Phase II of the Metropolis Project commenced on April 1, 2002 and this annual report, the seventh in the Prairie Centre's history, covers the year 2002-2003. The second phase of the Metropolis Project is guided by a number of renewal documents (see National Metropolis Web Site) initiated and developed by the Metropolis Project Team, Ottawa, in consultation with the federal partners, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the four Metropolis Centres, and service providers. Reference to the renewal documents will be made where appropriate throughout the report.

This report consists of seven parts. Part I addresses the Centre's objectives and key activities. This is followed by partnerships and collaborations. Next, Part III, provides an overview of research and research outputs. Part IV deals with issues of research management and communication, while Part V outlines challenges faced by the Prairie Centre. Parts VI and VII present the revised budget and the work plan, respectively, for 2003-2004.

The objectives of the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration (PCERII) in this new phase include: (1) Supporting research on the integration of immigrants (first generation) and their children (second generation) into Canadian society, as well as research on the impact of immigration and changing diversity on the host society in such institutional areas as the economic, educational, social, cultural, linguistic, citizenship, political, justice, and health domains, among others; (2) Establishing research priorities on a regular basis; (3) Documenting the specific strategies that immigrants and ethnic minorities employ to effect successful integration within urban structures and systems, the processes by which these strategies are pursued and modified, and the outcomes of these processes; (4) Identifying policy options that relate to more effective immigrant integration into Canadian society, as well as identifying policy options aimed at the larger society that may create a more welcoming environment for immigrants and diversity; and (5) Communicating research findings broadly to academic and non-academic audiences.

The key activities described below are ones in which the Administrative Centre, along with stakeholders (researchers, policymakers and service providers), has played a major role.

1. Harmonizing the Centre's Administrative Instruments with the Renewal Documents

The Grant Application Form and related Guidelines have been revised and streamlined to conform to the requirements of the second phase of Metropolis (Appendix 1). As reported in the 2001-2002 Annual Report, the Internal Agreement which governs the operation of the Prairie Centre and its research program was revised and harmonized with the renewal documents (for a copy of the Internal Agreement, see Appendix 2). In addition, all of the aforementioned documents are posted on the PCERII Web Site.

2. Redefining the Role of Domain Leaders

In planning for the second phase of Metropolis, special attention was given to the vital role that domain leaders would play in collaborative, team, pan-Canadian and cross-centre research. Accordingly, the definition of a domain leader's role has been expanded considerably and greater expectations have been placed on domain leaders in all four Metropolis Centres (see section 5.7.1 of Internal Agreement in Appendix 2). In order to attract and retain excellent researchers for this role, stakeholders of the Metropolis project have agreed that domain leaders would be eligible for course release or equivalent funding for a research assistant, the cost of which could be covered from the SSHRC/CIC grant. During this past year, the Prairie Centre has implemented the terms of this agreement and provided funding for course release for domain leaders.

3. Touring the Prairie Centre Nodes

In the spring of 2002, the Co-Directors of the Prairie Centre met with Metropolis researchers from the Universities of Alberta and Calgary to orient them to the terms and conditions associated with the renewal of the Metropolis Project and to the Prairie Centre's expectations post-phase one. Later in 2002, one Co-Director, Dr. Tracey Derwing, visited the Metropolis researchers at the Universities of: Winnipeg; Manitoba; Saskatchewan; and Regina, to update them on the new terms for renewal. By September 2002, all the necessary ground work needed to prepare the Prairie Centre and its stakeholders for the new phase of the Metropolis Project had been done.

4. Preserving the Volunteer Internship Program

The success of the Volunteer Internship Program in the first phase of the Metropolis Project has resulted in a decision to preserve this unique and widely appreciated initiative in the new phase. Eleven Interns were enrolled in the program in 2002-2003.

5. Continuing the Publication of the Journal for International Migration and Integration

The Journal of International Migration and Integration continues to be published by the Prairie Centre. Presently, attention is being given to replacements/renewals for the current Editors, members of the Board of Directors, and also the Editorial Board.

6. Initiating a Prairie Centre Working Paper Series

Toward the end of the year under review, the Prairie Centre established a Working Paper Series that is related to the broad mandate of the Metropolis Project. Among other things, this initiative is designed to: (1) fulfill a commitment made in our application to SSHRC/CIC for a renewal grant for the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration; (2) speed up the dissemination of research results relevant to the interests and concerns of Metropolis researchers, policy-makers, NGOs; and (3) populate PCERII's Virtual Library.

