Metropolis News. Vol 1 no. 1 The Partners •Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation •Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism) •Citizenship and Immigration Canada •Correctional Services Canada •Health Canada •Human Resources Development Canada •Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council •Statistics Canada •Status of Women Canada   1. Metropolis: A New Direction   Developing effective policies to deal with immigration requires the active involvement of a broad cross section of Canadians. As well as determining the flow of immigrants, policies and programs must deal with the consequences of immigration on the host society. This implicates institutions that deal with issues of human resources, health, housing, gender, justice and multiculturalism. Effective policy development also requires the involvement of other public and private institutions such as provincial ministries of education, health and labour; regional governments, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, service providers, police agencies and school boards. For the immigration program to be successful, all of these agents need to operate from a shared vision and with common objectives. It has become apparent to governments that the policy development process requires change, especially where it concerns long-term issues, such as immigration, that cut across several jurisdictions. Recent reports by Jocelyne Bourgon, Clerk of the Privy Council, and by Dr. Ivan Fellegi, Chief Statistician for Canada, have pointed out the need for a new approach, and have emphasized the importance of developing a strong base of knowledge by forming new relationships with universities and research institutes, rather than simply expanding the policy research capability of government itself. Such an approach represents a significant change. To date, most government thinking about how to revamp the policy process has paid little attention to the knowledge sector. But a change in approach would enable universities to make a significant and valuable contribution to the evolution of public policy. The Metropolis Project represents an important step in this new direction. Devoted to problem solving, its goal is to improve public policy on immigration by situating knowledge at the core of decision-making. The focus is on cities - on the integration of migrants in cities and on the transformation of cities by migrants. Our aim is to build a unique network of researchers and decision-makers; to create a policy thrust by continually involving governments and stakeholders in project design and problem definition; and to energize the network through conferences, policy forums, and a reliance on new technologies. At the base of Metropolis, and the evolving relationship between stakeholders and academia, are four newly created Centres of Excellence. These Centres are consortiums of universities that have been awarded a six-year strategic grant to study immigration related issues. Core funding for the Project is being provided by a group of federal departments and by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. However, the involvement of interested parties goes well beyond the funding departments. In accordance with the terms of the grant, the Centres have established management and consultative bodies comprised of stakeholders from diverse agencies and all levels of government who provide advice on strategic directions and on research proposals. Currently, there are no readily available templates to follow in building new government-academic partnerships. Seen from this perspective, Metropolis is not just about creating additional immigration research. It is about building a new and durable knowledge network that is held together by shared strategic interests. Making this happen is the challenge of the Metropolis management team.   2. Metropolis on the world stage Twenty countries and four international organizations participated in the first international Metropolis conference, held in Milan, Italy in November 1996. The event brought together 300 researchers and policy makers to discuss critical issues in international migration; to identify areas where more research is needed; to exchange information; and to compare international experiences. The presenters included Ministers from various countries, civic officials, policy makers, senior provincial and regional officials, and top flight academics from around the world. Further conferences will be held in Denmark, Israel and North America. A critical objective of Milan was to set the strategic research agenda of Metropolis. The international component of Metropolis rests on a partnership involving governments, research institutes and international agencies. The members include: Canada, the United States, Italy, Israel, France, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, the OECD, UNESCO and the EU. The informal nature of the partnership has proved to be a major asset in securing broad and active participation. The Metropolis partners are united in their conviction that it will take vision, creativity and leadership to respond to the extraordinary challenges posed by migration: challenges to the economy, to public and private institutions; and, above all, to the ability of the nation state to promote and maintain a cohesive and harmonious society - a society that is able to mobilize to address the changes brought about by globalization and to bridge the concerns and aspirations of both migrants and hosts. Equally important in uniting the partners is a belief in knowledge. Our societies urgently need policy focussed research to provide the analytical foundations, the policy options and the arguments that will allow migration to be managed thoughtfully and effectively. International comparative research is needed to sort out the effectiveness and appropriateness of domestic policies and programs. Information is also needed about best practices and the most effective responses to the practical challenges that are manifested in cities. The Milan meeting underscored the need for systematic, comparative, national and international research as a basis for sound policy advice. Five strategic directions