Luin Goldring

CERIS is the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement, which explores issues specific to Ontario. Housed at 91��ɫ, it is tri-university partnership that also includes the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. CERIS also brings together both community organizations and different levels of government in all of its activities and direction through its governance board.

“Dr. Goldring brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the work CERIS does and the way it functions as an organization," says 91��ɫ health professor and CERIS board chair Lillie Lum. “I know she will guide CERIS into the future and will continue to build on the work it has accomplished through past and current leadership.”

Valerie Preston

Preston completes her leadership on a high note, following the third phase of this Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)-funded initiative that has effectively contributed to creating new knowledge in the field of immigration and settlement through annual research grants, graduate student awards and countless events. Together with Lillie Lum, Ryerson and University of Toronto directors, and other CERIS partners, she led the successful 14th Annual Metropolis Conference in Toronto earlier this year. The conference brought together more than 1,200 academics, policy-makers and community members to face challenges and explore opportunities of future immigration policy in Canada.

“We welcome Dr. Goldring as the 91��ɫ director,” says Preston. “I know her commitment and involvement in CERIS, both past and present, will be key to ensuring the future of immigration and settlement research in Ontario.”

“CERIS is an entity like no other,” says Goldring. “It is a research centre, a network and a community of people who all strive to improve the lives of newcomers to Ontario. I have had the pleasure of participating in its activities over many years and I look forward to working with everyone involved as we move ahead.”

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The workshop will run from 9am to 5:30pm, on Thursday, Sept. 16, at the International Conference Centre, 5th Floor, 91��ɫ Research Tower, Keele campus. Anyone wishing to attend should RSVP to migrationconf@gmail with their name and institutional affiliation by Sept. 14.

Right: Professor Luin Goldring

The workshop's goal is to discuss the production, negotiation and implications of precarious status in the Canadian context, and to contribute to and inform Canadian and international debates on immigration, citizenship, social inclusion and rights.

“I think the research will highlight the vulnerability of people with precarious status,” says Goldring, co-organizer of the workshop with Professor Patricia Landolt of the University of Toronto. “There’s a tendency to think about people with precarious status as somehow different, but they’re not. People hire them all the time; they are part of our society. It’s time to start thinking about them and paying attention to these issues.”

People with precarious status encompass both legal and unauthorized status, but all are vulnerable. Goldring uses the example of temporary workers: if they complain about poor working conditions, they risk being fired and falling out of status or not being rehired. If that happens, they have limited recourse. Yet, employers are looking to hire people with precarious status.

Researchers from various disciplines from Ontario, including several from 91��ɫ, will analyze the production of precarious status in Canada, including temporary workers, failed refugee claimants and non-status. They will address the everyday experiences of people living with various forms of precarious status and analyze the negotiation of migratory status in specific institutional settings and sectors, including schooling, health care, social service provision and academic research. Invited commentators will present the key points and discuss the papers, followed by brief author responses and an open discussion.

The event’s co-sponsors include 91��ɫ’s Office of the Vice-President of Research & Innovation, , the International Network on Migration & Development, as well as 91��ɫ’s Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean, Centre for Refugee Studies and Graduate Program in Sociology.

For more information, including speakers and topics, click here.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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In the high-definition video, also available on the Office of the President website and 91��ɫ's channel, Shoukri discusses several transformative projects that are currently underway at 91��ɫ, including new and enhanced buildings at the Keele and Glendon campuses and the Toronto-91��ɫ Spadina Subway Extension at Keele. He also notes the great strides 91��ɫ is making in research and highlights some recent award recognition it has received.

Other topics include safety, sustainability, fundraising and the University's White Paper process. See the .

