CERIS MANAGEMENT BOARD MEETING

 

FRIDAY, November 7, 2003

2:00 - 4:00 pm

 

At the main CERIS (Toronto) office,

246 Bloor St. W., 7th Floor, Room 702

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CERIS Seminar

IMMIGRANT & MINORITY POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES
Date: 16 October, 2003   

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

This seminar examines the political role of immigrant and minority communities. Issues addressed include: Is Canada's political system open to immigrant and minority voices? How can communities best be mobilized at election time? Are elections the best time to debate immigration policy? Does political power and influence in Toronto reflect the diversity of the GTA's population?  
Speakers:  Audrey Jamal, Canadian Arab Federation; Simon Rosenblum, Canadian Jewish Congress; and Uzma Shakir, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians

Chair: Myer Siemiatycki, CERIS Community Domain Leader, and Professor, Ryerson University

Location: Room 320 (Student Lounge), 246 Bloor St. West, 3^rd Floor (Bedford Street exit at St. George subway station)

RSVP: To help us plan, please call  (416) 946-3110 if you are attending the seminar.

 from October with talks, presentations and discussions from the Community, Health and, Justice and Law Domains.  Details will be announced in the next bulletin.

 

METROPOLIS PRESENTS

Shared Citizenship: Immutable Core or Dynamic Nucleus?
Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2003   9:00-12:00
Location: National Library, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa

Two major approaches have tended to frame the debate around citizenship. The first approach revolves around the belief that a strong immutable core – often defined as national identity – is essential for the successful integration of newcomers. The other approach revolves around the belief that the core can, and indeed must, evolve by including citizens and newcomers in ongoing discussion on the construction of the national identity.

On this panel, opinion leaders from academe and the media will explore the tension between the two approaches, drawing on the Australian, Canadian, Danish, European Union, German, Quebec and Turkish experiences. They will explore whether an inclusive or an exclusive national identity has contributed to the integration of newcomers.

Seats will be limited. If you would like to attend, please contact Diane Routliffe at: diane.routliffe@metropolis.net  as soon as possible.
 
For more information please see http://www.canada.metropolis.net/main_e.html

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SEVENTH NATIONAL METROPOLIS CONFERENCE

 

The conference will be hosted this year by the Montreal Immigration and Metropolis Centre in March 2004. The overall theme for this conference is  ‘Immigration and Integration at the Heart of the Debate: Research, Policy and Practice’.

 

In the context of the renewal of the Metropolis Centres' mandate, this conference will provide a forum for discussion among all concerned stakeholders on these new priority areas. Stakeholders of the Metropolis Project (policy-makers, policy analysts, NGO representatives, community groups, graduate students, Domain Leaders and other university-based researchers) are invited to submit a proposal for presenting a communication proposal or for workshops.

Deadline: Proposals are due on or before Friday, October 24, 2003.

 

REGISTER BEFORE JANUARY 12, 2004 AND SAVE MONEY.

For more information, visit the website: http://www.im.metropolis.net

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2^ND ANNUAL PEOPLE’S SUMMIT

Date: 4 October, 2003    9:30am to 5pm

Presented by TorontoCAN! (Toronto Civic Action Network)

 

A day of workshops, seminars and strategies including workshops on:

Immigrants and Refugees without Status;

Making New Voices Heard – How Newcomer Communities Can Influence our Schools.

 

Includes a plenary with the top mayoralty candidates

Location: North York Civic Centre (North York subway station)

 

To register, or for more information please contact:

Tanya Gulliver - torontocan@sympatico.ca  416-598-4521 x 225

OR 

Rachna Contractor - rachna@cassa.on.ca    416-979-8611 x 4305

Visit the website at: www.torontocan.ca

 

Funding for this project is provided by The Maytree Foundation, the Laidlaw Foundation, CUPE 416, CUPE 79  and the Toronto and York Region Labour Council.

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WAR AND PEACE CONFERENCE

Date: 4 October, 2003

Upcoming 4th annual East Asian Studies Graduate Student Conference. All are welcome to attend.
The event will be held in the Department of East Asian Studies, on the 14th floor of Robarts Library.
 
Registration is free.
For additional information, e-mail Darryl Sterk: easgsc@chass.utoronto.ca  or
darryl.sterk@utoronto.ca .

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** CALL FOR PAPERS AND PROPOSALS **

 

13TH NORDIC MIGRATION CONFERENCE
Date: November 18-20, 2004 in Aalborg, Denmark
 

1st CALL FOR PANELS AND PAPERS

The conference will particularly focus on theoretical, comparative and empirical research falling within one or more of the following five themes:

(1) The history and applications of the integration concept in the Nordic countries
(2) The national welfare state, ethnic minorities and the transnational challenge
(3) Immigrants and the labour market: mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion
(4) Ethnic minorities and social networks
(5) The politics of immigration control
 

Panels should preferably take the form of two or three interlinked sessions on a clearly defined topic, each session lasting 2 hours and comprising two or three paper presentations followed by discussant contributions and time for open debate. Papers can also be proposed on an individual basis and without prior knowledge of or agreement with the organizers of concrete panels.
 

