News Flashes From Metropolis
Sept. 20, 1998 (Vol. 1 No. 5)
In This Edition:
- Research Planning Events
- Mapping the Path to Success
- IDC Update
- International Project
- Productions/Events
- Conference Information
- Metropolis Accolades
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News Flashes focuses on providing timely information (bimonthly) concentrating on
results, upcoming events, and updates on the various experiments underway at any given
time. It is your communications device, please make use of it. To get information placed
in News Flashes, or to comment on its content or structure, please contact John Biles at
(819) 997-5791 (john_biles@pch.gc.ca).
Research Planning Events
From October 29 to 31, the Prairie Centre will hold a workshop in Regina with the
objective of engaging Metropolis stakeholders, particularly the federal partners, in
strategic planning of research and hence, to develop new research. It is the first time
that the Centre has organized a session like this. To date, the Centre has defined its
research activities under an annual request for proposals (RFP) along the six broad
Metropolis Project themes. Depending on the outcome of the workshop, the Centre could
decide to discontinue the RFP, replacing it with an annual research plan identifying areas
requiring further research and proposing specific projects to address these gaps. The plan
would be developed in close collaboration with stakeholders.
The session also has two other objectives: i) to strengthen the communications links
among researchers, policy-makers and other stakeholders; and, ii) to share research
results. Representatives from CIC, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, Status of Women,
Statistics Canada, and the Project Team will attend the session.
On September 25, the Toronto Centre will hold its second annual research retreat to
identify short and long-term research priorities. This event also provides an opportunity
for Metropolis stakeholders to voice their research needs. To date, the following federal
organizations have expressed a desire to actively participate in this event: CIC, Health
Canada, Canadian Heritage, Status of Women, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
(CMHC), and the Project Team.
As in the case of the Prairie Centre, the Toronto Centre builds its research activities
through an annual RFP. The research retreat and an early October meeting among the
Centre's researchers will set the stage for the design of the next RFP. The current RFP is
available from Interim Academic Coordinator Barbara Treviranus at barbara.treviranus@utoronto.ca. The
deadline for applications is December 15, 1998.
Over the past summer, each of the six domain committees at the Montreal Centre has held
meetings aimed at developing an annual research plan outlining priorities, specific
projects and financial requirements. Centre researchers participate in these committees as
equal partners with a large number of representatives from all levels of government, NGOs
and the private sector. As members of the domain committees Canadian Heritage, CMHC,
Health Canada and CIC have actively participated in drafting the plans, which were
submitted to the Orientation Committee in early September. The Committee, which includes
representatives from CMHC, Health Canada, CIC and the Project Team, met on September 18 to
review the draft plans. The research plans will receive final approval at an October 16
meeting of the Centre's Coordinating Committee. For more information please contact Bruno
Gobeil at bruno.gobeil@9522apx.cina.x400.gc.ca
Mapping the Path to Success
Following the release of the Management Review of Metropolis in Canada last February,
the Metropolis Project Team launched a consultation with all Project stakeholders. The
object of this consultation was to reflect on the Metropolis Project experience to date,
identify major issues and provide recommendations.
By the end of September 1998, the Project Team will release a follow-up report to the
Management Review which reflects the findings of the Review and of the ensuing
consultations. This report will outline the results expected of the Project and the
conditions for its success. It will also identify a set of outstanding issues in five
strategic areas. These areas are:
1. Federal Involvement in the Project
2. Resourcing of Centres
3. Data Use in Metropolis Research
4. International Project
5. Project Team Role
Each issue will be accompanied by recommendations for its resolution and a proposed
action path. The latter will be expanded into a series of specific action plans meant to
lead to the resolution of all the major outstanding Metropolis Project issues. These
action plans, which will identify major players and timelines, will form the basis of the
Project Team's activities over the coming year. For more information please contact Bruno
Gobeil at bruno.gobeil@9522apx.cina.x400.gc.ca
IDC Update
The Metropolis Interdepartmental Committee (IDC) met on August 18, 1998. Major items on
the agenda for this meeting were i) an update of the follow-up to the Management Review;
and ii) the Mid-Term Review of Metropolis. The Project Team also provided committee
members with an update of a number of upcoming activities including the national and
international conferences scheduled for January 1999 and November 1998 respectively; and
research planning sessions by the Prairie Centre in Regina and by the Toronto Centre.