Beyond this video, the president has made a commitment to enhancing his communication and engagement with students directly. To that end, the president will be available to meet with individual students by appointment during established office hours. A student can request a 10-minute meeting this fall at these times:

• Sept. 20, from 2:30 to 3:30pm
• Oct. 25, from 3 to 4pm
• Nov. 22, from 3 to 4pm

To request an appointment, click here. For more information, visit the Office of the President website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Beginning with the 2011 census, held every five years, Industry Minister Tony Clement is doing away with the mandatory long form, which had been sent to one in five Canadians. The much shorter survey that goes to all Canadians will remain compulsory.

Instead of forcing 20 per cent of the population to fill out the long form under threat of jail time and fines, Clement said a third of Canadians will be sent the long form, which they can voluntarily complete.

But the change has prompted an outcry across the country from people who believe making the long form voluntary will result in less accurate information.

91��ɫ Professor Valerie Preston, director of CERIS, told Toronto Community News she is upset with the changes. “We have a 97 per cent compliance response to the (mandatory) long form and so it gives us a very complete picture of Canadians. A voluntary survey will not give us anything like that compliance rate. It won’t even approach it,” she said.

Communities such as recent immigrants and lower-income Canadians who move often will be less likely to fill out a voluntary survey, she added. And less reliable census information could mean the needs of the most vulnerable, such as newcomers to Canada, the elderly, the poor and single parents, will be ignored, she said.

“I’m very concerned,” she said. “Without that information, how are you going to transfer (government) funds where they are most needed?”

Preston argued reputable public polling firms, which rely on voluntary responses, can start out with a sample of 17,000 possible respondents but only end up getting answers from 1,000 people.

Republished courtesy of

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If you’re United Way of 91��ɫ Region (UWYR), you collaborate with 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit.

This summer, three 91��ɫ students will gain valuable experience through internships with UWYR’s Community Engagement & Research Committee.

As part of their experience with the UWYR, the interns will review literature focusing on the impact of growth and change on human services and various responses to address its impact. They will also conduct social asset mapping within 91��ɫ Region’s identified geographies of growth. And finally, they will identify, refine and pilot potential neighbourhood assessment tools for future consultation and engagement activities with residents, community groups, service providers and other key stakeholders.

Their findings will inform the way in which UWYR plans and delivers investments in communities experiencing rapid growth to further its community impact: helping youth grow up strong, enabling individuals and families to achieve economic independence, and improving the well-being of individuals and communities.

The graduate student interns bring a variety of social science research experience to bear on this project.

Jessica Carriere, who is working with Professor Gerda Wekerle in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, is researching the social aspects of city planning within major Canadian cities as she works toward completing the Master in Environmental Studies Planning Program. She hopes to work in social planning and development at the municipal level, assisting in the creation of new policy-led strategies aimed at strengthening public involvement in decision-making processes and encouraging investment in social infrastructure.

Left: Jessica Carriere

Nausheen Quayyum, has completed a master of arts in development studies under the supervision of Professors Ananya Mukherjee Reed and Eduardo Canel and will begin doctoral studies in the fall. She has previous experience as a research intern working with (Dhaka), (Toronto) and the University of Toronto’s Health & Human Rights Program.

Right: Nausheen Quayyum

Silvia D’Addario is a doctoral student in the Graduate Program in Geography. Under Professor Valerie Preston’s supervision, D’Addario was a graduate researcher on the 91��ɫ Infrastructure Project, which assessed the supply and demand of social infrastructure for three vulnerable populations – recent immigrants, low-income residents and seniors in 91��ɫ Region. Her doctoral studies explore the gendering and racializing intersections of work and residence for immigrants in suburban Toronto.

Left: Silvia D’Addario

The Knowledge Mobilization Unit’s internship program, funded in part by a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Knowledge Impact in Society grant, awards 12 internships each year to 91��ɫ graduate students based on an internal competition.

More than 24 students have been placed to date, including 91��ɫ alumna Tammy Lowe (née Miller) (MA ’08) who was supervised by Professor Barbara Crow while completing her master of arts in communication & culture. Through her internship placement with , Lowe used her master's class and thesis work to conduct a needs assessment to understand and inform a communications strategy and new Web site for the non-profit organization. Lowe was recently hired as a campaign manager with UWYR.

