Chloe Alexander

Photo of Chloe Alexander, who is smiling, in front of a marble background
Degree: 
PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: 
Kate Parizeau
Department: 
Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics
Summary: 

My name is Chloe Alexander and I am from Collingwood, Ontario. I have a Bachelors in criminology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Masters in Criminology from the University of Ottawa, where I specialized in corporate crime and environmental harm. For my Masters thesis, I analyzed how environmental harm in the Alberta Oil Sands was conceptualized and governed through the Canadian and Alberta governments’ climate change policies, particularly their carbon capture and storage policies. This experience, as well as my other research experience comparing the concept of criminal negligence in driving offence laws and workplace health and safety regulations, sparked my interest in how problems are prioritized in society and how they are addressed through laws, regulations, and policies. 

It wasn’t until after I volunteered with a grassroots food waste group that I switched my focus from corporate crime to food waste. My current research is centered on examining food waste policy development in Canada. This will involve “mapping out” the various policies that exist at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels in Canada across different government agencies to understand what laws currently exist. It will also involve analyzing how these policies frame the issue of food waste and identifying the barriers and opportunities to policy development on this issue. While my research will focus on food waste through the agri-food system, I will pay particular attention to policy development in the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors of the agri-food system.

Through the HQP program I look forward to working with industry and government members in the agri-food system and improving my knowledge mobilization skills. I believe that this program will be a good stepping stone for my future career as a food waste consultant.