Appendix: 1999 RFP Abstracts

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

Lead investigator(s): Daphne Winland, Dept. of Anthropology, York University

Sarah Wayland, Dept. of Politics, Brock University

The goal of this collaborative research project is to examine the influence of transnationalism on the civic participation of newcomers to Canada. We argue that only through a comprehensive understanding of the complex role of homeland affiliation can we develop policy directives that more effectively address the realities of immigrant group experiences, thereby cultivating a sense of political efficacy and ultimately greater levels of civic engagement. Through a comparative analysis of the Croatian and Sri Lankan Tamil communities in the GTA we will investigate the assumption that immigrant involvement in homeland affairs adversely affects their inclusion in the Canadian social fabric as well as contributing to a breakdown in social cohesion.

An Analysis of Socioeconomic Situation by Ethnocultural Groups, Periods of Immigration and Gender for Canada and Toronto CMA: 1986, 1991 and 1996 Compared

Lead investigator(s): Edward Harvey, Dept. of Sociology, University of Toronto

Research team: Kathleen Reil, (graduate student), Dept. of Sociology, University of Toronto

Community partner(s): COSTI

Using 1986, 1991, and 1996 Census data, supplemented by focus group information, this project analyzes patterns of socioeconomic disadvantages across 58 ethnocultural groups at the Canada and Toronto CMA levels of geography. Differences will be examined by gender, immigrants/ non-immigrants and, for immigrants, by period of immigration. Particular attention will be given to situations of double or multiple disadvantages. The policy and program delivery implications of the results will be developed in consultation with our community partner, COSTI.

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

Lead investigator(s): Lucia Lo, Dept. of Geography, York University

Research team: Carlos Teixeira, Dept. of Geography, University of Toronto

Marie Truelove, School of Applied Geography, Ryerson Polytechnic University

There are considerable variations in the level and nature of immigrant entrepreneurship among ethnocultural groups. The literature focuses explanation largely on group characteristics and opportunity structure to the exclusion of race, class and gender considerations. It also lacks comparative studies especially in the Canadian context. This study aims to examine how class, culture, ethnicity/ race, and gender interplay to affect entrepreneurial participation by exploring the business development patterns and enterprising behaviours of the Caribbean, Chinese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese and Somali immigrants to Toronto. Immigrant entrepreneurship, contributing to economic and community development, has potent influence upon social cohesion and economic integration. Understanding its process and pattern has implications on the design of public policies.

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

Lead investigator(s): Shahrzad Mojab, Dept. of Adult Education, Community Development & Counselling Psychology, OISE/University of Toronto

Research team: Susan McDonald (graduate student), Dept. of Adult Education, Community Development & Counselling Psychology, OISE/University of Toronto

Community partner(s): Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples, Toronto

It has long been recognized that traditional legal services do not adequately address the legal needs of disadvantaged individuals and groups. The recent inquiry into legal aid in Ontario, the McCamus Report, acknowledged that "...the demand for legal information is profound," (1997: 55) and yet there has been little research in Ontario on public legal education needs for immigrant women in domestic violence situations. The objective of this research project is to establish a public legal education program for the clients of the Women’s Program at the Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples, which provides counselling and support to women in domestic violence situations. Feminist participatory research methods will be used to achieve two goals. The first goal is to determine the women’s legal education needs. The second goal is to determine how best to address these needs being sensitive to the impact of trauma on learning. The research partners, OISE/UT and the Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples, will use the result to implement a public legal education program at the Centre. A model will be developed for use by other organizations working with immigrant women in domestic violence situations. Given the impending legal aid reform in Ontario (McCamus Report, 1997), the research is important and can help to establish the importance of public legal education for marginalized groups.

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

Lead investigator(s): Robert Murdie, Dept. of Geography, York University

Research team: Simon Liston, Shelter Housing and Support Division, Community and Neighbourhood Services, City of Toronto

This research will investigate the housing pathways of a sample of refugees in Toronto who began their housing career in a shelter or some other form of transitional accommodation but are now beyond the initial stage of settlement. In particular, it will examine the housing search process, the barriers encountered, the strategies used to overcome the barriers and the outcome of each search. From a policy perspective, access to good quality, sate, and affordable accommodation is essential to the integration process and therefore it is important to determine whether the housing situation of refugees has improved and how quickly this improvement has taken place.