7. Approving Research Grant Applications for 2002-2003

The deadline for grant applications for 2002-2003 was October 15, 2002. At its meeting of November 8-9, 2002, the Adjudication Committee considered 18 grant applications. Of these, 5 were submitted by the Economic Domain as one integrated team project addressing different but related aspects of the economic performance of immigrants. Eleven out of 18 applications were approved, for a total of $119,536 for year one, plus $46,011 for year 2, for a grand total of $165,547.

8. Organizing the Sixth National Metropolis Conference

From March 21-24, 2003, the Prairie Centre hosted the Sixth National Metropolis Conference at the Sheraton Grande Edmonton Hotel. Over 500 delegates attended the conference, representing the government, university and NGO sectors. By far, this is the most time consuming and demanding activity that the Prairie Centre undertook during the year under review (see Appendix 3 for a copy of the conference programme).

9. Awards and Honours Received by PCERII Stakeholders:

PCERII research affiliate and Board Chair, Tom Carter (The Institute of Urban Studies at the University of Winnipeg), was awarded the Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation in 2003 from SSHRC.

PCERII research affiliate and Economic Domain Leader, Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan), is the recipient of the 2002 "Outstanding Contribution" award given by the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the discipline of sociology in Canada. Dr. Li also received the 2001 "Living in Harmony" Recognition Award given by the City of Saskatoon, Race Relations Committee, in recognition of a distinguished record of academic research, publication, and policy-related work on race and ethnic relations, immigration studies and racism in Canada.

PCERII Co-Director, Baha Abu-Laban (University of Alberta), is the recipient of the Citation for Citizenship for 2001 awarded by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada for his research contributions in the area of the integration of immigrants and refugees.

1. Collaborations with Policy-Makers

During 2002-2003, PCERII researchers continued to be accessible to policy-makers and meetings and collaboration have taken place in a variety of different contexts and venues throughout the year under review. The Sixth National Metropolis Conference hosted by the Prairie Centre in March 2003, provided an opportunity for strengthening linkages with policy-makers. Of the 513 people who attended the conference almost one-third (160) were policy-makers. Of this number, 119 were representatives from federal departments; 24 represented provincial governments; and, 17 were drawn from the ranks of municipal government. A number of federal departments organized national meetings that took place during the conference such as the CIC Steering Committee on Francophone Minority Communities and the CIC National Voluntary Sector Initiative. In addition to this, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the City of Edmonton organized the Community Dialogue on Immigration and Diversity in conjunction with the Sixth National Metropolis Conference.

Other examples of collaborations with the public sector include the following:

PCERII Citizenship and Cultural Domain Leader, Joseph Garcea (University of Saskatchewan) served as a member of an advisory committee that developed a module for a training program produced for CIC on "Immigration and Policy Governance," during 2002. He also participated in a policy roundtable in Ottawa on political processes.

PCERII Economic Domain Leader, Dr. Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan), was an invited participant and speaker in October 2002 at a number of roundtables and consultations organized by policy-makers including: a Roundtable on Entrepreneurship, Self-employment and Capital Markets; a Roundtable on Labour Markets and Training; a closed door consultation meeting with senior management on immigration backlash; and, a European Commission Expert Panel on Citizenship and Social Cohesion.

PCERII Education Domain Leader, Dr. Wanda Hurren (University of Regina), and PCERII Co-Director, Dr. Baha Abu-Laban, participated in the roundtables on education and (re)training and the Public Service Commission of Canada, respectively.

All five PCERII Domain Leaders were invited by policy-makers to attend planning meetings in Ottawa in the respective domain areas during the Fall of 2002 in Ottawa in preparation for the Intersections of Diversity seminar to take place in Spring 2003 (see Appendix 4 for complete listing of PCERII Domain Leaders). In addition, PCERII Board members, Dr. Tom Carter (University of Winnipeg), participated in the housing seminar as the PCERII contact person for the Housing and Neighbourhoods domain and Mr. Tom Denton (Manitoba Refugee Sponsors) was a member of the advisory committee that structured the intersections project.

PCERII Health Domain Leader, Dr. Linda Ogilvie (University of Alberta) met with representatives of Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Status of Women Canada along with the Health Domain Leaders from the other Metropolis Centres in November 2002.

PCERII research affiliate, Dr. Noorfarah Merali (University of Alberta), is a member of National Input Group, Health Canada, for the development of a handbook and protocol for family resource centres for immigrants and refugees in Canada.