Right: Tammy Lowe

With the SSHRC grant now concluded, the internship program is jointly supported by UWYR and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. It is just one way in which UWYR and 91��ɫ work together to make research accessible and of benefit to 91��ɫ Region residents.

“We share with 91��ɫ a vision for a healthy and sustainable 91��ɫ Region that uses evidence-based research to inform support for public services,” says Daniele Zanotti, CEO of United Way of 91��ɫ Region. “For us, knowledge mobilization is priceless.”

Submitted by David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services, and Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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Above: The 91��ɫ Research Tower, which opened in September 2009, features some 84,000 square feet of space and houses 12 research centres and two research project teams

“91��ɫ is a leading university in social sciences and humanities research, and nothing proves that more than a peer-review process,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, 91��ɫ's president & vice-chancellor, referencing the recent successes of 91��ɫ researchers in securing a Killam Prize, two out of four of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SSHRC) Major Collaborative Research Initiative awards, and a SSHRC Community-University Research Award.

“But having excellent researchers puts another level of responsibility on the University, which is to make absolutely sure that we have the environment and the support they need to reach their potential,” he said. “This building represents 91��ɫ’s commitment to building a research culture for success.”

The 10-storey building, which recently received , opened in September 2009 and features approximately 84,000 square feet (net) with wireless Internet access. It currently houses 12 research centres and two research project teams, and also provides office space for the and (ABEL) group, which provide support services for researchers. The Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, Office of Research Ethics and Office of Research Services occupy the fifth floor, along with extensive conference and meeting facilities (full occupant list).

“I think this is the best facility for social science and humanities research in the country, and our researchers deserve it,” said Stan Shapson (left), vice-president research & innovation. “In addition to many new technologies, it’s built on the Greek agora model of community that allows researchers to come together and collaborate, both with researchers across the University and with external groups. Some of the issues they’re studying can’t be solved in isolation. No one has all the knowledge or the strategy to do it all – we have to collaborate, which is also why we want the YRT to be a meeting place for the community to work with us.”

Chad Gaffield (left), , was also present for the event as part of a daylong visit to 91��ɫ’s Keele campus. “We use e-communications to deepen and enrich relationships that are, at least periodically, complemented by physical contact,” he said. “The genius of the YRT is its confirmation of the importance of creating face-to-face contact and then complementing those interactions through information communications technology. It’s a new model of engaged scholarship and research.”

Professor (below, right), director of the Centre for Refugee Studies on the research tower’s eighth floor, spoke about the importance of creating neighbourhoods for researchers. Since moving into the building, McGrath has formed new research connections with peers in the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research, the Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean, and , all of which are her neighbours on the eighth floor.

“Having neighbourliness, good meeting space and research resources under one roof is great,” said McGrath. “I hosted colleagues from all around the world here for a three-day session in the bright and spacious Conference Centre. With help from ABEL, we streamed parts of our meeting online, allowing those who weren’t able to travel here opportunities to participate. The facilities are fostering our sense of research culture and allowing us to work more collaboratively than I think we would have without it.”

Graduate students have also benefited from new space on floors six, seven and eight that was designed for them as researchers. “When you walk around the building, you see graduate students everywhere,” said Susan Henders, director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research. “They’re working on projects, relaxing in the lounges and interacting with their peers. It’s quality space that brings them into the centres and fosters their work and professional development, complementing their graduate program training.”

Watch videos from the Research Tower opening, with remarks from President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Vice-President Research & Innovation Stan Shapson, SSHRC President Chad Gaffield, Professor Susan Henders and Professor Susan McGrath.

“One student told me that having study space made him feel valued as a researcher and professional in the making,” Henders continued. “I want to commend the University for its foresight in recognizing the critical role graduate students play in organized research units and research on the campus.”

