MID-TERM REVIEW REPORT
April 30, 1999

The Prairie Centre was established in the spring of 1996 under a joint grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (SSHRC/CIC). The Centre is a consortium of six universities (Universities of Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba, Regina, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg) and a research team of 125 researchers drawn primarily from these universities, but also from some universities in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.

The Prairie Centre is one of four centres established by SSHRC/CIC in 1996 under the terms of the Metropolis Project. The three other Metropolis Centres are located in Canada’s largest metropolises, namely, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

The possibility of establishing a Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration captured the imagination of a large number of people. This opportunity brought together some twenty-five researchers from six prairie universities in the summer of 1995 to discuss the feasibility of entering the recently announced SSHRC/CIC competition.

Team building is not easy across universities, across provinces, and across traditional disciplinary boundaries. One advantage this particular group of researchers had was that most of its members already knew each other personally and professionally. Relations within the group were cemented further by: (1) a strong desire to make a contribution to society; (2) a firm conviction that the group could indeed make important contributions; and (3) a strong will to build trust and respect for each other and to accommodate differences at every turn in this collective enterprise. As an integrative mechanism, this core group of researchers, together with an emergent leader committed to following through and ensuring that the idea is realized, must be credited with the successful efforts at team building in the prairie region.

There was, in addition, a renewed awareness among these key researchers that in the complex world in which we live, society would gain more by having the research community emphasize inter- and multi-disciplinary research activities. Indeed, immigrant integration was correctly viewed as a complex phenomenon that cuts across many institutional areas and traditional disciplinary boundaries. Thus, in the early phase of discussion, the group was in favour of bringing different perspectives to bear on our understanding of the process of immigrant integration. Consequently, the research team was expanded to include researchers from such diverse disciplines as Anthropology, Business, Demography, Economics, Education (with several specialty areas), English, Family Studies, Geography, German, History, Law, Linguistics, Medicine, Music, Nursing, Physical Education, Political Science, Psychology and Social Psychology, Public Health Sciences, Recreation Studies, Religious Studies, Slavic Studies, Social Work, Sociology, and Urban Studies. These researchers are at the core of the Centre’s intellectual strength.

The founding researchers met on several occasions by means of telephone conferences in the summer and fall of 1995. In mid-September, a face-to-face meeting was organized and hosted by the University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon. Representatives from the six participating universities were present at these meetings. The mid-September face-to-face meeting was decisive, in that the university representatives agreed to proceed with an application to SSHRC/CIC to establish a Prairie Centre of Excellence.

This Mid-Term Review Report covers the first three years of the Centre’s activities, however, it gives special attention to activities and accomplishments in the third year of operation ending March 31, 1999. Of necessity, the report overlaps with the Centre’s First (1996-97) and Second (1997-98) Annual Progress Reports to SSHRC/CIC, but it is also a stand alone document.

The Mid-Term Review Report consists of six parts. Part I is entitled "Objectives and Overview of the Centre and of the Key Activities." Part II covers "Partnerships and Collaboration." Part III deals with "Research and Research Outputs," and Part IV addresses issues related to "Research Management and Communications." Next, Part V describes the "Problems Encountered and Challenges Ahead," while the "Revised Budget for 1999-2000" is presented in Part VI.

The foundational objectives of the Prairie Centre are well articulated in the November 1995 application to SSHRC/CIC. At that time, the following key decisions were made:

• That the Prairie Centre's research program would emphasize immigrant integration in medium-size cities, where immigrants' experiences are different than in Canada’s large metropolises.

• That the Centre's research program would cover five broad domains:

• Economic
• Educational
• Social
• Citizenship and Culture
• Public Services and Political

• That the Centre would continue to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders in the public, private, service and volunteer sectors. Indeed, stakeholders from these sectors were consulted about this initiative as far back as the summer of 1995.

• That the research program's analytical and conceptual frameworks would be informed by certain important understandings, specifically:

• that immigrants and host community exert reciprocal influence

• that integration is a process rather than a static end-state

• that the magnitude, speed or ease of immigrant integration may vary by gender, by social class, by immigrant group and by domain

• that integration has visible effects that must be isolated and studied

Following the SSHRC/CIC announcement that an award was approved to establish a Prairie Centre, representatives from the six participating universities met to discuss an action plan. These representatives discussed the Centre's approach to the development of its research program and also re-visited the draft Internal Agreement governing the operations of the new Centre. With reference to the Centre's research activities, the following principles were agreed upon:

1. That a competition for research grants would take place annually.

2. That a grant application form and guidelines would be developed for the researchers affiliated with the Prairie Centre. (For a copy of the Prairie Centre Grant Application form and related Guidelines)

3. That deadlines would be established for the annual competitions for research grants. The established deadlines for the first three years of operation are: September 30, 1996; May 30, 1997; and April 30, 1998.

4. That Prairie Centre researchers should voluntarily establish their own research teams and begin to collaborate on research projects.

5. That, as much as possible, research projects should be developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

From the start, Prairie Centre researchers emphasized openness, equitable treatment, and trust in the conduct of the Centre’s affairs. The Centre continues to be open to qualified researchers from within and outside the prairie region. New researchers who wish to affiliate with the Centre must follow a simple procedure clearly specified in the Internal Agreement. Also, the Centre’s organizational structure and its approach to the development of its research program through annual grant competitions are geared to ensure openness, fairness, and equitable treatment across provinces, universities and disciplines. It is notable that trust, which cemented the relations among the organizing founders, is also present among the other university researchers and stakeholders. The presence of trust is due partly to the fact that the Centre is governed by a management agreement designed to reinforce the good will that participants bring to the Centre, and partly to the way in which the Centre is actually governed and managed.

The Prairie Centre is more than a consortium of universities and affiliated researchers. It is also a hub of networks and linkages involving a large number of stakeholders including policy-makers at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, immigrant-serving agencies and other NGOs, and ethnic, multicultural, educational and other community groups. Since these partnerships and collaborations are discussed in Part II, it is sufficient to note here that they are an important component of the Centre’s objectives and key activities.

1. Winds of Change

At the end of the first year of operation, the entire Metropolis Project (including the four Metropolis Centres in Canada and the Metropolis Project Team) underwent a management review by a team of external experts. The purpose of this review was to provide constructive criticism on management practices and procedures, on operational efficiency and effectiveness, and on the fit between established structures and the broad goals of the Metropolis Project. The results of this review are published in a report entitled Management Review of Metropolis in Canada.

It is not our intent to provide a full summary of the results of this management review. Rather, the Prairie Centre wishes to underline the seriousness with which it examined the management review report and the comments of our federal partners and other stakeholders that are specific to the review or are more general in nature. While the Board of Governors of the Prairie Centre and affiliated researchers are positive about the way the Centre’s activities have unfolded, they nevertheless are prepared to re-examine current practices with a view to improving on what they have.

It is in this context that plans for a Prairie Centre Regional Workshop were reported in the Second Annual Progress Report for 1997-98. Eventually, the Regional Workshop was held at University of Regina, October 29-31, 1998. The theme of the Workshop was: "Bridging the Gap: Research, Policy, and Service Perspectives on the Metropolis Project." The announced goals of the Workshop were to:

1. strengthen the communication links between and among researchers, policy makers, service providers and other stakeholders;

2. engage in strategic planning to develop a new research agenda for the Prairie Centre; and

3. share research results, selectively, from projects funded by the Prairie Centre.

The Regina Workshop was attended by some 80 participants from throughout the prairie region and elsewhere, notably Ottawa, representing various stakeholders in the Metropolis enterprise, including university researchers, policy makers at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, service providers, and NGOs.