for international policy-research were identified. The priority topics were: * Labour market operations and economic participation; * The social and economic consequences of spatial concentration; * Social, economic and trans-generational mobility; * The role of institutions; * Promotion of tolerance and social cohesion. Details of the conference will be provided in a future issue of Metropolis News.   3. Partnerships in Metropolis Metropolis stakeholders participate in the Project in a variety of innovative ways: Core funding for Metropolis is provided by a consortium of federal departments and agencies in collaboration with SSHRC. Le Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration, in Quebec heads «La Table des usagers de la recherche», an advisory body made up of immigration stakeholders working closely with the Montreal Centre to establish priorities for research. The Quebec research bureau is also helping internationally to focus the Project on policy issues. Both Montreal and Toronto have identified officers to work with Metropolis so that municipal concerns are brought to the attention of researchers. Provincial representatives from British Columbia and Alberta are on the Board of Directors of the Vancouver and the Prairie Centres, respectively. Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have also expressed interest in participating in Metropolis. Federal partnering is not limited to core support. Statistics Canada and the Solicitor General have both loaned executives to Metropolis. Among other things, these officers are developing a system to coordinate data requests by the Centres and organizing a conference to establish research priorities in the difficult area of immigration and justice. NGO's participate in the Project in various ways. They sit on Boards of Directors; they serve on advisory panels; they participate in research studies; and they attend events to ensure that the NGO perspective receives attention. Two NGO participants accompanied the Canadian team to the Milan conference. Global-X-Change, an Ottawa-based high technology company, is working with Metropolis in innovative ways to develop the international Metropolis website.   4. The Centres of Excellence are born: The creation of four Centres of Excellence to study immigration and integration constitutes a unique and important step in Canada's maturation as one of the world's largest immigrant-receiving nations. The Centres, located in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver were established through a peer-reviewed competitive process and formally announced in media events across the country on March 22, 1996. All told, the Centres will receive $8 million over six years. The funds are being provided by eight federal departments in collaboration with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). In accordance with the terms of SSHRC's strategic grants program, the Centres are actively involved in their communities, forming partnerships and seeking advice from public and private agencies, community groups and immigrant serving organizations. The Centres also provide the intellectual foundation that will permit Canada to maintain a lead role in the international component of Metropolis. They stand as working models of creativity, innovation and partnership in the service of better policy development.   5. Support from SSHRC for the Centres of Excellence With its mandate to support university research in the social sciences and humanities and to enhance Canada's capacity for excellence and innovation in creating and integrating knowledge, the SSHRC is CIC's major funding partner in the Centres of Excellence initiative. A key priority for SSHRC is to foster collaboration between academic researchers and those who will ultimately use the research, including governments and the private sector. The intent is to advance knowledge and to help policy-makers make decisions based on research. This is particularly important in the area of immigration and integration because decisions have long-term consequences and success is critically dependant on coordination among many interested parties. In addition to co-funding the immigration research centres, SSHRC has helped to define the Project, emphasizing its strategic dimensions along with its interdisciplinary, intersectoral and international focus.   6. News from the Research Centres RIIM - Research on Immigration in the Metropolis - Vancouver The Vancouver Centre of Excellence - RIIM - has been operational since May, 1996. Since then, the Centre's co-directors, Dr. Don DeVoretz and Dr. David Ley, have been active giving numerous lectures, seminars and media interviews concerning the operation and focus of RIIM. One such event, co-sponsored with Simon Fraser University, featured a presentation in the Cityscape lecture series at SFU Harbour Centre which was rebroadcast several times throughout greater Vancouver by Rogers cable. More formal scholarship is presented in the "brown-bag seminar series" which has met monthly since last May. This series includes foreign guest speakers as well as reports featuring work in progress by RIIM researchers. Discussion papers are publicly available on the RIIM website (www.sfu.ca/RIIM) or can be purchased in print form for a nominal fee. The Vancouver Centre is particularly interested in four key issue areas: economic and labour market issues; education; social concerns; and urban geography. In addition, the Centre has recently added a religion domain to its study of integration and the mediating effects of culture. The Centre reports to a Management Board made up of representatives of the participating universities (University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria), the Hong Kong Bank of Canada, SUCCESS (an immigrant serving agency) and the Province of British Columbia. A Research Advisory Board has also been established with input from some ten Vancouver stakeholder groups. In addition, a partnership council, which includes regional representatives of the federal funding partners, has been struck to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and policy options and directions. Finally, the Centre has become a formal permanent member of the western regional NGO advisory committee. Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS) -Toronto The Management Board of CERIS - Toronto has been meeting regularly since April, 1996 to plan the Centre's research activities. Headed by Dr. Morton Beiser, CERIS - Toronto has a Management Board composed of representatives from Ryerson Polytechnic University, University of Toronto, York University and the Ethnic Studies Group at the University of Western Ontario, as well as the Social Planning Council of Metro Toronto, the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants and the United Way of Metro Toronto. Through a number of public meetings and events, CERIS has consulted with various community and academic partners to discuss research proposals; it has launched the 1996 Request for Proposals for research to be undertaken by the Centre; and continues to work closely with representatives of Statistics Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada discussing data needs. CERIS-Toronto is currently working with local planning organizations, immigrant multi-service providers, health and education groups and federal, provincial and municipal government representatives to develop a Partnership Advisory Council that will provide broader input into the research agenda. Community partners are actively involved in adjudication of the research proposals and in the research projects themselves. The Centre's research focusses on the economic, community, education and health domains. Research awards were announced at the official opening ceremonies on February 4, 1997. For further information about the Centre contact Ted Richmond, Administrative Coordinator, or Joanna Rummens, Academic Coordinator at (416) 946-3114. Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration - PCERII In an exiting new partnership, the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba, Regina, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg have come together to form the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration. The universities have developed a formal agreement that describes, among other things, the Centre's governing and administrative structures, mechanisms for approving research projects and protocols for managing relations with stakeholders. Initial meetings of the Board of Governors and Program Committee took place in November of 1996 and the Centre's research agenda, consisting of five domain areas (Education, Economics, Citizenship and Culture, Social, and Public Services and Political), has been approved. In total, twenty-two research projects dealing with a broad range of immigration related concerns - theoretical, practical, and policy-oriented - totalling $265,000 are already underway. Led by Dr. Baha Abu-Laban, the director of the Prairie Centre, the Board of Governors has representation from all six partnering universities as well as Alberta Community Development, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Catholic Social Services, the Regina Open door Society, Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development and the City of Winnipeg. The Program Committee, which has the responsibility of adjudicating research grant applications and overseeing the research program in each domain, also has representatives from the six Prairie universities as well as the Citizenship Council of Manitoba. For more information on the Prairie Centre contact Ms. Kelly McKean, Administrative Coordinator at (403) 492-6600 or by fax (403) 492-2595, or by e-mail at: kmckean@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca Immigration et métropoles: Centre de recherche interuniversitaire de Montréal sur l'immigration, l'intégration et la dynamique urbaine - IM The Montreal Centre has been up and running since April 1996. Right after it was formed, a Management Board, with representatives from each of the three academic institutions (the University of Montreal, McGill University and INRS-Urbanization), was established to oversee the operation of the Centre. At the first general meeting (held in April), bringing together researchers, provincial and municipal stakeholders and NGOs, a Steering Committee was established, consisting of eleven representatives from the stakeholder community. The Steering Committee plays an active role in determining the orientation of the Centre and makes recommendations on the research directions, prior to their approval by the Management Board. The Montreal Centre has six research domain teams and has undertaken a series of consultations, involving both researchers and partners, to determine their initial two-year research program. To better define research priorities, the Centre consulted with «La Table des usagers de la recherche», an advisory body coordinated by the Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration. In the late fall, research programs for all six domains were submitted to the Steering Committee for evaluation and to the Management Board for approval. Information on the research programs for the six domains is now available from the Montreal Centre. The Centre is currently focussing its activities on reinforcing links with the other Canadian Centres of Excellence and with research centres in other countries; on putting into place a calendar of public and academic activities, and on developing strategies for disseminating research findings. Consultations with local, provincial and federal stakeholders continues and a call for proposals for strategic research studies on specific topics will be announced later this year. The Montreal Centre will be hosting the second annual Metropolis conference in November 1997 - scheduled immediately after the Biennial conference of the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association, also to be held in Montreal. For more information on the Montreal Centre please contact Patricia Lamarre at (514) 343-7246 or by fax (514) 343-7078.   7. Agreement with Israel In a ceremony on Parliament Hill, in April of 1996, Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Lucienne Robillard and Mr. Yair Tsaban, the former Israeli Minister of Immigrant Absorption, signed a memorandum of understanding regarding Metropolis. Similar to the agreement signed with Italy, the memorandum commits the two countries to working closely together to examine the effects of global migration on cities.   