Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The present study compared the long-term recidivism of 191 child molesters and 137 nonsexual criminals. Overall, 83.2% of the nonsexual criminals and 61.8% of the child molesters were reconvicted during the 15- to 30-year follow-up period. The two groups tended to be reconvicted for distinct types of offenses. Almost all sexual offense recidivism was in the child molester group (35% vs. 1.5% in the nonsexual criminal group). The nonsexual criminals, in contrast, were responsible for almost all the nonsexual violent recidivism. In general, prior offenses of a specific type predicted future offenses of the same type. Overall, the results support the utility of developing specialized approaches for understanding and managing child molesters.

This article reviews the evidence for the existence of a ‘public sector service value chain’, offering a new way of thinking about what Bouckaert and his colleagues have called the micro-performance approach to improving trust and confidence in public institutions (Bouckaert et al., 2002). In particular, the article focuses on the role of service delivery in enhancing citizen trust and confidence. But it does so in the context of a broader model, one that links service delivery to other important aspects of management performance, especially people management. The article refers to this model as the ‘public sector service value chain’, drawing on work by Heskett and others in the private sector (Heskett et al., 1994, 1997). The article reviews evidence for links between employee engagement (satisfaction and commitment) and client satisfaction in the public sector, and between public sector client satisfaction and citizen trust and confidence. The article identifies the five main ‘drivers’ of service satisfaction in the public sector, and reviews both purported ‘drivers’ of employee engagement as well as data documenting the influence service delivery appears to have on citizens’ trust and confidence in Canada. The article outlines a forward research agenda, to identify the drivers of staff satisfaction and commitment, as well as drivers of trust and confidence in public institutions, and to determine whether the proposed links in the ‘public sector service value chain’ can be empirically validated.

The assessment of offender risk plays an important role in corrections, both in terms of its influence on program allocation and promoting the safe release of offenders into the community. Paroling authorities are particularly sensitive to offender risk and risk assessment forms a critical part of their decision to release an offender. Objective offender risk assessment instruments have been developed to assist in the release decision-making process and, in Canada, one such instrument is the Statistical Information on Recidivism (SIR) scale. The SIR scale was developed in the early 1970's and the present study reports on a re-validation along with an examination of the scale's ability to predict violent recidivism. Based on a new sample of3,267 inmates released in 1983-84, the validity of the SIR scale for the prediction of general recidivism was re-affirmed. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis also confirmed the present use of cut-off scores that define the various risk categories. Although SIR scores predicted violent re-offending. the magnitude of the relationship was less than that reported with other violent risk predicting instruments. Problems and options for improving predictions of violent re-offending are discussed with an emphasis on practical applications.

Abstract The Convention on Biological Diversity is the key global instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources. Through a globally agreed Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and related global Aichi targets, the Convention promotes, among other things, the maintenance of healthy ecosystems, the protection of threatened species and the conservation of the genetic material that underpins populations of wild and domesticated species. Increasingly, nongovernmental organisations, civil society groups and indigenous and local communities work through the Convention to urge governments to live up to their commitments and to support them, for example, in the establishment and effective management of protected area networks. As population growth and economic pressures enlarge humanity's ecological footprint, it remains to be seen whether the Convention is an effective tool for conserving the beauty, diversity and inspiring nature of our living environment for future generations to enjoy. Key Concepts International Conventions and protocols. Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. Biodiversity targets. National biodiversity strategies and action plans.

Abstract A process is described for the use of titanium dioxide as a catalyst in the Kjeldahl determination of total nitrogen, in the place of the efficient, but highly toxic mercuric oxide. The titanium dioxide is incorporated into a catalyst mixture with cupric sulphate and potassium sulphate in the ratio 0.3:0.3:10.0. Using a 1.0‐g sample, the digestion process involves the use of 20 ml of concentrated sulphuric acid, 10 g of catalyst mixture, 650‐W electric heaters and a total digestion time of 35 min. The catalyst mixture is efficient, inexpensive and non‐toxic.

Deliberative processes are a well-established part of health technology assessment (HTA) programs in a number of high- and middle-income countries, and serve to combine complex sets of evidence, perspectives, and values to support open, transparent, and accountable decision making. Nevertheless, there is little documentation and research to inform the development of effective and efficient deliberative processes, and to evaluate their quality. This article summarizes the 2020 HTAi Global Policy Forum (GPF) discussion on deliberative processes in HTA.Through a combination of small and large group discussion and successive rounds of polling, the GPF members reached strong agreement on three core principles for deliberative processes in HTA: transparency, inclusivity, and impartiality. In addition, discussions revealed other important principles, such as respect, reviewability, consistency, and reasonableness, that may supplement the core set. A number of associated supporting actions for each of the principles are also described in order to make each principle realizable in a given HTA setting. The relative importance of the principles and actions are context-sensitive and must be considered in light of the political, legislative, and operational factors that may influence the functioning of any particular HTA environment within which the deliberative process is situated. The paper ends with suggested concrete next steps that HTA agencies, researchers, and stakeholders might take to move the field forward. The proposed principles and actions, and the next steps, provide a springboard for further research and better documentation of important aspects of deliberation that have historically been infrequently studied.