In response to the Regina Workshop and to the Management Review of Metropolis in Canada and related discussions with the Metropolis Project Team in Ottawa, the Prairie Centre began to actively discuss the following important directions for change:

• The addition of two policy makers from the participating federal departments to the Prairie Centre Board of Governors; and the addition of a policy maker, again from a participating federal department, to the Program Committee. In so doing, the Centre hopes to enhance communications and mutual understanding between Metropolis researchers and policy makers. (Implemented)

• The restructuring of the Prairie Centre’s research domains, including the addition of "Health" as a separate research domain. (Implemented)

• The preservation of the Centre’s annual grant competition while, at the same time, developing more Centre/domain-driven research agendas in consultation with various stakeholders, including the establishment of research teams to carry out more integrated research. (In progress)

• The encouragement of the Program Committee to identify and announce priority research areas for the Prairie Centre, again in consultation with policy makers and other stakeholders. (In progress)

• The development of criteria to guide funded researchers in the preparation of the Progress and/or Final Reports, including Executive Summaries that will be posted on the web site. The criteria being developed are related to our recognition that the Centre’s dissemination efforts must reflect the information packaging needs of our diverse stakeholders. (In progress)

Further comments on the above points are made later in the appropriate sections of the report. For present purposes, however, it should be noted that the Centre’s research domains have been modified and realigned as follows:

• Economic Domain (remains as before)

• Education Domain (remains as before)

• Social and Cultural Domain (combines the two previously separate domains)

• Health Domain (new domain)

• Citizenship and Political Domain (drops "public services" and takes "citizenship" away from the previously separate "Citizenship and Culture Domain")

There are different reasons for these changes. First, with reference to the social/cultural domain, experience shows that many studies straddle the two domains and, hence, their separation is often viewed as being artificial. In fact, the Prairie Centre’s 1995 Application to SSHRC/CIC discusses both of these domains in one section, arguing that they are two sides of the same coin. Second, the creation of a "Health Domain" reflects not only the Centre’s strength and interest in this area, both in terms of numbers of health researchers and of projects funded, but also the interests of a major partner in the Metropolis project, namely, Health Canada. The collaborative relationship between the Prairie Centre and Health Canada is elaborated in Part II of this report. Third, the coupling of "citizenship" with the Political Domain reflects the renewed interest on the part of political and other social scientists in issues of citizenship. Finally, the area of "public services" is removed from the list of domain titles because of limited interest in services other than education or health (both of which are now separate domains). This, however, does not preclude the Prairie Centre from funding worthwhile projects in other public services.

In order to maintain consistency with the earlier annual progress reports, the present report examines Centre activities and funded research projects largely in terms of the original domain nomenclature. However, future annual reports and research projects will be structured in terms of the new nomenclature.

While the above noted management review report and Regional Workshop are harbingers of change, many of the Prairie Centre’s key activities remain. These activities are briefly mentioned because relevant details are provided elsewhere in the report. The annual grant competition and the in-person meetings of the Program Committee and the Board of Governors are recurring activities. Apart from research activities, the training of graduate and undergraduate students, participation at Metropolis national and international conferences, and communications are not only key activities but also the Centre’s raison d’être. These are discussed later in the report.

The Prairie Centre prides itself on the extensive partnerships and collaborative activities it has established with stakeholders during the past three years. At the core of these partnerships is the one that the Centre created, as far back as 1995, among the six consortium universities in the prairie region. Senior university administrators and financial service officers in these universities are now familiar with what the Metropolis Project stands for and with the opportunities that the Prairie Centre provides to their own researchers.

Sponsors of the four Metropolis Centres (SSHRC and CIC) expect the participating universities, and in particular the host university, to provide infrastructure and other forms of support to the researchers involved in Metropolis. All six prairie universities have made and continue to make substantial contributions to the Prairie Centre and its affiliated researchers. Some of these contributions are in the form of infrastructure support, while others are in the form of graduate student support and/or direct grants. The following is a summary statement of the support provided to the Prairie Centre and its researchers by the consortium universities during the past three years.

The space provided by the University of Alberta to the Prairie Centre consists of 12 rooms, plus a shared conference room, for a total of 2,000 square feet. The annual cost of this space and associated amenities amounts to about $40,000 (@$20 per square foot per year), for a total of $120,000 over the past three years. In addition, the cost of refurbishing the space and outfitting the offices with furniture in the spring of 1996 amounted to $50,000. Thus, the total contributions in this area add up to $170,000.

At the University of Calgary, the space provided for the exclusive use of Metropolis researchers includes three rooms, or a total of 820 square feet (one large room in the Education Tower, wired at a high cost for ethernet and telephone, and two large offices in the Math Sciences Building). The space in the Math Sciences Building contains four computers, two printers, plus furniture. The annual cost of these amenities (again @$20 per square foot per year) is $16,400, for a total of $49,200.

In addition to the above, all the participating universities are contributing space and amenities to the researchers funded by the Centre. A conservative estimate is that the annual space cost for each funded project amounts to $1,000, for a total of $54,000 during the review period (including double counts for multi-year projects). Since many of the Prairie Centre researchers are assigned graduate research assistants by their respective Departments or Faculties, the ripple effect of space cost for graduate assistants from the six participating universities is substantial, though difficult to quantify. A conservative estimate of other forms of infrastructure support provided by the Consortium of Prairie Universities, such as accounting and administrative services, amounts to $35,000 per annum (equivalent to 0.5 FTE @$70,000 per year), for a total of $105,000 over three years.

Moreover, the University of Alberta contributes a senior academic to serve as a full-time Director of the Prairie Centre, at no cost to the SSHRC/CIC grant. The dollar value of this contribution, at replacement rate, is $60,000, plus an administrative honorarium of $4,000, for a total of $64,000.

In terms of direct financial support to the Prairie Centre, the University of Alberta, which is the host university, provided the Centre with a start-up grant of $13,500 in 1996, plus a continuing basic grant of $54,000 per year for six years. Thus, during the past three years, the University contributed $175,500 to the Centre. Funding from the University of Alberta is used to support research associates, graduate research assistants, the new Metropolis journal, travel, equipment, equipment rental (telephone lines, photocopier, etc.), and casual non-academic support, among other things.

During the review period (1996-1999), all of the participating universities awarded research grants to Prairie Centre researchers, from internal university funds, in support of immigration /integration research. As reported by the researchers themselves, grant recipients over the three-year period include: Prairie Centre ($27,000 in funded graduate assistantships provided by the Department of Sociology), Baha Abu-Laban ($20,500 including a special publication grant for the Metropolis Journal), Terry Carson ($6,000, plus $30,525 in funded assistantships), Tracey Derwing ($12,350, including $8,000 Research Time Stipend), Anne Neufeld ($5,250, including partial Research Time Stipend), and Linda Ogilvie ($5,713), University of Alberta; Nancy Arthur ($7,050), Jim Frideres/Chair of Ethnic Studies ($1,500), Jim Frideres/Yvonne Hébert ($6,000), Yvonne Hébert ($8,000), Lynn Meadows ($12,500), Richard Hirabayashi ($3,000), Richard Wanner ($10,000), and Edit Petrovic ($4,846.50), University of Calgary; Margaret Osborne (amount unspecified), Mount Royal College; Gerry Friesen ($10,000), University of Manitoba; Polo Diaz/Paul Gingrich ($5,000), and Education Domain (Terry Carson’s) Research Team in Regina ($6,500), University of Regina; Peter Li/Li Zong ($14,500), Li Zong ($4,000), Bernard Schissell ($2,082 USTEP), and Terry Wotherspoon ($41,500 funded assistantships), University of Saskatchewan; Tom Carter ($2,500), Royden Loewen ($30,000, of which $3,000 came from the University of Manitoba), and Hugh Grant/Michael Benarroch ($1,200), University of Winnipeg; and Evangelia Tastsoglou ($3,600), Saint Mary’s University. Additionally, the consortium universities contributed unspecified travel support for some of their delegates to attend national and international Metropolis conferences. These research grants, totaling $289,116.50, do not take account of research time devoted to the Centre's research program. Perhaps a common formula should be devised in the future in order to factor in the universities’ contributions of research time.

