UNews - Tom Johnston

PUBlic Professor Series features Johnston discussing the role of place in shaping our past, present and future

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 17:13:07 +0000

Just as every population cohort is presented with different sets of circumstances, every geographic location has associated with it, constraints and opportunities that are specific to time and place.

This is the fifth talk of the 2018-19 season for the Faculty of Arts & Science’s PUBlic Professor Series.

On Thursday, February 28, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge geography professor, Dr. Tom Johnston, will present The Geography of Circumstance. This is the fifth talk of the 2018-19 season for the Faculty of Arts & Science’s PUBlic Professor Series. The free event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge and is open to the public.

Drawing on examples ranging in scale from the neighbourhood to the nation-state, from the micro scale to the macro, in this presentation Johnston will explore the manner in which geographic location, both in absolute and relative terms, plays a role in shaping futures and helps us explain the present and the past.

Before taking up his appointment at the U of L, Johnston earned degrees from the universities of Guelph and Waterloo, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Massey ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in New Zealand. His research interests focus on resource policy analysis and structural change in rural systems, especially the agricultural sector. His current research projects include a study of the effectiveness of voluntary-adoption resource stewardship programming, and human dimensions of wildfire, especially the post-event recovery phase.

Johnston teaches courses on introductory human geography, agricultural geography, the rural-urban fringe, the geography of Canada and the history of geographic thought.

The final talk scheduled for 2018-19 will feature geography professor, Dr. Hester Jiskoot. Details on Jiskoot’s presentation can be found at: ulethbridge.ca/artsci/publicprofessor.

Remember the people factor

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 21:42:31 +0000

A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge geography researcher is suggesting that flood mitigation and future planning processes involve people in the communities most affected – to help cities and towns look ahead and reduce some of the challenges faced across the province by recent flooding.

Dr. Tom Johnston, who studies the human dimensions of natural hazards, says that as much as the recently-announced Government of Alberta flood mitigation plan and measures such as an expert panel on flood issues are important and timely steps forward, the processes by which people and the environment engage is what concerns him as flood reduction planning begins.

“With many thousands of people displaced over a short period of time, entire communities have been affected by flooding and the critical element to planning for the future is community engagement,” says Johnston.

Dr. Tom Johnston cautions against flood mitigation processes that don’t factor in how people engage with the environment.

He adds that structural responses – constructing flood-control dams or physically changing or dredging parts of a river to better manage water flow – need to be matched with non-structural or policy-based responses, such as incorporating the latest and best available flood hazard information into community and land-use planning, and even prohibiting development in high-risk places.

“It is extremely important that in addition to scientists and engineers that we have community involvement in any land-use planning process,” says Johnston. “This not only ensures that the challenge of flooding is minimized, but it also allows community members to be aware of, and fully involved in, the future of their community.”

Johnston adds that social scientists, such as human geographers and other behavioural scientists also need to be included in the discussion because their expertise would complement that of hydrologists and engineers.

The Government of Alberta recently rolled out a Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan, which Johnston says will be helpful in increasing public awareness about flood-affected areas of the province.

“A central feature of the plan is a web-based interactive map (environment.alberta.ca/01655.html) that highlights “Flood Hazard Areas” down to the local scale. The GIS-based system is operator friendly, and if you have used interactive mapping software on your smart phone or some other device, you can easily navigate this system,” Johnston says.

“First, the studies used to delineate flood hazard areas should be as current as possible. Second, local and regional authorities charged with the responsibility for land-use planning must be willing to use the system to guide their decision making, even though this could involve constraining the range of residential location choices available to citizens.”

Johnston says that as of June 2013, more than 50 flood hazard studies had been completed for the provincial government.

“The most recent studies in and around the communities experiencing severe flooding in June were completed after February 1996 (environment.alberta.ca/01656.html), or 17 years ago.”

Given the recent flood events, future hazard zone mapping should be more consistent, Johnston says.

“We are dealing with dynamic systems, many of which are under increasing pressure from a variety of human activities, so it is prudent to make sure they are done regularly.”

Factoring the ‘people equation’ into future flood hazard planning key to helping communities recover

trevor.kenney — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 21:25:05 +0000

- community input necessary to help with future flood reduction strategies
- flood hazard mapping needs to be updated as communities and river systems change
- majority of flood hazard studies are now up to two decades old

Dr. Tom Johnston, who studies human dimensions of natural hazards, said that as much as the recently-announced flood mitigation plan and other measures, such as an expert panel on flood issues, are important and timely steps forward, the processes by which people and the environment engage is what concerns him as flood reduction planning begins.

