Membership in Canadian regulatory agencies

Abstract. The paper reports some of the results obtained from a questionnaire administered to 320 members of 70 federal and provincial regulatory agencies in Canada. The data contained in this paper encompasses three areas: fundamental socio-economic information about regulators; their perceptions of why they were selected for positions with the agency; and their ideological and political predilictions. The paper concludes, subject to the qualifications set forth in the paper, that Canadian regulators are of a fairly high quality but that they are not as judicial as they assume or as free from politics as might be presumed. Sommaire. L'auteur de cet exposé donne les résultats d'un questionnaire auquel ont répondu 320 membres de 70 organismes de regulation fédéraux et provinciaux au Canada. Les résultats de ce questionnaire se regroupent sous trois rubriques: données socio-économiques fondamentales sur les responsables de la réglementation; les opinions des régisseurs quant aux raisons pour lesquelles ce poste leur été confié; et leurs orientations idéologiques et politiques. L'auteur conclut que sous certaines réerves, les régisseurs au Canada sont d'un assez haut calibre, mais qu'ils ne sont ni aussi impartiaux qu'ils le croient, ni aussi indépendants de la politique qu'on pourrait le supposer.     

Marijuana Odor Perception: Studies Modeled from Probable Cause Cases

The 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution protects American citizens against unreasonable search and seizure without probable cause. Although law enforcement officials routinely rely solely on the sense of smell to justify probable cause when entering vehicles and dwellings to search for illicit drugs, the accuracy of their perception in this regard has rarely been questioned and, to our knowledge, never tested. In this paper, we present data from two empirical studies based upon actual legal cases in which the odor of marijuana was used as probable cause for search. In the first, we simulated a situation in which, during a routine traffic stop, the odor of packaged marijuana located in the trunk of an automobile was said to be detected through the driver's window. In the second, we investigated a report that marijuana odor was discernable from a considerable distance from the chimney effluence of diesel exhaust emanating from an illicit California grow room. Our findings suggest that the odor of marijuana was not reliably discernable by persons with an excellent sense of smell in either case. These studies are the first to examine the ability of humans to detect marijuana in simulated real-life situations encountered by law enforcement officials, and are particularly relevant to the issue of probable cause.     

Preferential extraction of hydrocarbons from fire debris samples by solid phase microextraction

Headspace analysis by extraction/GC-MS is a common method of detecting volatile hydrocarbon accelerants in fire debris samples. Solid-phase microextraction was tested to determine if there is selective extraction of chemically distinct compounds. It was found that both the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Carboxen/PDMS solid phase microextraction fibers show preferential extraction of aliphatic or aromatic compounds from the headspace depending on fiber type and temperature. The Carboxen/PDMS fiber type showed particular (although not exclusive) selectivity for extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons. Other experimental considerations of SPME are noted.     

Comprehensive regulatory consultation in Canada's food processing industry

Abstract: The discussion examines one aspect of the ongoing process of regulatory reform in Canada, regulatory consultation. It identifies some of the consultative processes and notes some of the changes which have occurred, specifically in the food processing industry. The paper suggests that several major changes, including Regulatory Agendas, consensus standards and the Frequency of Inspection Levels (FOIL) system are positive steps towards more rational process for regulation of the food processing industry in the interests of health, safety and fairness. However, the paper concludes that even more efforts, in particular comprehensive consultation for regulatory purposes, should be undertaken in order to ensure that more efficient and effective regulation is achieved in the public interest. Sommaire. L'auteur considère l'un des aspects du processus continu de réforme de la réglementation au Canada, celui de la consultation. Il identifie certaines méthodes de consultation et note certains changements survenus, surtout dans l'industrie du traitement des aliments. Il explique que diverses transformations importantes, concernant notamment les États des projets de réglementation, les normes de consensus et le système de fréquence des inspections (FRIN), ont déjàété effectuées. Ces transformations représentent des pas importants vers une rationalisation du processus de réglementation dans l'industrie du traitement des aliments, pour améliorer les nonnes de santé, de sécurité et d'équité. L'auteur conclut toutefois qu'il reste beaucoup d'efforts à faïre en matière de consultation pour arriver à un système de réglementation plus efficace, qui puisse mieux répondre aux intérêts du public.     

The Effects of Domestic Violence on Women's Employment

This article presents some results of a random household survey that examined the effects of domestic violence on the labor force participation of 824 women living in a low‐income neighborhood. It also uses data from twenty‐four long interviews.
Eighteen percent of the respondents reported having experienced physical aggression in the past twelve months, and 11.9% reported more severe physical violence. Women who reported abuse were more likely to have experienced unemployment and held more jobs and to report more health problems. They also had lower personal incomes, and were significantly more likely to receive public assistance. At the same time, women who reported abuse were employed in roughly the same numbers as those who did not. Thus, it appears that domestic violence may depress women's socioeconomic and occupational status attainment over time, but does not affect employment status per se.  The article concludes with comments about the implications of the findings for the redesign of public assistance and job training programs.