In addition, the University of Regina provided $5,000 in support of the Regional Workshop which was held October 29-31, 1998, plus $3,980 in infrastructure support for Metropolis, for a total of $8,980. As well, the University of Saskatchewan provided $4,800 for visiting speakers, $7,000 for conference and workshop travel for Metropolis researchers, and $12,000 for materials/supplies/office space/services, plus a grant of $3,000 in support of publishing the Journal of International Migration and Integration (Metropolis Research and Policy Review), for a total of $26,800.

To sum up, between 1996 and 1999 the Consortium of Prairie Universities contributed substantially to the goals and operation of the Prairie Centre and its research program. In total, the infrastructure and research grant contributions of these universities total $942,596.50. This, in effect, is a matching grant of over 92% of the SSHRC/CIC 3-year grant (of $1,020,000) to the Prairie Centre.

Metropolis researchers from the prairie region have been successful in leveraging funds from external sources either to supplement Prairie Centre grants or to support research that flows from such grants. The preceding Annual Progress Reports provide information on grants leveraged in 1996-97 and 1997-98 from such sources as SSHRC, Canadian Heritage, Status of Women Canada, CIC, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Alberta Community Development, and Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR). There is no need to repeat the detailed information provided in the earlier reports, however, in 1998-99 new grants were received by Terry Carson and his research Team, University of Alberta ($21,800 from Canadian Heritage, $8,000 from Alberta Tri-University Safe and Caring Schools Project, and $25,660 from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation); Anne Neufeld, University of Alberta ($5,000 from CARITAS); Linda Ogilvie, University of Alberta ($5,000 Alberta Association of Registered Nurses, and $7,700 CHPPS, Capital Health Authority); Yvonne Hébert, University of Calgary ($45,000 plus another $5,000 from SSHRC, and $25,000 from Canadian Heritage); Lynn Meadows ($71,250 from AHFMR); Paul Gingrich, University of Regina ($7,000 from Canadian Heritage); Li Zong/Gurcharn Basran, University of Saskatchewan ($37,500 from Canadian Heritage); Bernard Schissell, University of Saskatchewan ($3,680 from SSHRC); Joe Garcea/Paul Gingrich, University of Saskatchewan/University of Regina ($10,000 from Saskatchewan Department of Municipal Affairs, Culture and Housing); and Royden Loewen, University of Winnipeg ($1,200 from the Ed Schreyer Foundation, and $2,500 from the International Centre in Winnipeg).

In addition, the Prairie Centre received a grant of $2,549 from Health Canada in support of travel for NGO representatives to attend the Centre’s Regional Workshop which was held in Regina. As well, the Canadian Ethnic Studies journal will publish, at a cost of $12,000, selected papers of scholars who presented papers at special sessions organized by the Prairie Centre at the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities which was held in Ottawa in 1998.

The support which the Prairie Centre received from external sources in 1998-99 amounts to $295,839. The comparable figures derived from the Centre’s earlier annual progress reports are $582,135 for 1997-98 and $281,570 for 1996-97. Thus, the total for the three-year period (1996-1999) is $1,159,044 (or about 114% of the SSHRC/CIC 3-year grant).

Considering support from both consortium universities and external sources during the past 3 years, each dollar from the SSHRC/CIC grant is matched by two dollars from the participating universities and other funding agencies.

The catalytic research environment created by the Prairie Centre reveals itself in cross-site research as well as in team, collaborative, and multidisciplinary research. In certain cases, the team structure is quite interesting. To illustrate, in the Education Domain two teams of researchers have emerged: one team includes researchers from the Universities of Alberta, Regina, and Manitoba, and a second team consists of a principal investigator from the University of Calgary and two collaborators from Germany and France. Also, in the Social Domain, teams headed by researchers from different universities include collaborators from partnering organizations. Other research teams include multiple researchers from one or more universities. It is noteworthy that team research among Prairie Centre researchers is now becoming more common even in Metropolis-related projects funded in part or in full by provincial or federal government sources.

Comparative research is embedded in the work of many of the above noted research teams. However, it should be noted that comparative research (e.g., in demography and in other areas) is undertaken by individual and not necessarily teams of researchers. It is a fact that cross-site and comparative research within the Prairie Centre is expanding.

To provide a venue for research findings from the Metropolis Project, the Prairie Centre successfully negotiated with Jim Frideres (University of Calgary), Editor of Canadian Ethnic Studies, the publication of a special issue (Vol. 30, No. 3, 1998) under the theme of "Canadian Immigration and Immigrant Adaptation at the Millennium." The Guest Editors for this issue are Sharon McIrvin Abu-Laban (University of Alberta) and Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan). Among the nine articles accepted by peer review for publication, five were by Prairie Centre researchers.

In addition to the primary partnership among the consortium universities and their researchers, the Prairie Centre has established extensive partnerships and networks among other stakeholders, both in the public and NGO sectors. The preceding section on support from other sources provides a glimpse of the partnerships that Metropolis researchers have established with funding organizations and policy makers across the country. These partnerships are not only mutually beneficial but also enduring.

The Prairie Centre and many of its researchers work closely with federal policy makers on Metropolis projects that meet their interests and needs. Also, Prairie Centre researchers are required to consult with the appropriate federal policy makers in the development of their research grant applications to the Centre (See Grant Application and Guidelines). One recent example of these evolving partnerships concerns a new initiative, spearheaded by Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan) and Baha Abu-Laban (University of Alberta), to publish a Metropolis journal (discussed later in the report). Not only did the Metropolis Project Team match the University of Alberta annual leadership grant of $10,000 for three years, in support of publishing the journal, but the two principals on this Team, Meyer Burstein and Howard Duncan, helped to extend the project to the international arena through special arrangements with the Metropolis International Steering Committee.

Over time, members of the Prairie Centre Board of Governors and/or Program Committee have met and/or worked closely with members of the Federal Partnership Councils in Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton. Also, on at least one occasion, the Director and a member of the Program Committee of the Prairie Centre made presentations at a major conference organized by the Public Service Commission of Canada in Winnipeg in 1998.

The following is a prime example of how relationships have been evolving between the Prairie Centre and our federal partners. Health Canada has demonstrated a strong interest in working with the Metropolis Centres as evidenced by the establishment of a Health Canada Metropolis Working Group, chaired by Carol Silcoff (Health Promotion and Programs Branch in Ottawa). In the spring of 1998, a Health Canada representative, Dina Juras, contacted the Prairie Centre and met with Prairie Centre health researchers and community partners to learn more about their work and to explain the health mandate of the Health Promotion and Programs Branch. Two meetings were organized, one in Edmonton (July 15, 1998) and the second in Calgary (July 16, 1998), at which Dina Juras and her colleagues (Sophie Staley, Regina, and Kim McCarthy, Edmonton) outlined Health Canada’s research interest in Metropolis. The meetings energized health researchers in the prairie region and led them to press, successfully we might add, for the establishment of a separate Health Domain.

In addition to the above, Prairie Centre representatives have wide-ranging contacts with relevant provincial and municipal government policy makers in all three provinces. As the Centre becomes better known, these policy makers tend to view it as a valuable resource that can help them answer policy relevant questions. In fact, recent experience suggests that the Prairie Centre is beginning to serve as a focal point for contract research. This is evidenced by a newly completed study of the settlement experiences of refugees in Alberta, conducted by Baha Abu-Laban, Tracey Derwing, and Harvey Krahn (University of Alberta), in partnership with CIC. The study provides a comparative perspective on factors that influence the integration of refugees, and ascertains factors that may contribute to their decision to remain in the smaller urban centres to which they were initially destined. The results have implications for policy and program development in the destining and settlement of refugees (and immigrants) in Alberta and possibly the rest of Canada.