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer. Photos courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The panel discussion, "Suburbia in Transition: Infrastructure and Planning in Toronto's In-Between City", will take place Thursday, March 25, from 12:30 to 2pm in the 7th Floor Lounge of the 91��ɫ Research Tower, Keele campus.

Suburbia, long a feature of Canadian urbanization, has begun to change face. One of the pervasive features of the new suburbia has been its growing diversity in ethnocultural and socio-economic terms. Part of the challenge of coming to terms with this growing diversity has been the provision of hard and soft, technical and social infrastructures in a rapidly expanding region.

Between 2006 and 2010, 91��ɫ held two grants under their Peer Reviewed Research Studies program to study these challenges with specific reference to the suburbs of Toronto. At the same time, suburban communities such as Vaughan have begun to reassess their future development and have developed ambitious new official plan documents. This panel of researchers and planners will examine the pressing problems and emerging solutions in the new suburban infrastructural landscape and report back on recent research findings.

"In-Between Infrastructure: "Infrastructure in 91��ɫ Region: A GIS Analysis of Human Services" was funded by Infrastructure Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

"In-Between Infrastructure: Urban Connectivity in an Age of Vulnerability" was a three-year research project funded in large part by Infrastructure Canada with a contribution from Toronto Community Housing. It explored the infrastructure in what is called the "in-between city", the part of the urban region that is perceived as not quite traditional city and not quite traditional suburb. As a concept, the in-between city explodes the myth of the city and country divide, and opens new ways of understanding infrastructure needs in a globalizing Canadian urban region. A key goal of this research project was to explore the connectivity between different scales through the lens of urban infrastructure.

The project addressed whether it is possible to design a system of social and cultural infrastructure that has everything a community needs and meets global needs as well, and what the impact of economically driven decisions of hard infrastructure is on communities. The geographical area that was the subject of this project lies partly in the City of Toronto and partly in the City of Vaughan.

Another team of 91��ɫ-led experts investigating the availability of infrastructure and services to recent immigrants, low income residents and seniors in 91��ɫ Region is finding that funding for services is not keeping pace with growth in the area. "Infrastructure in 91��ɫ Region: A GIS Analysis of Human Services" was funded by Infrastructure Canada & Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The findings of the project have implications for suburbs across Canada, according to principal investigator Lo. The 91��ɫ infrastructure project has catalogued services and surveyed residents of 91��ɫ Region over a two-year period to determine where the most vulnerable populations lie and to identify gaps in services.

Preliminary findings suggest a divide between the northern and southern areas of 91��ɫ Region, whereby rural areas are paradoxically better served on a per capita basis than the more urban south, but find services less accessible due to existing transit infrastructure. Similarly, better educated residents are more able to find and avail themselves of existing services, creating an environment where the most in need are the least served.

“There is a traditional belief among politicians and others that people who move to the outer suburbs, to those big houses, that they are fine,” said Lo. “That is a kind of myth. Given the want [by politicians] for urban intensification, a lot of the resources are being poured in to the traditional city.”

Situated north of Toronto, 91��ɫ Region is an archetypal suburban area where the population increased from 169,000 in 1971 to 886,575 in 2006 and is estimated to grow to 1,280,000 by 2026. Immigration propels this growth and seniors and low-income households are growing proportions of the population. The project addresses the infrastructure needs that have arisen during the region’s rapid transition from a low-density, ethnically and socially homogeneous suburban region to a diverse, rapidly intensifying suburb.

, CITY director and principal investigator of the "In-Between Infrastructure" project, will chair a panel with fellow project researchers 91��ɫ geography Professor Patricia Wood, 91��ɫ social science Professor Douglas Young and John Saunders, a resident faculty member of the CITY and the project's research coordinator. Other panellists include, Leigh McGrath of Urban Strategies Inc., who will present on the firm's recent work on the Vaughan Official Plan, and Lo, chair of 91��ɫ's Department of Geography, who will address some of the results of the "Infrastructure in 91��ɫ Region" project.