"With many thousands of people displaced over a short period of time, entire communities affected by flooding and the dramatic change that has brought to how people live, work and interact with each other, the critical element to planning for the future is community engagement."

Johnston says that structural responses – constructing flood-control dams, or physically changing or dredging parts of a river to better manage water flow -- need to be matched with non-structural or policy-based responses, such as incorporating the latest and best available flood hazard information into community and land-use planning, and even prohibiting development in high-risk places.

"It is extremely important that in addition to scientists and engineers that we have community involvement in any land-use planning process, not only to ensure that the challenge of flooding is minimized, but also to have the community members be aware of, and fully involved in, the future of their community."

Johnston adds that social scientists, such as human geographers and other behavioural scientists also need to be included in the discussion because their expertise would complement the expertise of hydrologists and engineers. "One would be foolish to consult a cardiologist about a hip replacement, so why would we rely on experts trained in disciplines that don't deal with understanding human behaviour for advice on human dimensions of hazard management?"

Johnston says that it's stating the obvious that no one wishes to go through another flood season like this. "Regardless of how affected a particular community is – from severe to moderate -- it would be prudent to get people more directly involved and looking ahead not only to next year, but 30 or more years in the future, so they could say they helped to solve a big problem for the next generation of residents. This year's flooding in the Bow River Basin was extreme. The chances of a flood of that magnitude occurring in any given year are very low — probably less than one per cent — but we need to remember that includes next year."

The Government of Alberta recently rolled out a Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan, which Johnston says will be helpful to increase public awareness about flood-affected areas of the province.

"A central feature of the plan is a web-based interactive map that highlights "Flood Hazard Areas" down to the local scale. The GIS-based system is operator friendly, and if you have used interactive mapping software on your smart phone or some other device, you can easily navigate this system," Johnston says. http://environment.alberta.ca/01655.html

The hazard maps will be useful for home buyers, and should be helpful in guiding flood-proofing efforts and for land-use planning, Johnston adds, but in order for the system to achieve anything close to its full potential, two conditions must be satisfied.

"First, the studies used to delineate flood hazard areas should be as current as possible. Second, local and regional authorities charged with the responsibility for land-use planning must be willing to use the system to guide their decision making, even though this could involve constraining the range of residential location choices available to citizens."

Johnston says that as of June, 2013, more than 50 flood hazard studies had been completed for the provincial government.

"The most recent studies in and around the communities experiencing severe flooding in June were completed after February, 1996, or 17 years ago." (http://environment.alberta.ca/01656.html )

"Many were completed under the Canada-Alberta Flood Damage Reduction Program, a program which began in 1989, but lapsed in 1999. The studies covered most of the province, including all of the heavily populated ones. A majority of the studies -- approximately 60 per cent -- are now up to two decades old. During that time, communities have changed, and the physical geography of entire regions have changed as residential and commercial developments increased."

Given the recent flood events, future hazard zone mapping should be more consistent, Johnston says.

"We are dealing with dynamic systems, many of which are under increasing pressure from a variety of human activities, so it is prudent to make sure they are done regularly."

When a panel chaired by George Groeneveld, then the Alberta MLA for the constituency of Highwood (encompassing High River and surrounding areas) submitted its report following the 2005 floods (website link below) Johnston says it included in its recommendations that Alberta Environment develop a maintenance program to ensure that the flood risk maps are updated when appropriate. "This is a recommendation that many in the flood mitigation and hazard response communities would like to see acted upon sooner rather than later."

As well, Johnston says that any future planning process should also include a review of legislation surrounding land development to require that the level of flood hazard must be taken into account in the course of land development decisions.

"The current regulations state that local authorities 'may' require developers to stipulate "…if the land subject to the application is located in a potential flood plain.' The province may wish to raise the bar in light of recent events." http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2002_043.pdf

Additional Resources:

"Provincial Flood Mitigation Report: Consultation and Recommendations" http://www.aema.alberta.ca/images/News/Provincial_Flood_Mitigation_Report.pdf

The State of Flood Plain Mapping in Ontario (a report prepared for the Catastrophic Loss Reduction Institute of Canada): http://www.iclr.org/images/2007_June_ICLRPRESFloodMapping.pdf

Flood Plain Mapping (overview of BC program): http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/data_searches/fpm/

FEMA Flood Plain Map Service Center: https://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FemaWelcomeView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

-- 30 --

Contact:

Dr. Tom Johnston, Department of Geography
(403) 329-2534 office
(403) 915-5805 cell
johnston@uleth.ca

Dr. Johnston will be away from the office on August 19, 20 and 21, but can be available via cellphone and e-mail

U of L Long Service Awards

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:02:22 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is holding its annual Long Service Awards and Retirement Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the Students' Union ballrooms. A total of 116 employees who have completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service will be honoured, along with 20 retiring employees.