As a follow-up to the meeting, the Project Team agreed to:
i) organize a special meeting of the IDC towards the end of September, to discuss
issues of interest to federal partners arising from the follow-up to the Management
Review; and
ii) complete the Research Pathways Project by the end of September and make it
available to IDC members.
The members of the IDC agreed to:
ii) provide comments on the proposed guidelines for the SSHRC Mid-Term Review of
Metropolis;
ii) provide the Project Team with a list of individuals from their organization who
will participate in the research planning sessions in Regina and Toronto; and
iii) provide the Project Team, for the benefit of the Centres, with an organizational
chart of their department indicating the home branch and the coordinates of those
individuals who interact with the Centres of Excellence.
The next meeting is scheduled for November 17, 1998. For more information please
contact Jean-Pierre Moisan at jp_metro@istar.ca
International Project
Interconference Events
Lisbon (September 28-29, 1998)
The Luso-American Development Foundation in collaboration with the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace is organizing a Metropolis workshop to be held in Lisbon,
Portugal, September 28 - 29. The workshop will bring together leading researchers in
Europe, particularly southern Europe, and the United States to debate questions regarding
labour market access, citizenship and participation, and urban planning with respect to
the integration of immigrants. Canada will be represented by Mr. Ned Ellis, Strategic
Research and Analysis, Department of Canadian Heritage who will be presenting a paper in
the session on "Challenges to policy makers of increasing migrant flows and growing
ethnic minorities in urban centres." The workshop will lay the groundwork for the
Metropolis conference in Israel. Importantly, this event marks the formal entry of
Portugal into the Metropolis Project. For more information please contact flad@individual.eunet.pt
Montreal (October 28-30, 1999)
The Québec Ministry responsible for Citizens and Immigration (MRCI) is hosting a
seminar on Barriers to Employment in Montréal October 28-30, 1998. This seminar is
intended to act as a precursor to the workshop on a similar topic which is organized by
the MRCI for the upcoming International Metropolis Conference in Israel.
This seminar will bring together a concentrated number of senior government officials
and academics from Québec, Canada, the United States, France, Israel, and the Netherlands
to consider government policies in the areas of economic barriers, linguistic barriers,
and discrimination barriers. Canada will be represented by officials from Human Resources
Development Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Canadian Heritage.
The outcome of the seminar will be a series of summaries of existing policies, a list
of challenges faced, and key international comparative research projects which the
participants believe need to be undertaken to advance policy development in this field.
For more information on the seminar or the companion workshop at the International
Metropolis Conference in Israel, please contact Pierre Anctil at pierre.anctil@mrci.gouv.qc.ca
Dubrovnik (May 24-29, 1999)
Professor Yngve Lithman of the University of Bergen and the Director of the
International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER) centre is coordinating an
international mini-conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia on the theme "Youth in the Plural
City: Individualized and Collectivized Identity Projects." Further information on
this conference can be found at http://www.svf.uib.no/sefos/IMER/Dubrovnik.html
If you are interested in participating please contact Professor Yngve Lithman at imer@sefos.uib.no
Products/Events
The Third Metropolis Newsletter is now available. It is a document packed with
information on policy-research links and how Metropolis seeks to strengthen those links.
If you would like a copy of the Newsletter please contact your Interdepartmental Committee
representative, your Centre of Excellence, or Dominique Groulx at dominique.groulx@9522apx.cina.x400.gc.ca
A special Metropolis issue of the Canadian Journal of Regional Science, edited by
Jeffrey Reitz, will be published in October 1998. This issue features Metropolis research
papers and papers on policy-research issues viewed from both Canadian and international
perspectives.
RIIM has produced a new working paper entitled "Ethnicity and Labor Market
Performance Among Recent Immigrants From the Former Soviet Union to Israel" by
Yitchak Haberfeld, Moshe Semyonov, and Yinon Cohen. The paper can be found on the RIIM
section of the Metropolis website (www.riim.metropolis.net).