Partnerships between the Prairie Centre and the NGO sector are no less extensive or rewarding. (See the current list of the Centre’s partnering organizations and community contacts (n=67).) These organizations and community contacts are to be found in all five prairie cities (Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg). Several representatives from these organizations serve on the Centre’s Board of Governors and Program Committee and many of them are funded by the Prairie Centre to attend Metropolis national and/or international conferences, and workshops. We also fund (or partially subsidize) our Metropolis researchers’ participation in conferences organized by partnering organizations and community contacts.

It is also relevant to note that Metropolis researchers are required to consult with the appropriate NGOs in the development of their research grant applications to the Centre (see Grant Application Guidelines). And in several cases, representatives from this sector are an integral part of research teams funded by the Prairie Centre.

The Regional Workshop, held in Regina in the fall of 1998, strengthened relationships between the Prairie Centre and representatives of immigrant-serving agencies. These partnerships throughout the region are further enhanced by interactions in the context of lectures, forums, and/or conferences organized by Metropolis researchers or by the partnering organizations throughout the region.

An example of a strong partnership with a non-governmental organization concerns the Centre’s co-sponsorship of a major conference, organized jointly by the Citizenship Council of Manitoba and the Canadian Citizenship Federation, under the title "Canadian Citizenship within the Next Millennium: A Challenge for the Years Ahead." The conference was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from October 29-31, 1998. Other co-sponsors of this conference include Department of Canadian Heritage, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Citizenship, and the Canadian Citizenship Federation. Metropolis researchers from the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg were involved in this event, the proceedings of which are now in preparation.

A second example: The Prairie Centre co-sponsored the "International Multicultural Conference," organized by Annette Richardson, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, July 26 - August 1, 1998. The themes of the conference included "gender, ethnicity, family, diversity, human rights, ethics, politics, equality, labour, religion, language, education, technology, cross-cultural elements, community, economics, media, and legal." The conference was attended by academics, policy makers, representatives of ethnic and multicultural groups, and NGOs. The conference proceedings (Annette Richardson, editor, International Multiculturalism 1998: Preparing Together for the 21st Century. Edmonton: Kanata Learning Company, 1998) feature several presentations by Prairie Centre researchers and by representatives of partnering organizations.

To enrich the intellectual climate within the university setting, the Prairie Centre also co-sponsored a lecture series organized by graduate students in the Department of English, University of Alberta, under the title "Breaking New Ground in Alberta’s Communities: A Public Forum on the Theory and Practice of Activism." Among the topics covered in this lecture series were diversity issues, anti-racism and women’s organizations in Edmonton.

As indicated in the 1995 application to SSHRC for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration, the Prairie Centre is committed to providing training opportunities for graduate students, but also, and uniquely, to undergraduate students. The idea is to start earlier in the career of students and train undergraduates to acquire research and work skills and experience via a volunteer program. Accordingly, the Edmonton Node created a Volunteer Internship Program that offers undergraduate students an opportunity to learn more about immigration and integration-related issues through volunteering at one of the Centre’s partnering organizations (or at the Centre itself).

The Prairie Centre recruits students for the internship program once a year at the beginning of the school year in September, and the placements run for six months. Once each student is screened and accepted into the program, s/he applies for a specific volunteer placement. Each student is then interviewed by the organization offering the placement. If the student is selected, a mutually agreed upon day/time (one morning or one afternoon per week) is set for his/her placement. Each student is initially assigned a specific project agreed to in advance by the student and the placement organization. The Administrative Coordinator and the Administrative Assistant of the Prairie Centre convene a monthly meeting of all the interns to discuss their work experiences during the preceding four weeks and to listen to guest speakers.

The number of students selected for this program increased from 3 in 1997-98 to 10 in 1998-99. The 1998-99 Interns were placed with the following partnering organizations and community groups: Edmonton Immigrant Neighbourhoods Planning Group (n=1); the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (n=4); Edmonton Catholic Social Services (n=3); Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Edmonton Centre (n=1); and the Prairie Centre’s Reference Library (n=1).

Although the ongoing formal evaluation of the program has not been completed, a few tentative assessments can be made. First, partnering organizations seem to appreciate/benefit from volunteer help from interested and enthusiastic students. Second, the placement offers students practical work experience in immigration-related issues and services, and computer and internet training from Centre staff. Third, by serving as a bridge, the students provide the Prairie Centre with another means of communicating and staying in contact with partnering organizations. Judging from the reactions of the students involved and the reactions of the agencies providing field placements to these students, the internship program appears to be a successful and worthwhile initiative. Although the program is only operating in Edmonton, it has the potential to be expanded to other prairie cities.

Relations between the Prairie Centre and the other Metropolis Centres are moving from strong to stronger, in part as a result of participation at the Metropolis National Conferences, of which three have already taken place (in Edmonton, Montreal, and Vancouver). In this connection, it is worth noting that cross-centre collaboration may further invigorate the team spirit within the centres.

Collaborative work with the other Metropolis Centres has taken many forms. For example, the Metropolis Education Research Forum (MERF) was formed at the Montreal national conference (November 23-26, 1997) and has since been running well-defined and focussed sets of sessions at two conferences annually: the Metropolis conferences and the annual conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE), working within a constituent group–the Comparative International Education Society of Canada (CIESC). The Education Domain Leaders at the four Metropolis Centres are key to the functioning of MERF and continue to work with the four themes identified earlier at the Montreal Conference (for example, in the organization of sessions at the third annual conference in Vancouver). With funding from Canadian Heritage, these MERF researchers plan to have a full-day colloquium, under the Education and Social Cohesion theme, at the Congress of the Social Science and Humanities, to be held in Sherbrooke in June 1999.

The MERF sessions in Montreal have been catalytic and influential at the national level in unanticipated ways. For example, the Language and Literacy subsection of MERF is currently negotiating with the TESL Canada Journal to produce a special issue devoted to research presented at MERF. The editors have agreed to this, and both sides are in agreement that the special issue will be refereed. Also, the idea of organizing a Citizenship Education Think Tank in Kananaskis in March 1998, evolved out of the MERF sessions in Montreal. This Think Tank, which was funded by Canadian Heritage and organized by Yvonne Hébert (University of Calgary) included researchers, policy makers and NGOs. This creative initiative led to the development of a new national network under the name of Citizenship Education Research Network (CERN). CERN includes several researchers from the Metropolis Education Domain and its membership overlaps considerably with that of MERF. The CERN network has met several times and charted a research program in citizenship education. According to Canadian Heritage, CERN is the most developed network that has emerged in recent years.

Another noteworthy network, also sponsored by Canadian Heritage, concerns a comparative project on political participation by ethnocultural minorities and immigrants in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Yasmeen Abu-Laban, a Prairie Centre researcher at the University of Alberta, is involved in this network.

In addition to the above, collaboration with the other Metropolis Centres involves joint research activities. As reported last year, one of our health researchers, Linda Ogilvie of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta, was invited by a Toronto Metropolis researcher to collaborate on a study of visible minority nurses. Moreover, with the establishment of a Health Domain within the Prairie Centre, relationships with the Toronto Centre (CERIS), the Montreal Centre (IM), and eventually the Vancouver Centre (RIIM) are being institutionalized around a cross-centre research project dealing with the health and well being of immigrant and refugee children in Canada. The recently established National Longitudinal Survey of Children (NLSC) covers only 480 immigrant/refugee cases out of a total of 20,000. The longitudinal survey being contemplated in this cross-centre research project will cover a much larger sample of immigrant and refugee children.