Following is a list of honoured employees.

Retirees

Hart Cantelon, Adrian Cooke, Hank DeRidder, Linda Gray, Rose Helmer, Bill Hennessy, Randy Joseph, Dave Kunimoto, Toni Nelson, Rita Nieuwenhuis, Fran Olivier, Joanne Overn, Frank Perrotta, Ralph Pollock, Kent Rolfson, Gloria Samuels, Jonathan Seldin, Dennis Thompson, Frank VandenHeuvel and Hafizah Yahya

Long Service Recipients

35 Years | Reg Bibby, Merle Christie, Richard Epp, Christina Lastuka, Leroy Little Bear and Ian Wells

30 Years | Lynn Arnold, Leslie Lavers and Timothy Pope

25 Years | Donna Court, Marion Eastman, Rita Law, Jennifer Mather, Ralph Pollock, Leslie Robison-Greene, Pamela Loewen and Charlene Sawatsky

20 Years | Scott Allen, Pat Anderson, Steve Calvert, Garth Copeland, Leslie Dawn, Karen Dow-Cazal, Barbara Dudley, Linda Embury, Kim Fowler, Rumi Graham, Ruth Grant Kalischuk, Linda Gray, Anthony Hall, Wendy Herbers, Pat Hodd, Shelly Hutchinson, Leona Jacobs, Tom Johnston, Cindy Kabelka, Stella Kedoin, Hadi Kharaghani, Al Kizuk, Vern Leckie, Patti Leeb, James McDowell, Ken McInnes, Mike McKenna, Glen Montgomery, Jane O'Dea, Fran Olivier, Joanne Overn, Debbie Payne, Margaret Rodermond, Catherine Ross, David Siminovitch, Jackie Slezina, Dan Sudo, Darlene Sutherland, Julie Tran, Nancy Walker, Wendy Westergreen and Pamela Winsor

15 Years | Nola Aitken, Heather Anderson, Katherine Chiste, Fred Del Cid, Susanne Garner, Linda Gilbert, Al Hill, Rebecca Johnson, Lyn Jose, Catherine Kanashiro, Terry Kirkvold, Marc Roussel,and Lorne Williams

10 Years | Amir Akbary-Majdabadno, Debra Basil, Michael Basil, Jasminn Berteotti, Brian Black, Jodie Black, Bill Cade, Jane Cahoon, Steve Craig, Brian Dobing, Anne Dymond, Richard Feenstra, James Graham, Arlene Grimes, Thelma Gunn, Erika Hasebe-Ludt, David Hay, Lynn Hopkins, Gordon Hunter, Tanya Jacobson-Gundlock, Mary Kavanagh, Dan Kazakoff, Abdie Kazemipur, Stefan Kienzle, Danny Le Roy, Becky Lore, Heidi MacDonald, Kevin Matis, Muriel Mellow, Richard Mueller, Brenda Nixon, Sam Ogita, Gail Postman, Drew Rendall, Kelly Roberts, Gongbing Shan, Kim Skura, Heather Stevens, Trent Takeyasu, Gwen Umeris, Paul Vasey, Cindy Venhuis, Mike Whipple, Ilsa Wong and Wei Xu

Celebrate Long Service Awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:01:14 +0000

Following is a list of honoured employees.

Retirees

Long Service Recipients

35 Years | Reg Bibby, Merle Christie, Richard Epp, Christina Lastuka, Leroy Little Bear and Ian Wells

30 Years | Lynn Arnold, Leslie Lavers and Timothy Pope

25 Years | Donna Court, Marion Eastman, Rita Law, Jennifer Mather, Ralph Pollock, Leslie Robison-Greene, Pamela Loewen and Charlene Sawatsky

UNews - Tom Johnston

PUBlic Professor Series features Johnston discussing the role of place in shaping our past, present and future

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Remember the people factor

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Factoring the ‘people equation’ into future flood hazard planning key to helping communities recover

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U of L Long Service Awards

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Celebrate Long Service Awards

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