The CJRT/Open College/CERIS radio series "Strangers Among Us" will be
available for purchase by the end of September. The 12 half hour tapes can be obtained for
$56.65 from Diane Robertson at CJRT (416) 595-0485.
CERIS kicks off its seminar series with two seminars on October 15 and November 19,
1998. For more information please watch the CERIS section of the Metropolis website. (www.ceris.metropolis.net)
Anthony Richmond will lead a panel presentation on the "Utilization of Social
Science Knowledge in Canada" on November 4, 1998 from 5:00 to 7:00 at Ryerson
Polytechnic University.
Malcolm Cross and Stephen Castles are coordinating a special issue of the Journal of
Ethnic and Migration Studies on the subject of Policies of Integration in Receiving
Societies. They are interested in receiving proposals for comparative articles. For more
information, please contact Malcolm Cross at m.cross@cemes.demon.co.uk
The Vanier Institute of the Familys' September magazine, Transition, has a focus on
"Newcomers" which has drawn material from the Metropolis Project. $20.00/ per
year (4 issues). For more information please contact Lucie Legault at (613) 228-8500.
The Policy Research Fund of Status of Women Canada has recently released fourteen
publications:
Finding Data on Women: A Guide to Major Sources at Statistics Canada
Benefiting Canada's Children: Perspectives on Gender and Social Responsibility
Women's Support, Women's Work: childcare in an Era of Deficit Reduction, Devolution,
Downsizing and Deregulation
A Complex Web: Access to Justice for Abused Immigrant Women in New Brunswick
Relocation of Custodial Parents
Spousal Violence in Custody and Access Disputes: Recommendations for Reform
Women and the CHST: A Profile of Women Receiving Social Assistance in 1994
The Impact of Block Funding on Women with Disabilities
Women and the Equality Deficit: The Impact of Restructuring Canada's Social Programs
Who Will Be Responsible for Providing care? The Impact of the Shift to Ambulatory Care
and of Social Economy Policies on Québec Women
Access to Justice for Sexual Harassment Victims: The Impact of Béliveau St-Jacques on
Female Workers' Right to Damages
Family Mediation in Canada: Implications for Women's Equality
Aboriginal Women in Canada: Strategic Research Directions for Policy Development
Gendering Immigration/Integration: Policy Research Workshop Proceedings and a Selective
Review of Policy Research Literature 1987-1996
Papers can be downloaded from the Status of Women website (http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca) or ordered for no charge
from Status of Women. For more information please contact Cathy McRae at (613) 995-3788
The Official Languages Support Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage has
released a new publication, The Official Languages in Canada: Changing the Language
Landscape. It is a must read for ESL and/or FSL educators. It can be found on the web at www.pch.gc.ca/offlangoff
Conference Information
Metropolis Conferences
3rd International Metropolis Conference
(Zichron Yaacov, Israel November 30-December 3, 1998)
The preliminary conference programme and registration form are now available on the
Metropolis international website (www.international.metropolis.net).
Registration has begun -
NOTE: There are significant financial benefits to registering early!
If you are interested in playing a role in one of the sixteen highly focused workshops
please contact the workshop hosts as soon as possible. Hosts are identified in the
programme.
3rd National Metropolis Conference
(Vancouver January 14-16, 1999)
The Third National Metropolis Conference will be held in Vancouver January 14-16, 1999.
It will be preceded by a one day seminar on Social Justice organized by the
Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
A preliminary programme for the conference will be available in the near future. In the
interim, for more information, please contact David Ley (davidley@unixg.ubc.ca). A preliminary programme
for the Social Justice Seminar will be available by October 15, 1998. For more information
on the seminar please contact John Biles at john_biles@pch.gc.ca
In addition to domain sessions similar to the model established at the Montreal
Conference there will be several plenary sessions: "U.S. Policy Issues and Research
Initiatives," "Immigration and Coherent Societies: Policy and Research
Initiatives," "Language Education and Public Policy," "Settlement
Services for Immigrants and Refugees," and "The Metropolis Experiment."
