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This thesis explored the question: “How might I act to facilitate interorganizational collaboration as an outside third-party action researcher and leader?” This first person-action research applied action learning methodologies and methods that included reflexive learning through journal writing and engaging in feedback sessions with feedback partners and a subject-matter expert. This study found that my own feelings, actions, and behaviours as well as those of others influenced the level of success of my ability to facilitate interorganizational leadership. The findings also demonstrated my ability and desire to learn new behaviours and actions that may improve my skills as a facilitative leader in the context of interorganizational collaboration. Recommendations for facilitating interorganizational collaboration as an outside third party and possible areas for further examination arose from this study. Keywords: action learning research; interorganizational collaboration; facilitative leadership, and change leadership; first-person action research.

Building equitable, accessible and affordable campuses through Co-operatives. Webinars discussing co-operatives, what they are and how they could make for more equitable and accessible campus communities. Co-op webinar 1. This video is part of the first webinar in the webinar series on "COVID-19 Response: Building Higher Learning Resilience in the Face of Epidemics". Webinar occurred on February 24th, 2021.

Describes and offers context for a proposed project to curate a web archive related to COVID-19 impacts for Central and North Vancouver Island. Vancouver Island University

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in sudden school closures worldwide, including the critical learning years from early kindergarten to grade twelve (K-12). Teachers, students, parents, administrators, and staff were thrust into learning at a distance. This qualitative case study focussed on a specific islands district in British Columbia, Canada, where the school community's personal experiences during the pandemic were examined. An Appreciative Inquiry approach was used to investigate the voices of everyone in the school community in this unique District with the hope of positively impacting future district decisions. Data was collected through an online survey, interviews, and a mini focus group. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of three central themes: (1) reciprocal learning, (2) the adoption of technology, and (3) re-imagining the curriculum. The results of this study include recommendations, strategies, and actions for decision-makers to consider for the future of education delivery in K-12 districts worldwide.

The draft guidebook is a comprehensive summary of the steps to consider while successfully launching and using digital engagement. The research on this topic indicates that investing in digital engagement technology for municipal planning is becoming a priority for many public and private organizations. The declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic on March 11th, 2020, had a ripple effect across the globe as many economies came to a screeching halt, suspending all-in person meetings until the foreseeable future. The restrictions on in-person meetings inadvertently made the usage of digital engagement tools exceedingly crucial for local governments. It is essential to highlight that the major project from which the guidebook is informed was conducted from a research program based in Canada. Consequently, some examples and references of the guidebook’s framework will be grounded in the local context. Major project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning in the Department of Community Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vancouver Island University. https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/24396/DigitalEngagementGuidebook.pdf?sequence=3

This research explored dining experiences of homebound consumers in Ottawa, Canada and examined whether the COVID-19 pandemic allowed independent restaurant "take-out" to become a new dining experience among individuals. This qualitative study conducted 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews to identify changes in consumer behaviour attributed to events from the global pandemic. While COVID-19 began to impact the restaurant industry in March 2020, this research was conducted in August 2020, five months after the pandemic's introduction. Consumers and industry professionals offered insights into the current local-restaurant industry status, including business closures, worker layoffs, and mental health conditions. The findings showcase the importance of socializing, comfort, and safety, while emerging outcomes included the creation of new eating habits and experiences. Conclusions from this study can provide valuable consumer information as independent businesses slowly start to regain operations. Recommendations include repeating the research in a post-pandemic study to re-evaluate take-out experiences among consumers. Keywords: homebound, COVID-19, take-out, dining experience, restaurant industry, qualitative, thematic analysis, Ottawa, Canada

In 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared vaccine hesitancy as a top threat to global health while highlighting the concerning resurgence of vaccine preventable diseases. In the Northern British Columbia region, which is under the jurisdiction of the Northern Health Authority, there are lower routine child vaccination rates than the rest of the province, however, these rates do not tell us why parents may be vaccine hesitant. As a communications professional working in healthcare, I conducted this qualitative research to better understand the local barriers and drivers of vaccination for Northern BC parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two key audiences: parents of young children (five years and younger) and immunizers (nurses) who administer routine child vaccinations. The interview data were analyzed using discourse analysis to develop vaccination-related themes. Unexpected results included the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on increasing parental vaccine hesitancy, the impact of the pandemic on increasing general vaccine awareness, the experience of first-time parents, and the impact of family dynamics in small communities. This research also revealed the extreme difficulty in recruiting participants in the vaccine-hesitant parent population. In accordance with the WHO’s Tailoring Immunization Programmes approach of not guessing why populations may be hesitant but determining the root cause, this research sheds light on several reasons why Northern BC parents may be vaccine-hesitant, and it goes one step further by offering strategic communication recommendations informed by the Behaviour Change Wheel to help increase vaccine uptake for young children in the region.

This dissertation reports on a three-year participatory action research (PAR) initiative aimed at re-localising the food system in a specific locale in Canada. It describes the process from theory to practice of building leadership and collaboration across the food sector—farming, fishing, processing, grocery, restaurant, institutional, policy, and investment—aimed at systematically developing a local food short supply chain. Emboldened by the immediacy of the intersection of a persistent pandemic with the climate crisis, participants are using an interdisciplinary lens to create a local food system based on a values proposition that takes the attributes of physicality, relationships, and scalability into account. In this context, the author suggests that locale is what matters most in considering what “local” means within the food system. Framed in critical social theory, this research reviews the literature that traces the global impacts of the green revolution from its origins to its present day concentrated corporate control, vertical integration, and financialisation of the industrial food system. It joins with others who understand that doing nothing to transform the food system is not an option. The dissertation provides a detailed description of the role of PAR in building shared meaning and sustainability in the dynamic process of food system transformation. The author offers a schematic of a local food short supply chain using a circular economy model that embeds participant values of diversity, equity, and sustainability. The research suggests that networking locale-based food systems may become a new globalising force that re-localises food culture and sovereignty. Keywords: food system transformation, reterritorializing food, local food short supply chain, COVID-19 pandemic, climate action, critical social theory, PAR methodology, food sovereignty

Building equitable, accessible and affordable campuses through Co-operatives. Webinars discussing co-operatives, what they are and how they could make for more equitable and accessible campus communities. Co-op webinar 2. This video is part of the second webinar in the webinar series on "COVID-19 Response: Building Higher Learning Resilience in the Face of Epidemics: Co-operatives and Campuses." Webinar occurred on March 17th, 2021.

Building equitable, accessible and affordable campuses through Co-operatives. Webinars discussing co-operatives, what they are and how they could make for more equitable and accessible campus communities. Co-op webinar 1. This video is part of the first webinar in the webinar series on "COVID-19 Response: Building Higher Learning Resilience in the Face of Epidemics". Webinar occurred on February 24th, 2021.