COMMUNITY DOMAIN

Product of Canada?! Caribbean-Canadians, Family, Transnationalism and the Settlement Process
Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Carl James, Faculty of Education, York University;

The Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA)

Amount awarded:$17,400

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

Abstract

Many immigrants come to Canada as young children and through their interactions with institutions and family members, learn about themselves and their possibilities in this society. Those who do well are praised for their ‘successful adjustment’ to Canada -- no questions asked about them being ‘Canadians.’ Those who end up in trouble, especially with the law, are portrayed as foreign-born, and in some cases are deported. What accounts for the successes or failures of these Canadians? Using census data and life story interviews, this study explores the factors that contribute to the attainments of generation-and-a-half and second-generation African-Caribbean-Canadians, and the role played by parents, family members, peers, and others in their lives.

ECONOMIC DOMAIN

Apprenticeship Opportunities and Barriers for Immigrant Youth in the GTA

Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

June Yee, Community Services, Ryerson Polytechnic University;

Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres

Amount awarded:$15,180

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

This research study will examine access issues and barriers immigrant youth face in accessing apprenticeship programs through Youth Employment Centres in the GTA. Research by the Toronto District School board indicates that dropout rates, language barriers, funding pressures on support programs like English as a Second Language offerings and other access issues may prevent immigrant youth from participating in school-based programs on the same level playing field. These findings may also apply to program needs outside of the school context. It is hypothesized that these same barriers may be factors in many employment programs including apprenticeship. This research will be of great interest to provincial government policy-makers and field staff, as well as access agencies such as Ontario Youth Employment Centre’s members, to better serve the needs of immigrant youth in the GTA and Ontario.

EDUCATION DOMAIN

Latin American Families and Social Service Providers’ Interactions on parenting Issues Arising in Elementary School Settings
Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Judith Bernhard, Early Childhood Education, Ryerson Polytechnic University;

Hispanic Development Council

Amount awarded: $28,692

Length of Term: A two year period ending Sept. 1, 2002

Immigrant children’s difficulties arising in contact with educational systems are due in part to teachers’ lack of knowledge of cultural differences in parenting approaches. This two-year project involves: gathering background information on CAS referral patterns of Latino families, interviewing Latino families (50 whose children are in 0-8 years of age) and recently graduated teachers (25). The goal, through the systematic collection of data, is to describe and understand specific family practices that lead to CAS referral in order to enable educators and teachers to better communicate with families and make more accurate referrals. Policy and training recommendations are given for teacher institutions and school systems.

HEALTH DOMAIN

Towards Healthier Bones: A Cross-sectional Study Examining Fracture Risk and Access to Care Among Chinese Immigrants
Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Angela Cheung, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto;

Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care

Amount awarded: $21,860

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

Osteoporosis and falls are major risk factors for hip fractures. The clinical and economic sequelae of hip fractures are enormous to the individual as well as to the Canadian health care system. Research indicates that individuals of Asian decent are at high risk for osteoporosis, and new immigrants who are unfamiliar with the Canadian winter environment may be at increased risk for accidental falls. In addition, immigrants often present to the health care system only after they have experienced fracture. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate fracture risks, fall history, and access to care among Chinese immigrants. The results of this project will help develop an osteoporosis and fall prevention program that addresses the specific health needs of this population.

Chinese Immigrant Women Who Care for Aging Parents
Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Lynn McDonald, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto; Chinese Interagency Network;

Chinese Canadian National Council, Toronto Chapter

Amount awarded: $12,016

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of a group of Chinese immigrant women who provide care to their parents and/or in-laws. It will investigate the challenges of the caregivers, the well-being of the elderly parents, how their immigrant experience affects the care giving dyad, their view on the existing health and social services that are available to them, and their coping strategies. Data will be collected by in-depth interviews with the care providers and care recipients.

Assessing the Impact of the Kosovo Crisis on the Mental Health and Well Being of Newcomer Serbian Children in the Greater Toronto Area

Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Joanna Rummens, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Clarke Site, University of Toronto; Family Service Association of Metropolitan Toronto; Serbian Centre for Newcomers and "St. Sava" Serbian Orthodox Church.