Saunders, who teaches in 91��ɫ's Department of Geography and the Urban Studies Program, will talk about "The Landscape of Citizenship in the In-between City: Downsview Park, Toronto".

Wood will discuss "Residents' Vulnerability and Resilience in an Anti-Residential Landscape". Her research focuses on diversity, identity politics and citizenship, particularly in cities. She does both contemporary and historical work in Canada, the United States and Ireland, and conducts research primarily with immigrant groups and indigenous peoples, with an emphasis on participatory, collaborative research practices. She is the author of Nationalism from the Margins: Italians in Alberta and British Columbia (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2002) and co-author of Citizenship & Identity (Sage Publications, 1999).

Young will talk about "Planning Challenges in the In-Between City". He has worked as an architect, municipal planner and developer of non-profit housing cooperatives and is co-author of a book on urban politics, Changing Toronto: Governing Urban Neoliberalism, (University of Toronto Press, 2009) and co-editor of the forthcoming book, In-between Infrastructure: Urban Connectivity in an Age of Vulnerability.

McGrath will look at "Social Services, Land Use Planning and Vaughan's New Official Plan". Her professional work has included a breadth of projects from implementing elements of Ontario's Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe to research and development of an Environmental Master Plan for the City of Red Deer, Alta. McGrath is a member of the Urban Strategies Vaughan Official Plan team, a project underway since 2007 that is expected to be completed later this year.

Lo will discuss "Vulnerability and Human Service Provisions in 91��ɫ Region". She is the former economics domain leader of the Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration & Settlement (CERIS), now known as CERIS - The Ontario Metropolis Centre, and the transportation and commerce research thrust leader, as well as a member of the Research Management Committee of Geomatics for Informed Decision Making, a Canada network centre of excellence. Her current research interests include vulnerability in the suburbs and human service provision; immigration and banking; recession and return migration; and entrepreneurship in mid-size cities.

Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome.

For more information, visit the CITY Web site.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Latin American Artists in Toronto: Immigrants and Artists at Work, the second seminar on issues related to immigrants and the arts, will feature three panellists.

The seminar will take place Tuesday, March 23, from 12:30 to 2pm, in the fifth floor Conference Centre of the 91��ɫ Research Tower, Keele campus.

91��ɫ environmental studies Professor Deborah Barndt, co-ordinator of the Community Arts Practice (CAP) Certificate at 91��ɫ, will moderate the panel discussion along with 91��ɫ sociology Professor Luin Goldring (right), a Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean (CERLAC) Fellow.

Rodrigo Barreda, secretary of the Latin American Canadian Art Projects Board of Directors; 91��ɫ fine arts cultural studies Professor Alberto Guevara; and Elia Mayahuel Tecozautla (MA ’09), a 91��ɫ dance alumna, will be the panellists who reflect on their work as artists in Canada.

Among the topics they will discuss are:

• challenges faced by Latin American artists working in the arts sector
• how artists negotiate their identities in their artistic production processes
• the role of funding bodies and gallery practices in shaping “immigrant art”
• how artists develop an aesthetic in the context of Canadian multicultural policy
• contrasts between artistic production cultures “here” and “there”

The seminar is free and open to everyone. It is presented by CERIS, CAP and 91��ɫ’s Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean.

RSVP to ceris.reception@utoronto.ca or call 416-946-3110.

CERIS - The Ontario Metropolis Centre is a research knowledge creation and transfer network that focuses on the resettlement and integration of immigrants and refugees in Ontario. The centre is a collaboration between 91��ɫ, the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.

The Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC) is an interdisciplinary research unit concerned with the economic development, political and social organization, and cultural contributions of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Centre works to build academic and cultural links between these regions and Canada; to inform researchers, policy advisors, and the public on matters concerning the regions; and to assist in the development of research and teaching institutions that directly benefit the peoples of the regions.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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