To enhance inter-centre cooperation, four health researchers from Edmonton and Calgary met with their counterparts from CERIS in Toronto, in late February 1999, to discuss ways and means of undertaking the longitudinal survey. More such meetings will likely take place in the near future.

Also, as part of the collaboration between the Prairie Centre, CERIS and IM on survey development, Chuck Humphrey of the Data Library at the University of Alberta prepared a customized extraction of the Landed Immigrant Database (LIDS) data file for CERIS. He also provided the Prairie Centre and CERIS with information on how to build network access to the IMDB Compendium tables (distributed to the Metropolis Centres by Statistics Canada earlier this year) using an HTML web form uploaded to the Centres’ web sites. This network access will simplify table identification and provide Metropolis researchers with password secure network delivery of the tables.

The outstanding collaborative work of Statistics Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides a necessary foundation for future research undertakings by the Metropolis Centres. In this connection, the Prairie Centre acknowledges with gratitude CIC’s efforts to orient prairie researchers and community partners to the intricacies of the IMDB Compendium Tables by underwriting the cost of travel for two colleagues from Strategic Planning and Research (Craig Dougherty and Daniel Jost) to visit the Prairie Centre in Edmonton on January 21, 1999. Also appreciated is the March 1999 visit of Douglas Yeo (Statistics Canada) to the Prairie Centre, during which he discussed the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) and its research potential.

Another aspect of inter-centre collaboration concerns the Open College Audio Education series (12 Cassettes in all) prepared by Morton Beiser, Director of CERIS, under the title Strangers Becoming Us: The History of Immigration in Canada. Three Prairie Centre researchers were involved including Baha Abu-Laban (University of Alberta), Alison Hayford (University of Regina), and Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan). Somewhat related, yet distinct and apart, is the collaboration between the Metropolis Project Team, CERIS, and the other Metropolis Centres, leading to the publication of a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Regional Science. It is noteworthy that five articles by Prairie Centre researchers were contributed to this issue of the journal.

In its projected budget for 1999-2000, the Prairie Centre proposes to reserve research funding for cross-centre comparative research. This proposal will be examined by the Centre’s Program Committee and Board of Governors at the forthcoming meetings in June 1999.

At the international level, the most outstanding recent development concerns the collaboration between the Prairie Centre/University of Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan, federal partners in Ottawa, and the Metropolis International Steering Committee to publish a new Metropolis journal (Journal of International Migration and Integration). This initiative promises to enhance joint projects between Metropolis researchers in Canada and their counterparts in Europe.

Also at the international level, prairie researchers and partnering organizations have participated actively in the conferences held in Milan (1996), Copenhagen (1997) and Zichron Yaacov (1998). The NGO representatives who were funded to attend one or the other of the international conferences were Laurel Borisenko, Tom Denton, Ana Maria Fantino, and Keith Karasin. This kind of involvement extends to the small interconference seminars which are "intended to create networks of research and policy experts, advancing, over time, both our knowledge and our capacity to act" (see Metropolis, Vol. 2, No. 1, March 1999, p. 4). For example, in March of 1999, Yvonne Hébert made a presentation at the interconference seminar held in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The theme of this seminar was "Youth in the Plural City: Individualized and Collectivized Identity Projects."

Finally, a joint/collaborative study of the influence of contexts on identity formation among adolescent immigrants, involving Yvonne Hébert (University of Calgary), Christoph Kodron (Deutsches Institut für Internationale Pädagogische) and Alain-Pierre Moreau (Université de la Méditerranée) is in progress. The project, focusing on case studies of two communities, describes and compares the school and community contexts of selected immigrant groups as they pertain to identity formation among adolescents enrolled in secondary schools.

Although it is implied in the above account, it should be noted explicitly that the existence of the Metropolis Project has brought the study of immigration and integration from being a minor specialty in a variety of only loosely connected disciplines to a high profile priority that commands a great deal of attention. Moreover, it has fostered wide-ranging linkages among researchers and between researchers and the policy community. An element of synergy has taken hold that continues to enhance both the volume and quality of research, as well as its policy relevance.

The Prairie Centre's research program spans the five domains discussed in the original grant application to SSHRC. In the first year of operation, the Prairie Centre received a total of 25 grant applications, of which 22 were approved for funding (13 were funded for one year, 6 were funded for 2 years, 2 were funded for 3 years, and one project was funded for 4 years ). In 1997-98, a total of 24 grant applications were received, of which 12 were approved for funding (3 of which were for 2-year funding and the remainder were funded for one year). In the third year of operation (1998-99), the Centre received 15 grant applications, of which 8 were funded (only one project was approved for 2-year funding). Considering the total commitments per project, the average grant size is about $18,450 in 1996-97; $12,440 in 1997-98; and about $10,200 in 1998-99. The decline in the average grant size is largely due to the smaller number of long term (or multi-year) projects approved in the second and particularly third year of operation, but also to the decision to reserve funds for strategic and domain-driven research. The funds which were reserved for this purpose last year have not yet been disbursed.

The following is a list of the 8 projects funded in 1998-99:

1. Doug Durst, University of Regina, The Social Integration of Salvadoran Refugees in Regina. (This project crosses both the Social and Economic Domains.)

2. Terrance Carson et al., University of Alberta, Culture and Teaching Project. (Education Domain)

3. Linda Wason-Ellam, University of Saskatchewan, Family and Community Literacy: The Intersecting Worlds of Chinese and Asian Immigrants. (Education Domain)

4. Yvonne Hébert, University of Calgary, Citizenship Values: A State of the Art Review. (Education and Citizenship-and-Culture Domains)

5. Dan Chekki, University of Winnipeg, Immigrant Families and Community Services: Change and Policy. (Social Domain)

6. Bohdan Kordan, University of Saskatchewan, Ukrainians in Canada: A Census Profile, 1981-1996. (Social and Public-Services-and-Political Domains)

7. Anne Neufeld et al., University of Alberta, Immigrant Women’s Experience as Family Caregivers: Support and Barriers. (Social and Public-Services-and-Political Domains)

8. Edit Petrovic, University of Calgary, Comparative Analysis of the Adaptation and Integration Processes Among Kurdish and Yugoslav Immigrants in Alberta. (Social and Citizenship-and-Culture Domains)

The majority of the projects funded this year are in the Social Domain, but they also cross to the Economic, Educational, Citizenship and Culture, and Public Services and Political Domains. The basic questions driving this year's projects are:

What paths do Kurdish and Yugoslav refugees follow to integrate socially and culturally into Canadian society? What barriers to integration do they face and are there differences between the two groups of refugees? (Petrovic) What roles do immigrant youth, women, and friends play in family adjustment and what differences are there between first and second generation immigrants in the way they respond to conflicts that emerge? Are there differences among immigrant groups by source country? (Chekki) How successful are immigrant women, as caregivers, in accessing health and social service resources? What barriers to support from family and friends and community agencies do they experience? (Neufeld et al.) These studies, in combination, promise to provide useful and practical insights to service providers in different institutional areas, namely, health, education, and the NGO sector.

The study by Bohdan Kordan is designed to update an earlier (1985) publication and deliver a statistical handbook on Ukrainians in Canada. Apart from being a useful research tool, at a policy level the new handbook can be used in current Ukrainian community needs assessment and development.

How can we promote ethnocultural harmony in schools and what strategies are effective in preparing teachers for dealing with culturally diverse student population? (Carson et al.) What does the current literature tell us about the role of citizenship education in instilling citizenship values and a sense of belonging underlying civic participation? In what ways may citizenship education be enhanced? (Hébert) How do family literacy practices in Chinese immigrant/refugee homes affect immigrant children's lives at home, in the community, and in public schools? What links are forged between the home and community and other institutions? (Wason-Ellam) The three studies in the Education Domain have a common thread and that is, to identify strategies for more successful integration of immigrant youth.

