Metropolis - Toronto Centre of Excellence

OVERVIEW OF CERIS’ RESEARCH PROGRAMME

(1996 - 2002)

A. Executive Summary

From 1996 to 2000, CERIS funded a total of 47 RFPs. In the years 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000, these were categorized by Research Domain: 11 in the Economic domain; 9 in Education; 13 in Community; 8 in Health; 4 in Housing and Neighbourhoods and 1 in Justice and Law.^{^[1]} In 1998 they were categorized by Research Theme: 2 in Children and Youth; 4 in Cohesion, Citizenship and Social Climate; 1 in Institutional Restructuring and Policy Change; 2 in Ethnic Economy. These projects engaged more than 250 academic and community-based researchers (including undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students), reflect a wide range of disciplines and research methodologies, and involved several universities and community organizations. Each of the project research teams involved a collaborative partnership of some form or other, whether these be interdisciplinary, inter-university and/or academic-community collaborations in the research itself and/or the dissemination of research results. What follows is a full list of research projects organized by domain as well as a listing of major research themes or areas. Full project descriptions for the 1996 – 2000 RFP’s are available as separate documents for consultation purposes.

B. List of Research Projects by Domain, Title and Lead Researcher

Economic Domain

Immigrants, Ethnic Economy and Integration: A Case Study of Chinese in the Greater Toronto Area

Lead researcher: Lucia Lo [1996] - $15,000

Chinese Ethnic Economy in Toronto

Lead researcher: Ambrose Ma/Eric Fong [1996] - $15,000

The Immigration Points System and Labour Adjustment Program: A Gender Analysis

Lead researcher: Roxana Ng [1996] - $6,000

Changing Patterns of Immigrants' Socio-economic Integration (1986-1995) and their Policy and Program Implications

Lead researcher: Edward Harvey [1997] - $15,000

Investigating Policy Barriers to Immigrant Business Development: A Case Study of Chinese in GTA

Lead researcher: Shuguang Wang [1998] - $16,410

Employment Barriers Experienced by Chinese Immigrant Women in the GTA

Lead researcher: Valerie Preston [1998]- $19,640

Immigration, Ethnic Diversity and Labour Unions in Canada

Lead researcher: Jeffrey Reitz [1998] $12,950

Immigrant and Refugee Youth Unemployment: A Qualitative Exploration of Labour Market Exclusion.

Lead researcher: John Shields & Khan Rahi [1998] $14,510

An Analysis of Socio-economic Situation by Ethnocultural Groups, Periods of Immigration and Gender for Canada and Toronto CMA: 1996, 1991 and 1996 Compared.

Lead researcher: Edward Harvey [1999] $12,988.

Cultural Resources, Ethnic Strategies and Immigrant Entrepreneurship: A Comparative Study of Six Ethnic Groups in the Toronto CMA

Lead researcher: Lucia Lo [1999] $27, 561 (over two years)

Apprenticeship Opportunities and Barriers for Immigrant Youth in the GTA

Lead researcher: June Yee [2000] $15,180

Education Domain

Supporting Parental Involvement in Schools: An Ethnographic Study of the Toronto Latino Parent Support Group

Lead researcher: Judith Bernhard [1996] - $15,000

Upward Mobility Among Second Generation Caribbean Men Living in Toronto: A Pilot Study

Lead researcher: Clifford Jansen [1996] - $15,000

Opportunities and Possibilities: School Board/University Partnership as a Means of Enhancing the Educational Experiences of Immigrant and Refugee Students

Lead researcher: Carl James [1996] - $8,000

The Next Generation: Life Course Effects of Immigration and Educational Experiences on Adolescent Transitions to Adulthood

Lead researcher: John Hagan [1996] - $6,000

Parent Participation in Elementary Schools: The Experience of Hispanic Immigrants

Lead researcher: Carl Corter [1997] - $15,000

Early Differences Experienced by Visible Minority Children

Lead researcher: Kenise Murphy Kilbride [1997] - $14,871

School Experiences of Immigrant and Ethnic Minority Youth: Risk and Protective Factors in Coping with Bullying and Harassment

Lead researcher: Debra Pepler [1997] - $15,000

Enhancing School Retention Among African-Canadian Youth

Lead researcher: Gloria Roberts-Fiati [1998] - $14,900

Thanks for Asking: Public Legal Education Project for Immigrant Women in Domestic Violence Situations

Lead researcher: Shahrzad Mojab [1999] $17,705.50

Latin American Families and Social Service Providers’ Interactions on Parenting Issues Arising in Elementary School Settings