8. A symposium in Vancouver In June, 1996, about 150 people from non-governmental organizations took part in a congenial exchange of ideas and concerns at a symposium in Vancouver. Over a two-day period, participants heard about new policy and program directions within Citizenship and Immigration and they heard from the provincial government on issues and changes in client services. The symposium provided Metropolis and the newly created Vancouver Centre of Excellence with a valuable opportunity to announce their existence. Chris Taylor, the Director General for Citizenship and Immigration (CIC), BC/Prairies/Territories, indicated that the symposium would be constituted as an NGO Advisory Committee and would meet annually to examine such issues as settlement renewal and the impact of modified service delivery on the non-government sector. It was also agreed that the Advisory Committee would provide the Vancouver Centre with a sounding board for its research plans.   9. International emphasis at Queen's University Metropolis, in collaboration with the International Institute on Social Policy at Queen's University, brought together academics, senior government officials and community organizations in an inaugural program titled "Canada in International Perspective". The event - built around the theme of Transformations: economic, social and political - took place in Kingston, Ontario from August 25 to 30, 1996 . Participants focussed on Canada's ability to act independently and to manage the domestic agenda. It was noted that social concerns cut across program areas and that effective policy management increasingly requires a keen awareness of these interdependencies. In relation to the Metropolis research agenda, and in the broader context of immigration policy, the session resulted in a number of suggested directions including: a research focus on the structural, political and jurisdictional dimensions of policy, planning and service delivery in rapidly-evolving large urban regions; case studies of particular delivery structures; settlement patterns of new immigrants; and the role and impact of networks and various associations which provide advocacy and access-related services for immigrants and other minorities. For more information on the Institute and its programs please contact Mr. Terrance Hunsley at (613) 234-2540 (phone or fax) or E-mail at hunsley@cyberus.ca.   10. Gearing up for Edmonton The Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration is organizing the first Metropolis National Conference to be held at the Hotel Macdonald, in Edmonton from March 6-8, 1997. The theme of the conference is "Responding to Diversity in the Metropolis: Building an Inclusive Research Agenda". The Conference will bring together politicians, national and international scholars, non-governmental representatives and policy makers . Topics to be discussed include: New Perspectives on Metropolis, Year One in Review of the Four Centres, the Changing Role of NGOs in Immigrant Integration, and Data issues and Comparative Methods in Immigration Research. This Conference will be the first opportunity, within the framework of Metropolis, for discussion among scholars from different Centres who are working within similar research domains. The Conference will feature a special seminar on taking gender into account in immigration and integration research. This seminar, sponsored by Status of Women Canada, will be a part of the activities of International Women's Week.   11. Policy Research Domain Seminars The Interdepartmental Working Group on Metropolis is convening a series of policy research seminars bringing the policy and program communities together with academic researchers. The seminars will help the Centres of Excellence to establish research priorities and to plan their research agendas. The first such session, sponsored by Health Canada, took place on December 12-13, 1996. The health seminar sought to identify research priorities and gaps in knowledge in four areas: (a) The health status of immigrant populations and the determinants of immigrant health; (b) Public health issues; (c) Access to the health system by immigrants; and (d) The impact of immigration on the health system. A report outlining the conclusions of the seminar is in preparation and will be discussed in the next issue of Metropolis News. The salient feature of all policy research seminars is the coming together of key policy makers, researchers and those with a direct interest in the issues. Representatives are drawn from federal, provincial and municipal governments, from the Centres of Excellence, from the academic community at large and from NGOs. Their task is to develop research priorities (for their area) and to identify gaps in knowledge that impede effective policy development. A second seminar, focussing on immigration and justice issues, was held February 27-28, 1996. Few aspects of immigration have been so misunderstood, controversial or potentially damaging to efforts to integrate new Canadians as their contacts with the criminal justice system. This seminar, which took place as this issue of Metropolis News was being published, focussed on both immigrants as victims of crime and immigrants as perpetrators of crime. Generally these topics are examined in isolation without representatives from the enforcement and immigrant communities working together to address common problems. This seminar represented an attempt to deal with immigration-justice issues in a comprehensive way. A number of academics conducting pioneering research on these issues participated, as did key senior government policy makers. Results of the seminar will be discussed in the next issue. Two other seminars on areas of special interest are planned for early 1997. A session discussing issues of gender within immigration research will be run concurrently with the first national Metropolis conference, followed by a session specifically on education in early summer.   