What strategies do Salvadoran refugees follow to integrate into the labour market? What factors facilitate or impede their social and economic integration? The study aims to identify practical ways to remove barriers to social and economic integration. (Durst)

Turning now to broader considerations, it should be noted that in the past 3 years, the Centre's funded projects covered all five research domains, albeit differentially.   It will be observed that of a total expenditure of $468,585, 37% went to the Social Domain, 24% to the Education Domain, 18% to the Economic Domain, 10% to the Public Services and Political Domain, 7% to the Citizenship and Culture Domain, and 4% went to "other" domains.

An examination of the projects funded reveals a number of themes within the different research domains. An overview of these themes follows.

• Projects in the social and cultural domains cover studies of immigrant families and family-community dynamics (Baker, Chekki, Este et al., M. Grant, Hirabayashi, Langford et al., Neufeld at al., Peressini et al., Wason-Ellam); community and action oriented research including institutional arrangements for equitable integration of women (Durst, Hayford, Knuttila, Kordan, Petrovic, Tastsoglou, Waugh); inter-city and/or inter-group comparative research (Driedger, Halli, Kalbach, Loewen, Trovato); aspects of interaction between immigrants and service providers (Arthur, Meadows); and integration and language proficiency (Archibald).

• The scope of coverage of projects in the education domain concerns issues of citizenship education (Derwing, Hébert); cultural integration, management of diversity in schools and teacher education (Carson et al., DePass, Schissell), and identity and integration (Hébert).

• Projects in the economic domain cover studies of credentials and mobility of professional immigrants (Basran, H. Grant); economic integration, earnings and occupational attainment of immigrants (Frideres, Li, Wanner); and socio-cultural impact of business immigration (Bai).

• Finally, projects in the public services and political domain cover issues of gender, political participation and settlement renewal (Y. Abu-Laban, Garcea); and ways and means of making health services more accessible and more relevant to immigrants (Este, Meadows, Neufeld et al., Ogilvie, Young).

Without going into much detail, the following are examples of the methodological approaches utilized by Prairie Centre researchers: comparative research, historical (including archival and oral) research, longitudinal studies, questionnaire surveys, interview surveys, ethnographic research, qualitative and quantitative research, collaborative action research, and descriptive and analytical methodolgies common to urban sociology and social demography. This diversity of methodological approaches within the Prairie Centre is desirable because it helps to meet the varying research needs of stakeholders, generate the fullest information possible about immigration and integration, and uncover the most beneficial and cost-efficient policy responses.

The contribution of graduate students to the Prairie Centre's research program is very significant and the Centre, in turn, provides them with research stipends, ample training opportunities and invaluable experience in immigration research. During the three-year period under review, it is estimated that about 58% of the Centre's research budget was used to support mostly graduate but also undergraduate students.

80 graduate students have been or are involved in Metropolis research, of whom 40% are at the Ph.D. and 60% at the M.A. level. Further, the disciplinary diversity of Prairie Centre researchers is also reflected in the cohort of graduate students who are working with them. Thus, training opportunities are distributed among the disciplines and among the six consortium universities. As reported,   4 Ph.D. and 12 M.A. theses, for a total of 16 theses, have resulted from student participation in Metropolis (to see titles of these theses). It is clear from these titles that the subject matter is diverse, spanning the Prairie Centre's five research domains.

Prairie Centre researchers are also assisted in their work by undergraduate students in virtually all the participating universities. A total of 27 undergraduate students have worked as research assistants. However, the expenditures on undergraduate students represent a small portion of the total spent on student research stipends.

One of the goals of the Prairie Centre is to contribute to policy development related to contemporary issues. One aspect of this role involves direct contacts with policy makers. For example, grant applicants are directed to develop their research proposals by consulting directly with relevant stakeholders. They are also required to indicate in the application the specific implications of the research project for the stakeholders' concerns. In addition, some stakeholders are actively involved in some of the Centre's research teams, meaning that they have a more active role in the development of a policy relevant research proposal.

Research and policy linkages are developed in other ways. Specifically, representatives of the Prairie Centre meet regularly with policy makers and other stakeholders either in response to invitations to discuss issues directly with them, or in the context of Metropolis conferences, workshops, lectures etc. In fact, policy implications are often developed/elaborated jointly with the stakeholders at the conclusion of the project. Such outcomes may be more difficult to document, but they nevertheless are an integral component of the Metropolis Project.

The potential policy contributions of Prairie Centre research are discussed in the Project Profile Sheets.  The following are a few highlights of the research and policy linkages emanating from the Prairie Centre's research program.

(1) In the Economic Domain:

Research results emphasize that labour market outcomes of immigrants and their earning opportunities, among other things, depend not merely on human capital, but also on structural features of the local labour market (e.g., barriers to economic integration). (P. Li; D. Durst; T. Peressini; R. Wanner)

The issue of foreign credentials is multi-faceted and requires joint action by government, accreditation bodies, and potential employers, in order to better facilitate the economic integration of immigrants. (G. Basran/L. Zong)

Research on the mobility of highly-qualified health personnel promises to make a significant contribution to health care policy and to the discussion of Canadian immigration policy. (H. Grant)

(2) In the Education Domain:

Research results in the area of cultural integration of immigrants in public schools emphasize issues related to school curricula, teacher training, recruitment of faculty and student teachers in Faculties of Education, and teacher in-service and professional development, among other factors. (Carson et al.; DePass)

Immigrant youth would benefit from policies that provide support and guidance for their explorations of self within school and community contexts. (Y. Hébert)

In the area of citizenship instruction for adult immigrants, the research findings suggest that CIC should reintroduce the personal hearing, utilizing trained staff rather than politically appointed judges to conduct the interviews. (T. Derwing)

(3) In the Social and Cultural Domain:

Studies of changing gender roles and family dynamics among immigrants promise to provide insights to immigrant-serving agencies and service professionals about culturally-sensitive approaches to counseling and intervention, about the adaptive role of volunteerism and the empowerment of women immigrants. (N. Langford et al.; Tastsoglou)

The role of ethnic enclaves (or religious institutions) in immigrant integration and alternatives to these enclaves in smaller communities where they do not exist. (C. Baker; A. Hayford; E. Waugh)

An historical and critical review of government policies and practices that facilitated or impeded immigrant integration on the prairies. (R. Loewen et al.)

(4) In the Public Services and Political Domain:

Research on the federal government's settlement renewal initiative promises to yield recommendations and options for reforming policies and management structures in the settlement sector. (J. Garcea)

Recommendations informing the delivery of health services, preventive intervention programs, and the management of existing conditions or risks to health flow from a number of Prairie Centre funded projects. (L. Ogilvie et al.; Trovato; N. Arthur; D. Este et al.; L. Meadows and W. Thurston)

The day-to-day activities of the Prairie Centre are managed by the Director and an Administrative Coordinator. More broadly, however, the Prairie Centre is governed by an Internal Agreement  which defines its organizational structure and provides guidelines for its administrative and research operations. This Agreement was signed by the Presidents of all six participating prairie universities, by partner organizations, and by Investigators and Co-Investigators.

In accordance with the Internal Agreement, the highest decision-making authority for the Prairie Centre is its Board of Governors. The Board of Governors includes a representative each from the six participating universities; six representatives from partnering organizations in Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, and Edmonton; two policy makers from the participating federal departments; a representative each from the Metropolis Project Team (CIC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; the Centre Director; and the Centre’s Administrative Coordinator who serves as recording secretary (for a total of 18 persons). [Note: In 1998-99, the total membership of the Board of Governors rose from 15 to 18, to include two federal policy makers and a community representative from Saskatoon.]

The Board of Governors is accountable to the funders through the Presidents of the participating universities; and the Director of the Centre reports to the Board of Governors. The duties and responsibilities of the Board of Governors are described in the Internal Agreement.

During this past year, two governors completed their terms: Susan Coombes, Alberta Community Development, Calgary; and Leo Driedger, University of Manitoba; and five new governors have been added to the list: Fariborz Birjandian, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society; Joan Brownridge, Race Relations Branch of the City of Saskatoon; Julie Dompierre, Status of Women Canada (Ottawa); Shiva Halli, University of Manitoba; and Dina Juras, Health Canada (Health Promotion and Programs Branch – Manitoba and Saskatchewan Region). (see list of current Board members)

The scholarly work of the Prairie Centre is managed by a standing Program Committee. The Program Committee membership is appointed by the Board of Governors and includes the Centre Director as Chair, five Domain Leaders, a researcher with broadly multidisciplinary research experience or interest, a researcher representing the federal partners, and a researcher representing the partner organizations; plus the Centre’s Administrative Coordinator who serves as recording secretary. The Program Committee adjudicates research proposals, monitors the progress of the research, and makes funding recommendations to the Board of Governors. It should be noted that no honoraria are provided to members of the Program Committee for the invaluable work they do. (see list of current Program Committee members)

This past year has witnessed changes in the membership of the Program Committee. Colleagues who have completed their terms include Paul Gingrich, University of Regina; Shiva Halli, University of Manitoba; and David Young, University of Alberta. Replacements include Derek Hum, University of Manitoba; Murray Knuttila, University of Regina; and Linda Ogilvie, University of Alberta.

In the spring of 1997, the Board of Governors approved the establishment of a Data Coordination Committee to coordinate the purchase, sharing and distribution of statistical data both within the prairie region and nationally among the four Metropolis Centres of Excellence. The committee is comprised of a representative each from the three prairie provinces, plus the Director of the Prairie Centre who serves on it in an ex officio capacity.  The new Committee Chair, Richard Wanner (University of Calgary), replaces Madeline Kalbach (University of Calgary) whose term was interrupted by a sabbatical leave. (see list of current Data Coordination Committee members)

As well as detailing the roles of the Board of Governors and the Program Committee, the Internal Agreement addresses a wide range of issues including financial and reporting requirements, annual report requirements, partner organizations, addition of new researchers and institutions, intellectual property, dissemination, conflict of interest and dispute resolution.

The Prairie Centre Program Committee and Board of Governors held their third in-person annual meetings on June 12-13 and 19-20, 1998, respectively. At these meetings, the Program Committee reached consensus on grant funding recommendations, and the Board of Governors reviewed and then approved these recommendations. In all, eight new projects spanning the economic, educational, social, citizenship and culture, and public services and political domains were approved for funding. In addition, the Board: (1) received reports from Tom Carter and Jean-Pierre Moisan on the Centre Directors’ meeting which was hosted by the Metropolis Project Team in Ottawa, June 15-17, 1998, (2) discussed plans for the Regional Workshop in Regina, and (3) approved the Centre’s financial statements for the 1997-98 fiscal year, among other things.

2. Research Dissemination

In 1998-99, more so than in the preceding year, Prairie Centre researchers have been heavily involved in research dissemination activities. These activities included presentations at professional conferences, and at colloquia and university classes and seminars within and outside the home institution, presentations to immigrant-serving agencies, multicultural groups, and other community groups, interviews with the electronic and printed media, work with graduate students, publications in newsletters and applied journals, as well as publications in scholarly journals, in books, and in edited collections and conference proceedings. (see Publications: Books, Refereed Articles/Book Chapters/Book Reviews, Reports, Mongraphs, and Audio Visual Materials, Other Publications and Activities, Conference and Other Professional Presentations)

Several Prairie Centre researchers have been directly involved in organizing special sessions or day-long seminars at the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities (previously the Learned Societies), or at Metropolis national or international conferences, among other venues. In addition, researchers have organized their own conferences, as in the case of colleagues at the Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba. For example, the 12th Annual Manitoba History Conference (March 13, 1999) featured a Workshop on Winnipeg Immigrants and the Metropolis Project in which three Prairie Centre researchers including a graduate student made presentations (Tom Carter, Shiva Halli and Hans Werner). Other activities included participation in the "Engendering the Past: Women and Men in Mennonite History" Conference (October 16-17, 1998); and a one-day conference organized by the Winnipeg Immigrant History Research Group (October 2, 1998) under the leadership of Royden Loewen and Gerry Friesen. Activities of this type have also been organized by other Nodes within the Prairie Centre.

On its part, the Prairie Centre has encouraged its research affiliates to participate actively in Metropolis conferences. For example, the Centre subsidized or underwrote the travel expenses of some 25 researchers who attended the Montreal Metropolis Conference, and over 40 researchers who attended the Vancouver Metropolis Conference. The same is true of Metropolis international conferences, except that the number of participants from the Prairie Centre at these conference is much smaller (n=5-7).

Other dissemination activities in which the Centre has invested resources are described below.

The Brown Bag Lecture series, or a speaker program, brings university researchers and representatives of partnering organizations together, typically during the noon hour, to address Metropolis related topics. Over time, virtually all of the Prairie Centre Nodes have been active on this front. During this past year, the following presentations were made at the University of Saskatchewan: "Devaluation of Foreign Credentials as Perceived by Non-While Professional Immigrants" (Li Zong and Gurcharn Basran, "Assimilation and the Altar" (Madeline Kalbach, and "To Be or Not To Be: Ethnicity, That is the Question" (Warren Kalbach).

With reference to the University of Alberta Node, most of the lectures are held on the premises of partnering organizations and only a few on campus. This proved to be a successful strategy for drawing policy makers and NGOs to the lectures. Also, the presenters in the lecture series organized by the Edmonton Node come from the ranks of researchers as well as NGOs, and the meetings, which are attended by policy makers as well, enhance the communication among these stakeholders. The topics covered this year include: "Canadian Immigrant Investor Experience" (Lloyd Steier); "Self-Employment Among Visible Minority Immigrants, White Immigrants, and Native Born Persons in Secondary and Tertiary Industries in Canada" (Peter Li); "Nurtured by Knowledge: Research for Change, The Cultural Brokers Initiative" (Anne Marie Brose, Yvonne Chiu, Linda Lam); "The Social Construction of ‘Chinese’ in the Battle Over "Monster Homes’ in Vancouver" (Peter Li); "Health Implications of the Coping Strategies of Chinese, Chilean and Somalian Immigrants in Edmonton" (David Young); "Immigrant Suicide" (Frank Trovato); "The Third Metropolis Conference: (Zichron Yaacov, Israel) Critique and Comments on the Potential of the Metropolis Partnership" (Laurel Borisenko); and "Relationship Changes and Stability of Edmonton Immigrant Couples" (Ana Maria Fantino, Nanci Langford, and Njeri Waiyaki).

From the beginning of the Metropolis network of web sites, the Prairie Centre has been active in the development of its own site. This activity has included participating in the initial joint discussions with the other three Centres and Ottawa; launching the site through a mail-out campaign to our researchers and through presentations to the community stakeholders and our governing bodies; providing regular updates about the site to our researchers; and encouraging our researchers to access the site by using it as a tool for distributing administrative documents such as the Annual Grant Applications.

Other activities have included pursuing a partnership with Chuck Humphrey, the Data Librarian at the University of Alberta, who serves as a liaison with the other Prairie Node Data Librarians. This partnership has yielded some very positive tangible benefits such as setting up a remote system which gives Prairie Centre researchers secure access to the Metropolis data through the web site.

The Prairie Centre Web Master, Lenise Lévesque Edwards, has also spent a great deal of time developing the Virtual Library. As part of this initial phase, she partnered with the Metropolis Secretariat in Ottawa in order to develop a manual to assist researchers using the CORE system and the Virtual Library. This manual was distributed by mail to all Prairie Centre researchers, uploaded to the site for easy reference, as well as distributed to other centres. In addition, to help the other Centres and Ottawa focus on the purpose and use of the Virtual Library, the Prairie Centre Web Master was asked to write a position paper which became the point of discussion for the web masters at a meeting held in Vancouver.

To enhance the web site profile, an attempt was made to register all Prairie Centre researchers to the CORE system. Initially, it was thought that by providing the researchers with their own passwords and user names, they would use the system to upload their research documents. This, however, did not turn out to be the case due to technical problems. Thus, it was concluded that the best way to populate the Virtual Library was to have the web master herself upload all documents including research papers. Currently there are 42 abstracts of funded research, 3 papers, 10 abstracts of conference papers presented at the Regina Workshop and virtually all progress reports for funded research housed in the Centre's Virtual Library.

In addition, the web site contains information on current activities of the Centre, research in progress, up-to-date contact information for affiliated researchers, policy makers and community organizations. The Prairie Centre newsletter and several administrative documents such as drafts of the latest grant application and guidelines are accessible through the Web Site. As an alternative and accessible communication tool, the site provides a crucial mechanism for the broad dissemination of knowledge regarding immigration and integration across the prairies.

Finally, although the four Metropolis Centres experienced several problems associated with the CORE system, the situation has improved. Soon we expect to switch over to the new Site Server software for managing the site and furthering partnerships with the other Centres and the Metropolis Secretariat in Ottawa. This will allow the Metropolis network of sites to continue to develop and to serve researchers and other users better.

In an attempt to enhance its communication activities, the Prairie Centre publishes a newsletter which is distributed to all affiliated researchers, partnering organizations, and community contacts. Publishing of the newsletter commenced in the Centre’s first year of operation and continues to this date. During this past year, two issues were published. Typically, the newsletter features Prairie Centre and Node news and activities in Edmonton and in the other prairie cities, announcements concerning lectures, conferences and workshops, news from research affiliates, and announcements of publications related to immigration research.

The Prairie Centre’s millennium project, spearheaded by Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan) and Baha Abu-Laban (University of Alberta), concerns the publication of a new journal, Journal of International Migration and Integration: Metropolis Research and Policy Review, scheduled to begin publishing in January 2000. This unique, multidisciplinary journal will reflect the research and policy mandate of the Metropolis Project and, as well, engage the interests of Canadian and European researchers, policy makers, immigrant serving agencies and other service providers in matters related to immigration and the settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees.

The rationale for publishing the journal derives from the following considerations. First, there has been a steady growth in immigration research primarily in Canada, but also in Europe and elsewhere. Second, the policy and research mandate of the Metropolis Project is unique and there is currently no professional/scholarly journal capable of responding fully to this mandate. Third, the establishment of a Metropolis journal with a strong international base would represent a powerful evolution of the Metropolis Project. Fourth, a Metropolis journal would testify to the maturity and enduring value of the Project, and would also constitute a critical element of a strategic communications plan for it. Finally, the proposed journal would further enhance cooperative relations between the North American and European arms of the Metropolis Project.

Article submissions will be open to researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders, and all articles will be assessed by peer review. Preference will be given to articles that reflect the goals of the Metropolis Project. The journal will be edited by two co-editors, one from Canada and one from Europe, and it will be governed by an international Board of Directors of about 15 individuals with overall responsibility for its general direction. The primary working group for the editorial process will be comprised of an international Editorial Board consisting of 15-20 individuals.

Housed at the University of Alberta within the Prairie Centre, the journal is to be published quarterly except for combined issues during the second half of the year (Summer-Fall). Sources of funding for the journal include the University of Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan, the Metropolis Project (CIC, Ottawa) and other federal government departments, and the Metropolis International Steering Committee. Funding is already in place for the first three years of operation, however, as funding commitments for the journal sufficiently increase, the combined Summer-Fall issues will be decoupled.

So far, the Prairie Centre's research program has been developed largely on the basis of the interests of individual researchers (or teams of researchers) in consultation with relevant stakeholders. As the Centre enters its fourth year of operation, it needs to expend more effort to identify key areas of research and develop domain-driven research agendas. This issue was discussed at the Regina Workshop and is to be examined further by the Program Committee in the coming year as well.

The Prairie Centre is taking part in a large investigation in the Health Domain involving two other Centres of Excellence, namely Toronto and Montreal (Vancouver is expected to join later). This is a good start for doing comparative and collaborative research, however, efforts need to be intensified to do more such research not only nationally but also internationally. This is a challenge that remains.

Communication within Metropolis is a multi-layered process as it involves SSHRC, the federal partners, centres and researchers, NGOs, and other stakeholders. The challenge is to ensure that the communication lines among these stakeholders remain open at all times. With particular reference to policy makers, the Prairie Centre has, over time, participated in meetings with Federal Partnership Councils and with other government groups in all three prairie provinces, in an effort to develop stronger linkages and identify opportunities for increased collaboration. Also, the Centre has expanded the memberships of both the Board of Governors and the Program Committee to include representatives from the participating federal departments. The problem, however, is that the participating federal partners have not yet engaged more proactively in communication with the Prairie Centre.

The issue of communication is also important in terms of the researchers themselves being able to communicate the policy relevance of their research more clearly. The previously referenced Management Review of Metropolis in Canada suggests that several federal partners judge the Centres’ research programs solely on the basis of published abstracts. Unfortunately, abstracts are often an insufficient tool to detail policy relevance of ongoing research. This underlines the need for better communication from the centres and their researchers on the one hand, and on the other hand, willingness on the part of the federal partners to take the time and communicate more regularly with the centres and with researchers.

While relations with community partners and NGOs have evolved to encompass mutual trust and respect, and are mutually beneficial, the Prairie Centre still needs to strengthen its communication links with these stakeholders in all five prairie cities. The Centre already has wide ranging networks with the NGO sector, plus community/NGO representation on the Board of Governors and the Program Committee, but it needs to build on these strengths.

Unlike the other Metropolis Centres of Excellence, the Prairie Centre faces the administrative challenge of geographical dispersal over a large region of Canada. While new information technology has eased this challenge, it remains true that the management of a widely dispersed as opposed to a city-based centre presents some unique and difficult challenges as well as additional expenses. In the case of the Prairie Centre, operational adjustments have been made, with considerable success (e.g., organizing workshops and utilizing new information technology).

The question of what constitutes "policy relevant" research has not been entirely resolved within Metropolis. Many different perspectives and viewpoints abound on this issue from senior federal policymakers, regional federal officials, provincial and municipal policymakers, community and NGO partners to academic researchers. This has created some ambiguity as to what may be considered "appropriate" Metropolis research, and stakeholders are still grappling with this issue.

A major challenge in the coming years concerns the Prairie Centre’s plan to publish a new journal, Journal of International Migration and Integration (Metropolis Research and Policy Review). The journal involves numerous stakeholders and requires a great deal of coordination between the North American and European arms of Metropolis. While a challenge, the journal nevertheless presents a tremendous opportunity for all the stakeholders in the Metropolis enterprise.

Finally, the Prairie Centre needs to get provincial governments more involved in Metropolis research and get them to help fund both the Centre’s research activities and the new Journal of International Migration and Integration.

The problems and challenges noted above reflect not only an awareness of issues inherent in the unfolding and evolution of the highly complex Metropolis Project, but also the Prairie Centre’s resolve to forge ahead and improve on what it has by fine tuning its involvement in this strategic research area.

Respectfully Submitted,

Baha Abu-Laban, Director

Kelly McKean, Administrative Coordinator