Lead Researcher: Judith Bernhard [2000] (over two years) $28,692

Community Domain

Link by Link: The Challenge of Building Community with Survivors of Torture

Lead researcher: Adrienne Chambon [1996] - $15,000

Immigration, Urban Citizenship and Municipal Governance in the Greater Toronto Area

Lead researcher: Myer Siemiatycki [1996] - $15,000

Research Toward Equity in the Professional Life of Immigrants: A Study of Nursing in the Metropolis

Lead researcher: Enid Collins [1997] - $14,714

The Impact of Sponsorship on the Equality Rights of Francophone Immigrant Women

Lead researcher: Andrée Côté [1997] - $12,500

The Civic Engagement of Immigrants and Refugees: Towards a Comparative Study of Women's and Men's Participation in Schooling Issues in the Greater Toronto Area and Vancouver

Lead researcher: Luin Goldring [1997] - $11,000

Satellite Children: An Exploratory Study of Their Experience and Perception

Lead researcher: Howard Irving [1997] - $14,950

Voices of Immigrant Women: The Effects of Cutbacks on Their Settlement Experiences

Lead researcher: Neita Israelite [1997] - $5,000

The Collaborative Development of Culturally Appropriate Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect for the South Asian Community

Lead researcher: Nico Trocmé [1998] - $12,970

Latin American Youth in Toronto: Identity and Immigration Issues

Lead researcher: Alan Simmons [1998] $23,706

Civic Participation & Homeland Ties: A Comparative Study of Croatians & Sri Lankan Tamils in the Greater Toronto Area

Lead researchers: Winland Daphne and Wayland Sarah [1999] $16,944

Product of Canada?! Caribbean-Canadians, Family Transnationalism and the Settlement Process

Lead researcher: Carl James [2000] $17,400

Health Domain

Immigration and Settlement Issues for Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities: An Exploratory Study

Lead researcher: Judith Sandys [1996] - $10,000

Identifying Barriers and Incentives to Breast Cancer Screening Behaviour in Tamil Immigrant/Refugee Women 50 Years Old and Over

Lead researcher: Marta Meana [1996] - $10,250

Towards Respiratory Health Among Immigrants in South East Toronto: Life Histories of Chinese and Caribbean Immigrants

Lead researcher: Esme Fuller-Thomson [1996] - $15,000

Food Security, Health and the Immigrant Experience

Lead researcher: Jennifer Welsh [1997] - $14,616

Study of the Health Status and Health Care Access for the Arab Community in Toronto:

A Pilot Study to Assess Health Needs

Lead researcher: Lillian Yuan [1997] - $15,000

Pathways and Barriers to Mental Health Care for Ethiopians in Toronto

Lead researcher: Samuel Noh and Ilene Hyman[1998] - $49,196.75

The Health Effects of Reductions in Welfare Payments and Hospital Closures on Immigrant Populations in Southeast Toronto

Lead researcher: Richard Glazier [1998] $45,000 (over three years)

Chinese Immigrant Women Who Care for Aging Parents

Lead researcher: Lynn McDonald [2000] $12,016

Towards Healthier Bones: A Cross-sectional Study Examining Fracture Risk and Access to Care among Chinese Immigrants

Lead researcher: Angela Cheung [2000] $21,860

Assessing the Impact of the Kosovo Crisis on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Newcomer Serbian Children in the GTA

Lead researcher: Joanna (Anneke) Rummens [2000] $24,144

Housing and Neighbourhood Domain

The Rental Housing Experience of Salvadorean Refugees in Toronto

Lead researcher: David Hulchanski [2000] $17,520

Race, Gender and Age in Non-familial Settings

Lead researcher: Janet Lum [2000] $20,140

Multicultural Planning Practice in the GTA

Lead researcher: Beth Moore Milroy [2000] $11,103

Pathways to Housing: The Experiences of Refugees in Accessing Permanent Housing in Toronto

Lead researcher: Robert Murdie [1999] $14,960

Justice and Law Domain

The Impact of Criminal Deportation on Toronto’s Jamaican Community

Lead researcher: Scot Wortley [2000] $19,870

C. Key Research Themes

The following list identifies key research themes and areas evident in the 47 research projects for 1996-2000. Its purpose is to determine which research areas are being addressed both for informational purposes and to make it easier to identify current gaps in CERIS’ research programme.

Ethno-specific groups and linguistic communities specifically dealt with in research projects include: Arab; Caribbean; Chinese, including Chinese from Hong Kong; Croatian; Ethiopian; Latino/Hispanic; Korean; Polish; Portuguese; Serbian; Somali; and South Asian, including Tamil. Two of the four 1998 projects focused on barriers faced by Chinese immigrants in the G.T.A.: one on policy barriers to immigrant business development (Shuguang Wang) and one on employment barriers faced by Chinese immigrant women (Valerie Preston). One project in the Economic Domain (Edward Harvey - 1997) dealt with a total of 46 ethno-cultural groups; another project (Andrée Côté - 1997) dealt with francophone immigrants in Ontario; and yet a third yielded a mapping of immigrant settlement across the G.T.A (Myer Siemiatycki - 1996). One of the projects funded in 1999 compared entrepreneurship in six ethnic groups, including Caribbean, Chinese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese and Somali immigrants in Toronto. An update of Edward Harvey’s research on the socio-economic situation of ethnocultural groups looked at 58 ethnocultural groups in Toronto and Canada in general, based on the latest 1996 census data. In the 2000 RFP, two projects examined issues in the Chinese community (Lynn McDonald – 2000 and Angela Cheung – 2000). Two others dealt with the Caribbean community (Scot Wortley – 2000 and Carl James – 2000). All CERIS research projects necessarily deal with the wide variety of linguistic, cultural and “racial” immigrant and refugee groups evident in the Greater Toronto Area given the nature of the Centre’s research mandate and immigration trends in Canada.

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Adaptation/Acculturation

            Judith Bernhard - 1997; Debra Pepler - 1997; Howard Irving 1997; Alan Simmons 1998; Carl James - 2000

Civic Engagement

Judith Bernhard - 1996; Carl Corter - 1997; Myer Siemiatycki - 1996; Luin Goldring 1997; Gloria Roberts-Fiati 1998; Winland D. & Wayland S. 1999.

Community Action Strategies

Jennifer Welsh - 1997

Community Integration

Adrienne Chambon - 1996

Comparative studies

Andrée Côté - 1997; Luin Goldring - 1997

Discrimination/Equity Issues

            Cliff Jansen - 1996; Kenise Murphy Kilbride - 1997; Debra Pepler - 1997; Enid Collins -1997; Andrée Côté - 1997; Judith Sandys - 1996; Nico Trocmé - 1998; Shuguang Wang - 1998; Valerie Preston – 1998; June Yee 2000; Scot Wortley – 2000

Ethnic Economy

            Lucia Lo - 1996; Ambrose Ma/Eric Fong - 1996; Shuguang Wang - 1998

            Jeffrey Reitz 1998; Shields & Khan R- 1998; Lucia Lo - 1999

Gender Issues

            Roxana Ng - 1996; Andrée Côté - 1997; Luin Goldring - 1997; Marta Meana - 1996; Valerie Preston – 1998; Janet Lum - 2000

Government Responsiveness

Myer Siemiatycki - 1996

Health Care Access and Delivery

Marta Meana - 1996; Judith Sandys - 1996; Lillian Yuan - 1997; Samuel Noh & Ilene Hyman- 1998; Angela Cheung - 2000

Health Status/Issues

Debra Pepler - 1997; Marta Meana - 1996; Esme Fuller-Thomson - 1996; Jennifer Welsh - 1997; LillianYuan - 1997; Samuel Noh & Ilene Hyman - 1998

Mapping of Immigrant Settlement Patterns

            Myer Siemiatycki - 1996

Policies/Programs

            Roxana Ng - 1996; Edward Harvey - 1997; Carl James - 1996; Judith Bernhard - 1996; Kenise Murphy Kilbride - 1997; Neita Israelite - 1997; Enid Collins - 1997; Andrée Côté - 1997; Neita Israelite - 1997; Adrienne Chambon - 1996; Esme Fuller-Thomson - 1996; Judith Sandys - 1996; Jennifer Welsh - 1997; Nico Trocmé - 1998; Shuguang Wang 1998; Richard Glazier 1998; Mojab Shahrzad – 1999; Beth Moore Milroy - 2000

Refugees

Marta Meana - 1996; Samuel Noh & Ilene Hyman 1998; Robert Murdie – 1999;

Hulchanski - 2000

Settlement Services

Adrienne Chambon - 1996; Neita Israelite - 1997; Myer Siemiatycki - 1996

Social Mobility

Cliff Jansen - 1996

Socio-Economic Integration

Edward Harvey – 1997; Edward Harvey - 1999

"Special Needs" / Vulnerable Groups

Howard Irving - 1997; Marta Meana - 1996; Judith Sandys - 1996; Jennifer Welsh - 1997; Lillian Yuan - 1997; Nico Trocmé - 1998.

D. CERIS RFP Submissions by Domain and Year

Domain 1996 Submissions 1996 Awards

Economic 13 3

Education 13 4

Community 33 5 (inc 2 Health)

______ ______

TOTAL 59 12

Domain 1997 Submissions 1997 Awards

Economic 4 1

Education 7 3

Community

(Social Services; Other) 16 5

Community

(Health) 6 2

______ ______

TOTAL 33 11

Research Theme 1998 Submissions 1998 Awards

Children and Youth 10 2

Cohesion, Citizenship,

and Social Climate 9 4

Institutional Restructuring

and Policy Change 3 1

Ethnic Economy 2 2 ______ _

________ _______

TOTAL 24 9

Domain 1999 Submissions 1999 Awards

Economic 5 2

Education 2 1

Community 8 1

Health 3 0

Housing and

Neighbourhoods 2 1

______ ______

TOTAL 20 5

Domain 2000 Submissions 2000 Awards

Economic 3 1

Education 2 1

Community 6 2

Health 6 2

Housing and

Neighbourhoods 4 3

Justice and Law 2 1

______ ______

TOTAL 23 10

TOTAL

SUBMISSIONS 159

TOTAL AWARDED 47

^{^[1]} In 1996 and 1997, Community consisted of:Social Services; Other, and Health. In 1998, Community was broken into three separate new Domains: Health, Community, and Housing and Neighbourhoods.

Most Chinese business owners have never used services for small business. Among the owners who use the services, most of their customers are non-ethnic.

Outcomes/results obtained:

Who Participates in the Ethnic Economy

Previous American studies of found that those participating in the ethnic economy have lower levels of human capital resources than those who work outside the ethnic economy. Our findings confirm this pattern. Only about 31 percent of those participating in the ethnic economy, as compared to 56 percent of those who work outside the ethnic economy, have completed university education. In addition, only 16 percent of those participating in the ethnic economy considered their English ability to be very good, but 26 percent of those not participating in the ethnic economy considered their English ability to be very good. The results suggest that the ethnic economy is an alternative avenue of economic integration for immigrants who have lower levels of human capital resources.

Economic Returns of Participating in the Ethnic Economy

Findings clearly show that the majority of individuals participating in earn less. About 61 percent of those participating in the ethnic economy earn less than $30,000 and no one earns more than $80,000. Of those participating outside the ethnic economy, only 26 percent earn less than $30,000, and 10 percent earn more than $80,000.

When we compare the economic returns of salaried workers participating within and outside the ethnic economy, the earning disadvantage of salaried workers participating in the ethnic economy is distinctive. About 80 percent of salaried workers participating in the ethnic economy earn less than $30,000, compared to only 26 percent of those participating outside the ethnic economy.

In short, a large proportion of individuals participating in the ethnic economy earn less than those who work outside the ethnic economy. This earning difference is more obvious for salaried workers.

Psychological Benefits of Participating in the Ethnic Economy

Most studies on the ethnic economy have focused on the economic returns of participating in the ethnic economy. This study extends the understanding of the ethnic economy to the psychological aspects of participation. The results show that a slightly higher percentage of those participating in the ethnic economy are satisfied with their jobs than those who are outside the ethnic economy. The results are almost identical when we compare salaried workers participating in and outside the ethnic economy. Statistical analysis, more specifically the Chi-square test, suggests that the difference between participating within and outside the ethnic economy are not statistically significant.

When we compare a general life satisfaction, individuals participating in the ethnic economy are more likely to express satisfaction than those who are not in the ethnic economy. Nevertheless, statistical analysis indicates that the results are not statistically significant.

In short, participating in the ethnic economy, which implies more contact with co-ethnic members, does not increase job satisfaction or life satisfaction in general.

Social Integration

Working in the ethnic economy clearly affects the level of participation in non-ethnic social activities. Only 23 percent of those working in the ethnic economy frequently participate in non-ethnic social activities, as compared to 77 percent of those working outside the ethnic economy. However, the level of participation in Chinese ethnic social activities is not affected by whether or not individuals work in the ethnic economy. The level of participation in Chinese ethnic social activities is almost identical for those working within and outside the ethnic economy.

In sum, participating in the ethnic economy may affect the integration process of individuals into mainstream Canadian society. However, maintaining contact with the ethnic community does not relate to whether or not individuals participate in the ethnic economy.

Self Employment

In this section, we focus on the employers in the ethnic economy. The purpose of the discussion is two fold. First, we provide a portrait of employers in the ethnic economy. Second, we address business operations within the ethnic economy. We are thus able to provide a glimpse of the supply side of the ethnic economy.

Our findings suggest that Chinese business owners are more likely to be involved in retail food stores or restaurants. About 20 percent of Chinese business owners are involved in these two industries. In addition, about 9 percent are in retail clothing business, and 6 percent are in beauty shop and household services. Most of these businesses seem to have the common characteristics that their services are ethnic specific and require low levels of technical skill. In other words, these businesses are in a protected market where Chinese ethnic business owners have a niche and an advantage over other groups.

Most of these businesses are small in nature. About 32 percent have no employees, and 67 percent have fewer than 10 employees. The majority of Chinese business owners who employ workers (about 56 percent) recruited the employees from the recommendations of friends. In addition, about 14 percent of Chinese business owners recruited their employees through their family networks. The recruitment pattern clearly demonstrates the importance of ethnic networks in determining employment in the ethnic economy. For business owners, hiring through social networks has the advantage of reducing the search costs substantially.

Most Chinese business owners are cost conscious. They use both Chinese and non-Chinese wholesale services. The most common reason for using specific wholesale services is not language (only 16 percent), but cost efficiency (21 percent).

In short, most businesses in the ethnic economy are small in scale, their services are ethnic specific, and low levels of skill are required. Business owners are cost conscious. They choose their wholesale services based on economic cost. When workers are needed, most recruitment is done through the networks of relatives and friends. Hiring through these networks may reduce the cost of searching.

Use of Services for Small Business

A considerable number of organizations provide services to small business owners. Our findings indicate, however, that most of the Chinese business owners (68 percent) have never used these services mainly because many of them are not aware of the existence of such services or organizations. Chinese business owners expressed their needs for more services such as providing business documents written in Chinese, interacting with Chinese-speaking representatives in major organizations, and receiving practical help when their business encounters various problems.

A closer look at the results suggests that the businesses serving largely non-ethnic customers tend to use more of the existing services than those serving largely co-ethnic customers do. This trend may be related to the characteristics of people engaging in the former type of business, namely their higher level of human capital and longer duration of stay in Canada.

Methodology

The data used for the study come from a telephone survey conducted between October 1997 and January 1998 in the city of Metropolitan Toronto (including the regions of Toronto, North York, East York, York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke), and three neighbouring cities (Richmond Hill, Markham, and Mississauga). All of these areas have high proportions of Chinese residents.

The sample selection for the survey was based on a telephone CD-ROM directory. Last names were selected which sounded like the Mandarin, Cantonese, or Vietnamese pronunciation of Chinese last names. The list compiled can represent Chinese from various countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries.

Before the survey was conducted, an explanatory letter was sent to all individuals on the list. Two weeks later, calls were made to request interviews. Once the appointments were set up, trained interviewers who could speak English, Cantonese, and Mandarin visited the interviewees at home.

The demographic and social characteristics of the Chinese in the current sample closely resemble those of the Chinese population in the Toronto area as found in the information published in the 1991 Canadian census.

2. The Immigration Points System and Labour Adjustment Program: A Gender Analysis

Research team (lead researcher, partners):

Roxana Ng, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Immigrants, Refugees and Migrants Workers’ Rights Committee of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC)

Start date: May 1997

Date of completion: May 1998

Amount awarded from CERIS: $6000

Abstract:

The aim of the project was to examine the relationship between two seemingly different domains of government policies affecting immigrant women in the Metro Toronto area: the federal immigration policy, and labour adjustment policies and programs, federally and provincially. It analysed, by means of a case study focusing on garment workers, the current labour adjustment strategies in the province of Ontario with regard to immigrant women.

The two major findings are:

(1) The major link between immigration policy and labour adjustment programs is that they were used to regulate fluctuations in the labour force in a changing economic environment;

(2) The lack of effectiveness of labour adjustment programs for immigrant women in the restructuring of the garment industry meant that these women were further exploited and held captive as home workers when they lost their jobs in unionized plants. Thus, policy development must take account of the differential effects of policy impact on groups of people on the basis of gender, ethnicity, race and immigrant status among multiple factors of differentiation.

Outcomes/results obtained:

Aims and Objectives

(1) to conduct a gender analysis of the points system with further attention paid to the classed and racialized outcome of who is able to enter Canada under its auspices, with a specific focus on the Metro Toronto area;

(2) to analyse, by means of a case study focusing on garment