12. Status of Women Canada partners in Metropolis, has a newly-acquired mandate to fund research on women's equality issues. An Independent Policy Research Fund is being established and a small external committee is being set up to review applications for support. In the Spring of 1996, SWC consulted with women's groups and researchers on the structure of the new fund and on research priorities. Some 400 national, provincial and local women's organizations, researchers and research organizations, community, social service and professional groups, and individuals provided written input and/or participated in a series of meetings held across the country. There was widespread support for the advent of an Independent Policy Research Fund, and participants identified several urgent priorities, notably, economic issues and the importance of diversity and inclusiveness. SWC expects the Independent Policy Research Fund to be fully operational by the end of the fiscal year. In the interim, participants urged SWC to proceed with research on the implications of the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) for women and on women's access to the justice system. A call for proposals produced over 90 submissions and successful projects were announced in the fall of 1996.   13. Making Waves Surfers will soon find a new home for Metropolis on the Internet. Together with Global-X-Change (a leading provider of innovative Internet services), our federal partners and the four Centres of Excellence, we are designing a new Metropolis World Wide Web site. The site will provide general information on the Project, an events guide for Metropolis activities, links to the sites of our research and policy partners (both national and international), a searchable database of researchers and decision-makers, and summary descriptions of policy issues and up-to-date research findings. With time, we will create specialized discussion groups that will allow for ongoing exchanges around key themes in international migration and urban development. The domestic site is being co-managed with the four Centres of Excellence and other federal partners. The Canadian site is being put forward as a model to the partnering countries and to international organizations to encourage them to build and to make public their own Metropolis Web Sites. The resulting network will anchor the international Metropolis Web Site which will allow visitors to access simplified and specialized Project information using special "user-friendly" tools. Currently you can find Metropolis information on the following: for CIC - http://cicnet.gc.ca/english/research/index.html for RIIM - http://www.sfu.ca/riim/   14. Newsletter Notes This is the first edition of "Metropolis News" and we are still experimenting with its content and structure. Our plans call for each issue to contain news from both the policy and research arenas - building a tangible place where communities meet and where issues are discussed. As the Centres of Excellence develop their research agendas, we plan to showcase several research initiatives, speaking to contemporary issues, in each edition as well as provide local, provincial and federal policy-makers with a forum for identifying priorities and reacting to research. Our focus is on making contact and establishing connections among all those working in this field. Metropolis is about partnerships, and in keeping with the nature of the Project, Metropolis News is managed collectively, by a panel of federal partners ensuring that collective interests are represented through each publication. In addition to news and events about Metropolis, there will be reports about new partnerships, the activities of existing partners, information on current issues and events of interest elsewhere in the policy and research communities. This is your newsletter as much as it is ours. If we can serve your interests better, or if you feel you have a story of interest to our readers, please provide comments, by fax, care of "METROPOLIS NEWS" at (613) 957-5968 or e-mail us: john.biles@9522apx.cina.cic.x400.gc.ca If you wish to be put on our mailing list in order to receive this publication on a regular basis, please contact us at the above address. Happenings: The first annual national conference is scheduled for March 6-8, 1997 in Edmonton, to be held in conjunction with a conference on gender issues. A Domain Seminar focussing on Education issues will be held in Newfoundland with the Learned Societies Conferences in June, 1997. Montreal will host a second national conference in November to be held in conjunction with the 14th biennial meeting of the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association. The Second International Metropolis Conference is scheduled for September 25-28, 1997 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1997, we are planning to sharply increase the extent of contact between policy-makers and researchers. Our starting point will be a series of experiments that we are initiating within Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The Metropolis interdepartmental committee is proving to be an effective structure for bringing forward federal policy-research concerns. A network of federal regional "nodes" is being developed to promote regional stakeholder involvement. In Quebec, the lead rests with the Province. The Metropolis Team is represented, on a non-voting basis, on the management boards of all four Centres.   Metropolis Management Team Meyer Burstein - Executive Head Paula Bennett - Senior Associate Vasanthi Srinivasan - Project Director Jean Bergeron - Senior Project Coordinator Craig Dougherty - Senior Project Coordinator Jean Viel - Senior Project Coordinator Perry Kelly - Loaned Executive (Solicitor General of Canada) Tina Chui - Loaned Executive (Statistics Canada) Randy Larkin - Project Advisor Doreen Kahalé - Administrative Coordinator Marie-France L'Écuyer - Team Support   Newsletter Associates Monica Townson Editorial Consultant Members of the Metropolis Communications sub-committee Sarah Bélanger Status of Women Canada Craig Dougherty Metropolis Project - CIC Louise Dunn CMHC Ravi Pendakur Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism) Karen Robertson Status of Women Canada Gabrielle Scheler Health Canada