local food system. This project, funded by the Humber River Basin Project, will consolidate existing data from reports and publications and contribute new data in the form of a food resource inventory, a food costing study, and interviews with food producers, community members, government representatives, NGOs, and regional planners.

Addressing Food Security in Western Newfoundland: Building a Regional Research Agenda and Engaging the Public via “Green Books” 2011

This initiative will build on the successes of “Green Books” events hosted by the Environmental Policy Institute at Grenfell and involving numerous other organizations including the College of the North Atlantic, NL Public Libraries, Random House, and the City of Corner Brook. In addition to a talk by an author who has written a book about food security, there will also be a panel discussion component that will include speakers working on food security in the province from diverse backgrounds. We will use the panel to brainstorm a research agenda on food security for the region.

Carbon Footprint Analysis of Grenfell Campus

The carbon footprint of an organization is t he amount of greenhouse gas emissions related to the organization’s operations. It is also often referred to as a Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Conducting a carbon footprint requires collecting, analyzing and presenting data on these emissions. These metrics serve to track progress in emission reduction and efficient resource utilization. This project is funded by the Regional Collaboration Research Fund.​