Related Conferences
Policy Research Initiative Conference
Policy Research: Creating Linkages
(Ottawa, October 1-3, 1998)
Paul Henry
Policy Research Secretariat
(613) 943-2406
http://policyresearch.schoolnet.ca/1998conference/index.html
International Conference on Urbanization and Low-Income Housing
(Barquisimeto, Venezuela October 5-8, 1998)
uvri-98@eldish.net
Global Meetings on Community Economic Development
(Sherbrooke October 22-24, 1998)
rmdl@ifdec.qc.ca
http://www.ifdec.qc.ca
5th International Conference For Health and Human Rights
(Cape Town, South Africa December 3-6, 1998)
Mulugeta Abai
[tel] (416) 363-1066
ACFAS Annual Conference
(Ottawa May 10-14, 1999)
Marcel Arteau
Tel: (514) 281-2081
Fax: (514) 281-5010
Canada and Central Europe at the Threshold of the 21st Century
(Budapest, Hungary May 13-16, 1999)
Sub-themes: Canada's First Nations, Founding Nations, Immigrant Heritages, Culture in
Retrospect, the Future Ahead
Blaguss Volanbusz Bureau
[Tel: (361) 117-7777
Fax: (361) 266-1585
[e-mail] torekya.blaguss@volanbusz.hu
Association pour la recherche interculturelle (ARIC)
(Nanterre, France June 30-July 3, 1999)
Theme: Knowledge and Issues of Interculturalism
Tel: +33 1 40 97 47 41
Fax: +33 1 40 97 47 43
|E-mail: ARIC@u-paris10.fr
6th Triennial Conference of the Nordic Association for Canadian Studies
(Reykjavik, Iceland August 5-8, 1999)
Theme: Comparative Research on Challenges Faced by Canada and the Nordic Countries
[e-mail] engua@hum.aau.dk
Human Rights in Europe Since 1945
(Oslo, Norway Aug 6-13, 2000)
Carole Ink
Fax: (614) 292-2282
Metropolis Accolades
The Metropolis Project has been nominated for the Technology in Government Week (www.connelly.ca). The nomination is in the category
titled "Investing Strategically in Information Management and Technology: Building
Partnerships." Winners will be announced October 26, 1998.
Two teams of Western researchers have recently been awarded funds from SSHRC for
Metropolis related themes. Terry Wotherspoon of the University of Saskatchewan will
undertake a project on Social Differentiation and Yvonne Hébert, Lori Wilkinson, and
Charles Ungerleider will conduct a study on Citizenship Values - Congratulations! All four
researchers have been invited to participate in the October Policy Research Initiative
Conference held in Ottawa October 1-3, 1998.
The Hébert, Wilkinson, and Ungerleider team's proposal flows directly from the
Kananaskis Think Tank on Citizenship Education which saw the founding of the Citizenship
Education Research Network (CERN) which has a very active site on the Metropolis website (canada.metropolis.net/cern-pub/index.html).
Additions and Changes in the Metropolis Family
IDC
Additions or replacements to the Metropolis Interdepartmental Committee include:
Dougall Aucoin (Citizenship and Immigration)
Ned Ellis (Canadian Heritage)
Lorraine McKenzie-Presley (Solicitor General)
Sylvain Côté (Human Resources Development Canada)
Janet Kiff-Macaluso (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation)
Julie Dompierre (Status of Women)
Patricia Dunne (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council)
Project Team
Additions and replacements to the Metropolis Project Team include:
Dominique Groulx replaces Marie-France L'Ecuyer as the document management and
distribution contact.
Bruno Gobeil has joined us as a Senior Project Advisor, replacing Perry Kelly who has
returned to the Solicitor General.
Sue Newman has joined us as an assistant to the web master.
CERIS
Changes in CERIS personnel include:
Paul Anisef (York) has taken over as a CERIS associate director from Valerie Preston
who is off to Australia on sabbatical.
Barbara Treviranus has replaced Sarah Wayland as the Interim Academic Coordinator at
CERIS.
Marie Truelove has replaced Valerie Preston as Chair of the Data Committee.
Sue Wilson has taken on the task of editing the Working Paper Series for CERIS. |