Please see AMID's website for futher information about the conference: http://www.amid.dk/activities/13th_nordicmigrationconf.htm

Deadline for submissions of papers and panels is 30 January, 2004.

 

Panel and paper proposals should be sent to the AMID Secretariat:
The Academy for Migration Studies in Denmark
attn: Ms Helle Weiergang
Fibigerstraede 2
DK-9220 Aalborg East, Denmark            
Tel: + 45 96 35 91 33
Fax: + 45 98 15 11 26
Email: amid@amid.dk

 

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COMMUNITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE

 

The Multiculturalism Program of Canadian Heritage is one important means by which the government pursues the goals of the multiculturalism policy.  The Department of Canadian Heritage has identified community research as a key component of the research activities undertaken under its Multiculturalism Program’s 2003-2006 Research Strategy.

 

The areas of priority for community research in 2003 are:

-Identification of strategies that facilitate cross-cultural understanding. Examples include documenting the processes facilitating the establishment of links with mainstream agencies and networks, and examining the role of community and mainstream media in fostering the communication of diversity;

-Identification of strategies for building the capacity of ethno-racial youth to develop leadership capacity and skills for connecting with actors and institutions outside of their communities; and

-Exploration of strategies and options for facilitating improved ethno-racial community access to services and facilities provided by local, provincial and national governments.

 

Deadline: Proposals must be received by October 17, 2003 (5:00 p.m. E.S.T.).

For more information and application details, please visit the website at:

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/multi/program/prop_e.cfm

 

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CANADA HOUSING AND MORTGAGE CORPORATION’S EXTERNAL RESEARCH PROGRAM

 

CMHC's External Research Program offers funding assistance to help Canadian researchers carry out research investigations on topics related to housing. The intent of the program is to encourage and draw out new ideas, innovative solutions, and better understanding of housing issues. ERP grants, which may be up to $25,000, are available for a limited number of research projects each year. Once the research studies are completed, CMHC will publish and disseminate the results through the Canadian Housing Information Centre.

 

Recipients of ERP grants are selected on the basis of the merit and significance of their proposals by a national committee of housing experts. Committee representatives include experienced researchers and practitioners in government, academic institutions, housing related professions and businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.cmhc.ca/en/prfias/gr/exrepr_001.cfm

Deadline: Applications must be sent to CMHC's National Office in Ottawa either postmarked or emailed by midnight October 31, 2003.

 

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E

 

CERIS WELCOMES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Dr. Carl James is joining as a representative from York University. He teaches in the Sociology and Education departments. He is the editor of several books, including ‘Perspectives on Racism and the Human Services Sector: A Case for Change’, and author of a variety of articles on anti-racism and Canadian education. Carl's involvement with CERIS includes being awarded two RFPs in CERIS' first cycle. We look forward to his involvement on the Board.

CERIS also welcomes Mr. John Campey as the representative of the Community Social Planning Council to the Management Board. He joined the CSPC as Executive Director in August.  John holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Queen's University. Previously he has been a Trustee on the Toronto Board of Education and a primary classroom teacher at inner city schools in Toronto. We are pleased to have him on the Board and look forward to strengthening our partnership with the CSPC. John is replacing Ted Richmond, the previous CSPC representative (and former CERIS Administrative Coordinator). Ted has moved on to the Laidlaw Foundation where he is the Program Coordinator of the Children's Agenda. We wish him well in his new position.

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EMPIRICAL PROJECT

CERIS has been successful in its submission to CIC’s Ontario Region Settlement Directorate for the proposal, ‘EMPIRICAL Management, Promotion and Maintenance’ with a funding of over $800,000 for a two-year period. CERIS Director, Usha George, is the P.I. and Kenise Murphy Kilbride is the Project Director.

Educational and Media Partnership on Immigration and Refugee Issues for Computer-Assisted Learning (EMPIRICAL) is a project that was conceived in response to a perceived need to provide general and professional education around immigration and refugee issues.  CIC through its Ontario

Region Settlement Directorate has funded not only the early stages of the graduate program but also the creation of twelve semesters of undergraduate courses to be offered via CDs and internet, thus making them available via distance education programs as well as on campus.

This phase of the project to promote and offer the courses will be undertaken by CERIS, in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Work and the Education Commons of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

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UPDATES ON CERIS MRIs (MAJOR RESEARCH INITIATIVES)

-The 1999 MRI, Integrating Diversity, has resulted in a major new publication entitled, ‘The World in a City’, edited by Michael Lanphier and Paul Anisef. Toronto is arguably the most multicultural city in the world. The process of settlement and integration in modern-day Toronto is, however, in many ways more difficult for recent immigrants than it was for those newcomers arriving in previous decades. Newly settled immigrants face a multitude of challenges, including access to health care, education, employment, housing, and economic and community services.

