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Papers by Catherine Fraser

In these days of food security and the 100 mile diet, here in Victoria, BC we have the opportunit... more In these days of food security and the 100 mile diet, here in Victoria, BC we have the opportunity of a 20 yards diet. Victoria has had fruit orchards and trees throughout the region since the mid nineteenth century. Using the first aerial photos of Victoria in the 1920s, these orchards can be relocated and mapped. Being aware of the recent past landscape of Victoria and land use change connects us to the land and we are more likely to care and plan better in its use. Because some remnant orchards and trees still exist local organisations such as LifeCycles Fruit Tree Project were contacted to contribute to the harvesting of fruit from residents' yards. Maps and data from this study can assist.

Western Geography, Mar 1, 2015

Social life, and particularly health care delivery, in a small isolated community is more complex... more Social life, and particularly health care delivery, in a small isolated community is more complex and nuanced than has been reflected in much of the literature on physician retention, which has never extended the notion of the "workload" past the physician's formal role in the health care setting. Despite having been acknowledged by provincial and national government policies, few of what Anderson and Rosenberg (1990) describe as "unidimensional solutions" have resolved the "multidimensional issues" of physician retention in northern Canada. This thesis employs a qualitative framework to investigate the practice and lifestyle experiences of general practitioners on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) to provide a local analysis of physician retention problems experienced by isolated communities. By including both physicians and community members as key informants, the project attempts to determine whether a difference exists between physicians' perceptions of place and their roles and the voiced expectations of the communities they serve. The research uses a combination of in-depth interviews and questionnaires with physicians (n=6) and community members (n=12) to determine the various roles played by a physician in a small community. It queries whether the community in question expects physician to take up roles outside of the medical space, whether physicians are influenced by these expectations and whether these may contribute to the cessation of practice in remote communities. This thesis examines not only health care-related factors involved in medical practice, but also the informal settings of the community at large, including the general interactions that are incorporated into a physician's character in a close-knit and isolated place. The findings of the thesis demonstrate that there are significant gaps between what community members and physicians believe is reasonable behaviour and the reality of physicians' experiences in their respective island communities. The lack of boundaries perceived by physicians in their communities often leads to social isolation, which has the opposite intended iii effect of respite, instead leading to further disengagement from the local community, finally resulting in a decision to locate elsewhere. I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Mark Rosenberg, for his consistent, enthusiastic and unwavering support over the course of my graduate studies. He helped me hone my skills and to think critically about health geography; to consider what items are "interesting, but not important". His pragmatism and investment in my work has prepared me better than I could have imagined for my future. Thank you to Dr. W. George Lovell, profe and gallant head of the 257/258 equipo de sueño. He conveys his deep knowledge of the realities of the world, balanced with equal measures of joy and hope. Betsy Donald provided support and friendship that I am very grateful for; her advice, easy-demeanor and encouragement have been invaluable to me. Many thanks also to John Holmes for his joyful, interesting teaching of our introductory MA seminar; and to Audrey Kobayashi for her hospitality and assistance since the beginning of my arrival at Queen's. My research was made possible by the participation of local residents on Haida Gwaii and I am grateful for the wholehearted support I received from islanders during my research interview period in July and August 2008. I interviewed caring and motivated community members in Sandspit, Queen Charlotte, Masset and Port Clements. I extend thanks to the health care staff, physicians, community leaders and residents who welcomed me and my ideas.

Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America, and increasingly so for women.... more Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America, and increasingly so for women. Since 2000, a plague of violence has been sweeping Guatemala, and its capital Guatemala City, in particular, where approximately half of the homicides are concentrated. One central aspect of contemporary violence sees Guatemalan women targeted for murder and mutilation in urban and rural areas – a phenomenon called femicidio/femicide and/or feminicidio/feminicide – simply for being women ‘out of place.’ In this paper we argue that the individual and collective violent experiences of women in Guatemala are important for understanding how violence affects the negotiation of space and security (Pain & Smith, 2008) and how the State largely enables the murderers to live in a “killer’s paradise” (Portenier,
2006).

Western Geography, Mar 1, 2015