Mortality among different groups of migrants to Canada is compared with that of native-born Canadians and with trends in the migrants' countries of origin, using data for the period 1981-1985. Results show that life expectancy at birth among migrants in Canada is generally higher than that of the populations at place of origin and destination. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)

The mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) is known to be heterogeneously distributed both intrinsically (from one individual food item to the next) as well as distributionally (throughout a sample of individual food items) in cereals and cereal-based foods. Therefore, proper sampling and sample comminution are special challenges, but are prerequisites for obtaining sound analytical data. This paper outlines the issue of the sampling process for cereals and cereal-based foods, starting with the planning phase, followed by the sampling step itself and the formation of analytical samples. The sampling of whole grain and retail-level cereal-based foods will be discussed. Furthermore, possibilities to reduce sampling variance are presented.

Abstract: The authors believe that management reform initiatives can be jeopardized by the government-wide application of idealized management frameworks. They suggest that, according to what they call “the law of mandated utopias,” the resultant management requirements become surreal in the eyes of departmental managers. The authors explore the ethical and practical dilemmas caused by the conflict between a public servant's duty to comply with centrally imposed requirements and the duty to manage people and public monies in a sensible way. The recent management improvement initiatives in the Government of Canada are used to demonstrate the practical limitations of the conceptual frameworks associated with performance measurement, performance audit, modern comptrollership, and human resources development. Suggestions are offered on how to improve management in departments while dealing with the surreal requirements generated by government-wide reforms based on utopian frameworks. Sommaire: Les auteurs estiment que l'application de cadres de gestion purement théoriques, à l'échelle de l'appareil gouvememental, pourrait compromettre les initiatives de reforme de la gestion. Ils sont d'avis que, sous les effets de ce qu'ils appellent la «loi des utopies imposées», les exigences que les gestionnaires de ministeres sont tenus de prendre en compte peuvent leur paraitre surrkalistes. Les auteurs analysent les dilemmes concrets et déontologiques que pose l'obligation faite aux gestionnaires de se conformer aux exigences des organismes centraux tout en gerant des fonction-naires et des fonds publics de façon judicieuse. Les initiatives actuelles d'amelioration de la gestion au gouvemement du Canada permettent de constater les limites concrètes des cadres conceptuels liés a la mesure et vérification du rendement, a la modernisation de la fonction de contrôleur et à la modemisation des ressources humaines. Les auteurs formulent, à l'intention des équipes de direction, des suggestions pour améliorer la gestion au sein de leurs ministères tout en faisant face aux exigences surréalistes engendrees par des réformes inspirkes par des cadres utopistes à l'echelle de l'appareil gouvernemental.

The assessment of treatment outcome for sexual offenders is an important concern for correctional, mental health, and child welfare agencies. Improvement in treatment should be assessed by reductions in factors that are associated with sexual offense recidivism. Although the research is generally inconclusive, several areas that have theoretical support as potential risk indicators are denial/minimization, sexual activity, sexual interests, and sexual attitudes. Procedures for assessing these constructs are reviewed, and suggestions are provided for developing new measures.

Abstract The accumulation of plastic litter in marine environments is a major environmental challenge along with the difficulties in their measurement because of the massive size of the oceans and vast circulation of plastic litter, which is being addressed as part of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Citizen science, public participation in scientific research and knowledge production, represents a potential source of data for SDG monitoring and reporting of marine plastic litter, yet there has been no evidence of its use to date. Here, we show how Ghana has become the first country to integrate existing citizen science data on marine plastic litter in their official monitoring and reporting of SDG indicator 14.1.1b for the years 2016–2020, which has also helped to bridge local data collection efforts with global monitoring processes and policy agendas by leveraging the SDG framework. The results have been used in Ghana’s 2022 Voluntary National Review of the SDGs, and reported on the UN SDG Global Database, as well as helping to inform relevant policies in Ghana. In addition, here, we present a pathway that can be adopted by the relevant government authorities in other countries that have an interest in following a similar citizen science data validation and reporting process for this indicator and potentially others.

Abstract: Policy institutes are prominent members of policy communities in Canada, but there is little understanding of their diversity beyond well‐known value orientations, nor of how they differ from other “think tank” organizations such as government councils and academic research centres. This paper supplies concepts and a framework for assessing the capacity and role of policy institutes. It compares the size and activities of several well‐known Canadian institutes, and puts their emergence in historical context. The paper concludes with suggestions on how to make institutes more relevant to the policy‐making process. Sommaire: Les instituts de politique sont des membres bien connus de la collectivité d'analyse des politiques au Canada, mais on comprend peu leur diversité (au‐delà de leurs orientations bien connues), et on voit mal en quoi ils diffèrent d'autres groupes de réflexion comme les conseils gouvernementaux et les centres de recherches universitaires. Le présent article offre des concepts et un cadre permettant d'évaluer la capacité et le rôle des Instituts de politique. II compare la taille et les activités de plusieurs instituts canadiens bien connus et il place leur émergence dans un contexte historique. Dans sa conclusion, l'article suggère des moyens permettant d'impliquer davantage les instituts dans le processus de définition des politiques.

A procedure for allocating classrooms in an educational institution is presented. It is based on a linear programming model in which a penalty function is minimized. With the default values of some parameters provided by the procedure, the model first assigns as many real rooms to the requests as possible. It also seeks to do so with the most preferred rooms. Finally, when it is necessary to depart from the most preferred rooms to satisfy the first objective, the model attempts to spread this departure uniformly among requests. By altering the default values in the penalty function, the user may also favour some requests in the attribution of rooms. Constraints are concerned with the availability of rooms at various hours of the day, and with the requests for these rooms. Since this approach implicitly explores all possible assignments, it should produce better results than manual allocation. Results of empirical applications confirm these expectations, taking the number of demands that can be met as the main criterion. Moreover, an automated procedure to prepare the problem and decode its solution has made it possible to decrease substantially the time spent on this task.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are: (1) to create a flowchart process model of how medical assistance in dying (MAID) occurs in Nova Scotia (NS), Canada and (2) to detail how NS healthcare professionals are involved in each stage of MAID. The research questions are: how is the MAID process carried out and which professionals are involved at which points? and which roles and activities do professionals carry out during MAID? DESIGN: Qualitative process model flowchart study with semistructured interviews. SETTING: Primary and secondary care in NS, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two interviewees self-selected to participate (12 physicians, 3 nurse practitioners (NP), 6 nurses, 6 pharmacists and 5 healthcare administrators and advocates). Participants were included if they conduct assessments, provide MAID, fill prescriptions, insert the intravenous lines, organise care and so on. RESULTS: The flowchart process model details five stages of how MAID occurs in NS: (1) starting the MAID process, (2) MAID assessments, (3) MAID preparation (hospital in-patient, hospital outpatient, non-hospital), (4) day of MAID and (5) post-MAID (hospital in-patient and outpatient, non-hospital, after leaving setting). Nineteen points where the process could stop or be delayed were identified. MAID differs slightly by location and multiple professionals from different organisations are involved at different points. Some physicians and NP provide MAID for free as they cannot be reimbursed or find it too difficult to be reimbursed. CONCLUSIONS: Our study adds knowledge about the MAID activities and roles of NS professionals, which are not documented in the international literature. Clinicians and pharmacists spend significant additional time to participate, raising questions about MAID's sustainability and uncompensated costs. The process model flowchart identifies where MAID can stop or be delayed, signalling where resources, training and relationship-building may need to occur. Knowing where potential delays can occur can help clinicians, administrators and policymakers in other jurisdictions improve MAID.

One major factor inhibiting skill formation in Australia is the low level of enterprise-level training provision. This paper attempts to explain this low level of provision in the context of an analysis of the skill formation process.The considerable limitations of the orthodox economic analysis of skill formation in the enterprise necessitate the use of an alternative explanatory framework. This is provided by the concept of structured labour markets and their enterprise and occupationally-based forms. The structured labour market framework provides a useful means of comparing the differences in operation of labour markets and their impact on the processes of skill formation in a number of industrialized countries.The Australian skill formation process is discussed in the light of this comparative evidence. Particular attention is paid to the system of regulating industrial relations and the impact this has on the structure of jobs, systems of payment and the role of trade unions and professional associations in maintaining occupational labour markets.The conclusion to the paper discusses the relative role in Australian enterprises of an internal and external labour market strategy and the effect each strategy has on adaption to changing production and marketing requirements.

This paper investigates the effectiveness of planning prompts on organizations’ tax compliance behavior. We conducted a large-scale, multi‐wave field experiment examining the tax-paying behavior of all organizations that failed to file timely annual returns for a payroll tax in the province of Ontario. Organizations were randomly assigned to receive one of two letters: Ontario’s standard late notice (control) and a revised experimental late notice, which included step-by-step instructions of when, where, and how to file a return. Our data indicate that planning prompts are effective at increasing organizations’ timely tax payment. In addition to replicating these findings across two waves, we demonstrate that, although our intervention did not appear to have effects that persisted across tax years, organizations also did not habituate to our manipulation and its effects were consistent across repeated exposures. Our study is among the first to demonstrate that a simple behavioral intervention that has typically been applied to individuals to help them to act upon their existing motivations can be effective in the realm of tax compliance and organizational behavior. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, behavioral economics.