Amount awarded: $24,144

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

This in-depth study assesses the psychological impact of the Kosovo crisis on the mental health and well being of Serbian children and youth in the Greater Toronto Area. Using survey questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus groups, it examines how immigrant resettlement adaptation may be affected by a) the re-visiting of war trauma; b) ambivalent attitudes towards the host society; and c) exposure to overt ethnic discrimination. The study also analyzes the response of parents, educators, healthcare providers, and settlement workers during the crisis itself to each of these factors to determine effective response strategies that would help safeguard the well being of other immigrant children faced with similar stresses.

HOUSING & NEIGHBOURHOODS DOMAIN

The Rental Housing Experience of Salvadorean Refugees in Toronto
Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

David Hulchanski, Social Work, University of Toronto; Dixon Hall Community Centre;

Jane and Finch Community and Family Centre

Amount awarded:$17,520

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

This research examines in detail the means by which refugees obtain housing, the degree to which their housing needs are being met, the quality, adequacy and cost of the housing they obtain, and the degree to which their housing situation is improving over time. It will contribute to public policy in housing, discrimination (human rights) and refugee settlement services. A case study approach is sued. Sixty Salvadorean refugees who have lived in Toronto for at least two years will be interviewed. This research builds upon a previous project focussed on the housing experience of Jamaican, Polish and Somali newcomers.

Race, Gender and Aging in Non-Familial Settings
Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Janet Lum, Public Administration, Ryerson Polytechnic University; Joe Springer, Urban and Regional Planning, Ryerson Polytechnic University; Toronto Housing Company (THC)

Amount awarded: $20,410

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

Over the past two decades, service providers have recognized the importance of addressing the needs of Canada’s increasingly diverse ethnoracial and immigrant communities. The challenge is particularly compelling for Canadians with multiple jeopardies: elderly, low income racial minority women, who, as empirical evidence suggests, are developing patterns of accessing available support services less than non-racial minority Canadians to the potential detriment of their well-being. Focussing on Chinese and Caribbean seniors, the main hypothesis is that seniors will access and accept the provision of support services gy non-family members if they have the opportunity to "learn entitlements", and that this is a process fostered by positive community conditions and social connectedness. This project aims to uncover the conditions that foster this process of learning entitlements and discover the outcomes of learning entitlements. The participants are residents of the Toronto Housing Company (THC), Canada’s largest non-profit housing provider.

Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Beth Moore Milroy, Urban and Regional Planning, Ryerson Polytechnic University;

Marcia Wallace, Urban Studies, York University; Access and Equity Centre, City of Toronto;

Urban Alliance on Race Relations; Community and Social planning Council of Toronto;

Ontario Professional Planners Institute

Amount awarded: $11,103

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

The research examines urban planning practices related to immigration and ethno-cultural diversity in all the municipalities of the Greater Toronto Area. These practices have not been systematically studied, however a recent investigation of municipal government in the GTA has shown that the greatest number of reported conflicts directly involving immigrants were about zoning and land use. The question pursued is how demographic changes are challenging the way planning is done. The findings will be directly applicable to municipal planning policies such as those contained in the official plans all municipalities are required by law to have.

Research Team (lead researcher, community partners):

Scot Wortley, Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto;

Black Inmates and Friends Assembly (BIFA); Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA)

Amount awarded: $19,870

Length of Term: A one year period ending Sept. 1, 2001

Recently, the issue of racial disparities in criminal deportation from Canada has elicited severe criticism from both legal professionals and governments forced to cope with an increased flow of deportees. Since 1995, Jamaica has received some 40% of individuals declared a danger to the public and subsequently deported from Ontario. This study examines: 1) the impact of deportation on the lives of Jamaican families living in Canada; 2) problems of experienced by deportees upon their return to Jamaica; and 3) the impact of deportation practices on crime rates in Jamaica and how the Jamaican government has responded to this recent phenomenon. These issues will be explored via interviews with deportees and their families in both Canada and Jamaica, an analysis of official records and interviews with government officials in Jamaica.