‘The World in a City’ explores Toronto's ability to sustain a civic society in the face of profound demographic change. The essays in this collection highlight the need to pay more attention to certain at-risk groups, and the importance of adapting policy to fit the changing settlement and clustering patterns of newcomers. Throughout the volume the concepts of social exclusion and integration are examined and employed to analyse the various challenges facing newcomers. The authors' research findings demonstrate that there are many obstacles to providing opportunity for immigrants, such  as low resource bases and inadequate service delivery. Together, the authors make a convincing case that by providing a level 'playing field' for its newly arrived inhabitants, and recognizing the particular needs of new communities, the city of Toronto can encourage social and economic growth that would be of immense benefit to the community as a whole.

Contributors include Paul Anisef, Barbara Burnaby, Meyer Burstein, Howard Duncan,

Carl E. James, Clifford Jansen, Violet Kaspar, Lawrence Lam, Michael Lanphier, Lucia Lo, Robert A. Murdie, Roxana Ng, Samuel Noh, Valerie Preston, Khan Rahi, Tim Rees, Gabriele Scardellato,  Myer Siemiatycki, Carlos Teixeira, Harold Troper, and Shuguang Wang.

The project received CERIS MRI funding at the beginning as well as additional support from Canadian Heritage, and had significant involvement from CERIS Domain Leaders and other affiliated researchers.  Please go to the ‘Just Published’ section for information on ordering ‘The World in a City’.

- Richard Glazier's 1999 MRI entitled, Changes in the Demographic Composition and Health Status of Immigrant Populations in Toronto's Inner City: Time Trend Analysis and Innovative Mapping, has resulted in a book chapter that is going to press shortly and a submitted paper.  The chapter, Utilization of Hospital Services by Recent Immigrants in Toronto, Canada, will be published in ‘Immigration, Health and Ethnicity’, to be published by the University of Toronto Press. The editors are Joanna Rummens, Morton Beiser and Samuel Noh.  

This research was motivated by a number of concerns.  Immigrants often face language, cultural, and discriminatory barriers when accessing heath care and these problems may have been exacerbated by shifts in social and health policy in the mid and late 1990's. Reduced resources for immigrants on welfare, reduced access to social service agencies, reduced availability of public health services, a moratorium on new construction of public housing, and hospital closures and takeovers could have resulted in adverse impacts on access to and appropriate use of health care services.
 
This study explored the risk of hospitalization in high recent-immigration areas in Toronto compared to other Toronto neighbourhoods. The study used 1996 hospitalization and census data. Regression was used to examine the effects of recent immigration on hospitalization. Average household income was almost 60% lower ($36,122) in the highest versus the lowest immigration areas ($82,641). Most hospitalization categories showed significantly higher rates of admission as the proportion of recent immigrants increased. Income was significantly associated with all categories of hospitalization except surgical admissions. Higher recent-immigration areas exhibited higher risks for hospitalizations in contrast to the ‘healthy migrant effect’. These findings have important implications for health care planning, delivery, and policy.
 
This project was carried out as part of the work of the Inner City Toronto Time Trends Working Group. Group members include: Mohammad M. Agha, Eleanor Boyle, Maria I. Creatore, Yu Ding, Richard H. Glazier, Piotr Gozdyra, Stephen Hwang, Flora Matheson, Anne Rhodes, and Leah S. Steele (Inner City Health Research Unit, St. Michael's Hospital); Elizabeth M. Badley (Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto); Rahim Moineddin (Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto); Dianne Patychuk (Toronto Public Health); and Lorraine Purdon (Southeast Toronto Project).
 
In addition to the Major Research Initiative Grant, the project was supported by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, and by St. Michael's Hospital Inner City Health Research Unit.

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CERIS OPEN HOUSE

Hold the date! Everyone is invited to the CERIS Open House, Friday November 21, 3:00 - 6:00.

Join us as we proudly launch the new publication, ‘The World in a City’, co-edited by Paul Anisef and Michael Lanphier and published by the University of Toronto Press. The Open House will also feature poster presentations and information showcasing community-based research on immigration and settlement in the Greater Toronto Area. Come and meet CERIS faculty, students and community partners and find out how you can get more involved in CERIS. Look for more information about this event in our November newsletter.

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CERIS ANNUAL RESEARCH RETREAT

CERIS held a very successful retreat on September 5.  About 70 participants attended the event, which featured presentations from federal, city and community representatives.  The summary report of the retreat will soon be posted on the CERIS website.

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NEW COMMUNITY RESEARCH BY THE UNITED WAY OF GREATER TORONTO

Torontonians Speak Out

What are Toronto's most pressing social issues? The United Way of Greater Toronto conducted 38 consultations in 20 neighbourhoods across the city with youth and seniors, business, faith and community leaders. The report, avaiable on the United Way website describes the top issues according to Toronto residents. The report, ‘Torontonians Speak Out’, is the first step in United Way's current public priority-setting process to better understand social needs in Toronto's neighbourhoods, guide funding decisions and work with other partners to address social issues facing our city. It can be downloaded at http://www.unitedwaytoronto.com/who_we_help/social_issues.html

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POSSIBILITIES PROJECT E-ZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS