Research Column

CUISR research having impact on community

By Kathryn Warden

It's been called a "social sciences synchrotron" because it's generating new light on a wide range of social and quality-of-life issues, bringing new resilience to the Saskatoon community.

The Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) is a unique research institute - an equal partnership between the U of S and community organizations aimed at addressing local community problems such as child poverty and Aboriginal housing shortages. It represents a new emphasis on community-based research at the U of S.

CUISR received $1.3 million from SSHRC and other community and university partners back in 1999. Now it's embarking on a $950,000 program over the next two years to review and expand its community-oriented research.

CUISR Co-director Jim Randall

SSHRC will provide $400,000 of the new money, while the remaining funding is cash and in-kind support from the U of S and community partners.

"This is not research that sits on a shelf - it's research that is having an impact on many aspects of the social and economic lives of Saskatoon residents and will assist policy makers," says Bryan Harvey, U of S Acting Vice-President Research.

The latest grant involves 14 researchers and eight community partners: City of Saskatoon, Quint Development Corporation, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority, the United Way of Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Credit Union, Saskatoon Communities for Children, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority, and The StarPhoenix. The project also provides extensive graduate student training opportunities.

Jim Randall, a geography professor and CUISR co-director, says the SSHRC grant is a "testament to the co-operation and trust that has been fostered among community groups and university academics over the past three years."

CUISR community co-director Kate Waygood says the research "gives more people in Saskatoon a voice in policy discussions and debates, and is having a cumulative impact on the community."

CUISR plans to undertake 20 new projects, as well as assess the impact of the more than 40 projects it has already undertaken.

By hosting an international conference May 8-10, CUISR will bring national attention to community-university partnerships. Speakers include Canadian diplomat Stephen Lewis, former Assembly of First Nations national chief Ovide Mercredi, and former National Action Committee on the Status of Women president Judy Rebick.

To date, 36 reports have been published from CUISR research and more than 13 peer-reviewed articles have been published or are in the works. Among CUISR's research findings:

• Street prostitutes were arrested three times more often than 'johns', received harsher sentences and were on average 23 years younger than the men charged, according to a study of Saskatoon arrests related to communicating to buy or sell sex. Local initiatives such as the community-based rehabilitation program Operation Help are addressing social and economic problems that drive women to sell sex.
• Community groups and business partners are working on a design concept and business plan to develop neighbourhood-based grocery stores, along with a warehouse for local produce and a resource centre for on-the-job training. The departure of Saskatoon's full-size grocery stores from low-income neighbourhoods has made shopping difficult for people with little access to transportation.
• Homophobia is costing Canada millions of dollars annually. Gays, lesbians, and bi-sexuals have a shorter life expectancy and face a greater rate of health problems, such as depression, suicide, smoking, and substance abuse, than the heterosexual population. These problems result from coping with society's negative responses to sexual orientation.
• In partnership with CUISR, The Star-Phoenix newspaper published a special 26-page insert on Jan. 20, 2001 entitled "Taking the Pulse" that described and interpreted Saskatoon quality-of-life survey results. This was an innovative way of sharing new research knowledge with citizens in 76,000 homes.

CUISR is one of 37 projects funded under the Community-University Research Alliance program.

"Since we launched the program in 1999, we have received more applications than we ever imagined," says SSHRC President Marc Renaud. "This program clearly responds to a need within our communities. Through this program, we are helping to build bridges between community groups and researchers, and together they are strengthening their communities' ability to address a wide variety of issues."

Innovation is the federal buzzword these days, but as Renaud points out, innovation "is not just about new products and getting market share. It's about people, ideas and new ways of doing."

This builds a culture of innovation that "goes beyond technology and labs." CUISR is a shining example of the kind of investment in social innovation that will help lead to a healthier, sustainable community.