Abstract At the Centre Océanologique de Bretagne, a research program on turbot rearing has been in progress for several years. The life cycle is now under control. Up to 10,000 3‐month‐old juveniles can be produced per natural or shifted spawning season. Attention is now focused on the first week stages. Obtaining an average survival of 10% from hatching up to 3 months is still difficult. Weaning generally starts in 30‐day‐old larvae (75 mg wet weight) and the gross mortality during weaning is near 50%. Three‐month‐old juveniles weigh about 2 g. In Brittany, culture necessarily begins in a nursery using heated water. The grow‐out period begins between 5 and 20 g: 5 g when winter is over, 20 g when winter is coming. At this stage they can grow either in tanks or in floating sea‐cages and they may be fed dry pellets. After 20 g, moist foods containing at least 25%, on dry basis, of trashed fish are more efficient. Pure trashed fish also gives good results. The food conversion ratio is about 1 (dry food weight/wet weight fish gain). The first data on turbot growth in intensive conditions are encouraging. In our area, annual temperature of the open sea ranges from 7 to 18°C allowing an average weight gain of 1 kg at 2 years and 2 kg (3 kg in the best case) at 3 years of age. Control of spawning season is still necessary to obtain a good market size of about 2 kg of body weight in less than 3 years.

Abstract The Convention on Biological Diversity is the key global instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources. Through a globally agreed target aimed to reduce the loss of biodiversity the Convention promotes the maintenance of healthy ecosystems, the protection of threatened species and the conservation of the genetic material that underpins populations of wild and domesticated species. Increasingly, nongovernmental organizations, civil society groups and indigenous and local communities work through the Convention to urge countries to live up to their commitments and to support them, for example in the establishment and effective management of protected area networks. As population growth and economic pressures enlarge humanity's ecological footprint it remains to be seen whether the Convention is an effective tool for conserving the beauty, diversity and inspiring nature of our living environment for future generations to enjoy.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a baseline for physicians' knowledge of and counseling practices on the use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and to determine potential changes in these measures after the implementation of a national AMR awareness campaign. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design. SETTING: Canada. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1600 physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physicians' knowledge of and counseling practices on antibiotic use and AMR at baseline and after implementation of the AMR awareness campaign. RESULTS: = .01]). Most respondents in both surveys reported feeling confident with respect to counseling their patients on the appropriate use of antibiotics and AMR. CONCLUSION: Physicians' knowledge of and levels of counseling on the use of antibiotics and AMR were high and fairly stable in both survey results. This shows that Canadian physicians are demonstrating behaviour patterns of AMR stewardship. Existing gaps in counseling practices might be a result of physicians believing that pharmacists or nurses are addressing these issues with patients. Future national surveys conducted among pharmacists and nurses would contribute to the evidence base for AMR stewardship activities.

The “age-friendly cities” concept proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a multi-sectoral policy approach to address demographic aging in urban settings. Canadian governments at all levels, seniors’ organizations and non-governmental organizations have embraced this model for creating environments to support healthy, active aging. This paper describes how Canadian governments and partners have advanced the Age-Friendly Communities (AFC) initiative starting with the original development by WHO in 2006-07 to its current status five years later, involving the federal government, eight provinces, and 850 municipalities. With evidence of actions taken at the three levels of government, it is argued here that the successful evolution of AFC in Canada is the fruit of the national, collaborative leadership role played the Public Health Agency of Canada, the commitment of provincial partners to implement AFC fully in their jurisdiction, and the engagement of municipalities in creative and comprehensive community development with and for seniors.. Le concept de « villes-amies des aines » propose par l'Organisation mondiale de la Sante (OMS) est une approche politique multisectorielle qui vise a repondre au vieillissement demographique en milieu urbain. Tous les ordres de gouvernement au Canada, les organismes s'occupant des aines et les organismes non gouvernementaux ont adopte ce modele pour creer des milieux propices a un vieillissement actif et en bonne sante. Ce document decrit comment les gouvernements canadiens et leurs partenaires ont fait progresser l'initiative des communautes-amies des aines, depuis sa creation par l'OMS en 2006-2007 jusqu'a la situation actuelle, cinq ans apres, avec la participation du gouvernement federal, de huit provinces et de 850 municipalites. Compte tenu des mesures mises en place par les trois ordres de gouvernement, ce document explique que le developpement reussi des communautes-amies des aines au Canada est le fruit de plusieurs facteurs : le role moteur national et collaboratif joue par l'Agence de la sante publique du Canada, l'engagement des partenaires provinciaux a mettre pleinement en place le concept de communautes-amies des aines sur leur territoire, et l'implication des municipalites en faveur d'un amenagement creatif et global de leur collectivite pour et avec les aines.