We present a record of variations in the O2/N2 ratio of air at 41°S latitude from 1991–1994 based on the mass spectrometric analysis of flask samples from Cape Grim, Tasmania, and Baring Head, New Zealand. Results for Cape Grim for the period from June 1991 to February 1992 are in good agreement with previously published data of Keeling and Shertz [1992]. Plotted versus time, O2/N2 ratios show the expected annual cycles. O2/N2 increases in austral spring and summer (caused mainly by net oceanic production) and decreases in fall and winter (caused by ventilation of the seasonal and main thermoclines). The average amplitude of the seasonal cycle implies net oceanic production of about 5 mol C m−2 yr−1 with considerable interannual variability. The O2/N2 ratio of air decreased at the rate of 12±4 per meg/yr (0.012 ‰/yr) between winter 1991 and winter 1993. This value is considerably less than the O2 consumption rate associated with fossil fuel burning (about 20 per meg/yr), suggesting that the land biosphere was an O2 source and an important CO2 sink during this period. Alternatively, the oceans may have been a transient O2 sink during 1991–1993, most likely caused by an enhanced rate of thermocline ventilation with respect to the steady‐state value.

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There is increasing concern that restraint and seclusion are being misused in schools, most often with students with disabilities. This issue is silent at the provincial level in Manitoba, with no regulation from the Ministry of Education. In order to examine the extent to which restraint and seclusion were being used in schools in Manitoba with children/youth with disabilities, an anonymous online survey involving a convenience sample of parents/guardians of children/ youth with disabilities was conducted. The 48-item questionnaire was disseminated through disability advocacy organizations in this province. Parents/guardians reported a high frequency of the use of restraint and seclusion, limited consent to the use of these practices, and an absence of written notification that they had occurred. Of great concern, some parents reported that their child was subjected to mechanical restraint and practices known to have a higher risk of causing death (e.g. supine and prone holds, being left in rooms that were locked from the outside etc.). A majority of parents reported their child had suffered trauma, and signs of physical injury also were noted. The results of this study indicate that restraint and seclusion are being misused as behaviour management techniques, especially with students with disabilities. These practices contravene Canada’s commitment to international standards regarding the rights of children and youth with disabilities, and change is required. The implementation of regulatory standards, legitimizing the voice of parents of children and youth with disabilities, and training for educators in positive behaviour interventions and supports are proposed.

The intended purpose of physical restraint, seclusion, and time-out rooms in schools is to intervene in a crisis when the behaviour of a student poses an immediate or imminent, and significant threat to physical safety. While the use of physical restraint, seclusion, and time-out rooms is intended to provide protection from immediate physical harm, there is increasing concern that these practices are being used more broadly and that individuals with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to their use. In spite of the importance of this issue, there is a dearth of research analyzing the policy landscape of physical restraint, seclusion, and time-out rooms in Canadian schools. In order to explore this issue, a comparative analysis of publicly available provincial and territorial education documents was conducted. The analysis revealed that in many Canadian provinces and territories, policies and accountability structures on the use of physical restraint, seclusion, and time-out rooms in schools are inconsistent or non-existent. Further, the terminology used to describe seclusion is variable and often conflated with time out, and the conditions under which such practices may be used in some instances are subjective, which may contribute to a broad interpretation of what is deemed acceptable practices in schools. This analysis draws attention to the need for the development of clearly articulated provincial and territorial standards for the use of physical restraint, seclusion, and time out, as well as the need for regulatory and enforcement mechanisms at the school, division, and ministry levels in order to ensure the emotional and physical well-being of all.

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