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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

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

This qualitative study explores and documents the lived experiences of women who are leading social movement organizations in Canada. It gives context to their work within the established sectors and broader movements they are a part of, while highlighting the barriers and opportunities they are currently facing in their work. Their experiences also shed light on the unique barriers that have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the unique opportunities made visible because of the current political climate in Canada and beyond.

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.

Land as Life is a community-led and created undergraduate course in the Faculty of Xwulmuxw/Indigenous Studies at Vancouver Island University that has been running for 18 years. Every year it is planned and created by local Indigenous Knowledge-Keepers with the course instructor. The class is structured around teaching and learning in community-engaged settings, off campus from local Elders and community members from local nations, such as the Snuneymuxw, Stz’uminus, Quw’utsun and Penelakut territories. A research Project Team was formulated to explore the impacts of the course to share with the university community about how Indigenous land-based pedagogy traditionally stems from the land and how the Indigenous community members (Elders/Knowledge Keepers) exemplify how land-based and community-centred education benefits both the student-participants and the community at large. The specific contributions of this project demonstrate the benefits of an integrated course delivery, one that is informed by Indigenous pedagogies and due to COVID-19 had to be virtual. The analysis of the data, included in the film, provides the Vancouver Island University community understanding of the transformative student impacts resulting from the course, even in a virtual ‘crisis teaching’ format.

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.

Female genital mutilation, also known as FGM, is a traditional cultural ceremony that has been practiced for hundreds of years in Africa, Asia, South Asia, and some parts of Europe. Girls from infancy to marriage or motherhood have been subjected to the partial or total removal of female genitalia as a rite of passage to ensure protection of purity and cleanliness. FGM is an ongoing cultural practice in Nigeria because of social conditioning. The results of the research show that the involvement of community members (victims of FGM, elders, and medical professionals) and leaders (spiritual, cultural, and political) will play a big role in reducing the practice of FGM in Nigeria. This portfolio synthesis includes methodology, methods, components, theoretical framework, knowledge of dissemination, and plan transfer. I explore why FGM is still an accepted practice in Nigeria and how social norm practices actively contribute to the ongoing practice of FGM. I had originally planned to travel to Nigeria to collect the data for this portfolio by dissertation. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, I was unable to travel and instead resorted to using different social media platforms such as WhatsApp to collect my data. This portfolio synthesis presents an overview of the following three components of the dissertation by portfolio: 1) a journal article submitted to African Studies Quarterly journal detailing the results and answers to the FGM research questions through 30 WhatsApp phone interviews of participants in Nigeria; 2) a 3D animation documentary of the real-life experience of a victim of FGM and its harmful effects; and 3) a peer reviewed conference presentation published in the proceedings at the Royal Roads University Social Engaging Applied Research Conference (August, 2021) comprised of a literature review defining FGM and outlining why it is continued.