PCERII Co-Director, Dr. Baha Abu-Laban met with Mr. Daryl Rock, Director, Strategic Programs and Joint Initatives at SSHRC along with several PCERII research affiliates (Drs. Ingrid Johnston, Harvey Krahn, Navjot Lamba, and Linda Ogilvie) as well as representatives from PCERII partnering organizations (Sonia Bitar from Changing Together…A Centre for Immigrant Women; Jaye Fredrickson from the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers; and, Ana Maria Fantino of Edmonton Catholic Social Services) in January 2003 at the University of Alberta. The purpose of the meeting was to share information.

Several University of Alberta-based PCERII research affiliates participated in a meeting to discuss the issue of social capital organized by Canadian Heritage in Edmonton in February 2003 including PCERII Co-Directors, Drs. Baha Abu-Laban and Tracey Derwing, Dr. Anna Kirova (Elementary Education), Dr. Navjot Lamba (New Canadian Children and Youth Study), and, Dr. Earle Waugh (Religious Studies).

Also in February 2003, several PCERII affiliates were invited to participate in a Metropolis Conversation Series seminar on the issue of the regionalization of immigration in Ottawa, including Mr. Gérald Clément (Assistant Deputy Minister, Manitoba Labour and Immigration/PCERII Board Member); Dr. Liisa Cormode (Adjunct Professor, University of Saskatchewan); and Ms. Linda Dirkson (Executive Director, Moose Jaw Multicultural Society).

Dr. Daniel Lai (University of Calgary) was invited to give a presentation entitled, "From Research to Practice: Implications of Access Barriers on Health and Culturally Sensitive Practice," for the Calgary Health Region in March 2003. Dr. Lai also gave a presentation entitled," Culture and Health: Implications of a National Study on Older Chinese in Canada," to the Patient Education Committee, Southern Alberta Renal Program at the Foothills Medical Centre during the same month.

Dr. Paul Bramadat (University of Winnipeg) was an invited resource person at a closed door discussion on religion and security organized by the Metropolis Project Team in Ottawa in March 2003.

Dr. Yvonne Hébert (University of Calgary) was a member of the Social Capital and Immigrant Inclusion/Diversity Advisory Committee at the federal Policy Research Initiative during the year under review.

Finally, the Prairie Centre continued to offer policy-makers a direct voice in the form of membership and voting rights on its management boards. For example, Ms. Rashmi Joshee (Canadian Heritage Edmonton Regional Office) is a member of the PCERII Adjudication Committee. The PCERII Board of Governors’ membership includes a representative each from Manitoba Labour and Immigration (Mr. Gérald Clément), Saskatchewan Department of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, Immigration Branch (Mr. Eric Johansen) and Human Resources Development Canada Ottawa/Hull National Office (Dr. Samuel Laryea). As major funders, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council continue to be represented on the Board (see Appendices 5 & 6).

2. Collaborations with NGOs and Other Community Groups

During the year under review, the Prairie Centre continued to emphasize its connections with community partners in a variety of ways such as (a) requiring grant applicants to consult with community groups, where appropriate, in advance of applying for funds (see Grant Application and Guidelines in Appendix 1), (b) providing full or partial financial support for NGO representatives to attend national and international Metropolis conferences, (c) providing information and, where possible, research support, (d) participating in conferences organized by NGOs, and, (e) collaborating with NGO partners through their membership on the advisory committees of several PCERII research projects.

During this past year, the Prairie Centre provided partial funding for the Executive Director of Changing Together…A Centre for Immigrant Women in Edmonton to attend and present at the Biennial Conference of the International Cultural Research Network (ICRN): Exploring Cultural Perspectives, July 2-6, 2003 in Brasilia, Brazil. In addition, the Centre assisted in the organization of a day-long pre-conference seminar for NGO representatives on March 20 in Edmonton before the Sixth National Metropolis Conference, March 21-24, 2003.

Several PCERII research affiliates and staff members are also active in the community by serving on the boards of immigrant-serving and other community organizations. For example, Centre Coordinator, Ms. Kelly McKean, is a member of the Board of Directors of Changing Together…A Centre for Immigrant Women and Co-Director, Baha Abu-Laban is a member of the CIC (Edmonton) Community Advisory Committeee. In this capacity, PCERII members assist community organizations with funding applications, organizing conferences, conducting research, and providing information, among other things.

PCERII research affiliate, Noorfarah Merali (University of Alberta) is a program evaluation advisor for the Calgary Immigrant Aid Society Mosaic Centre Family Programming. She is also an advisor to the Women’s Development Portfolio in the Ismaili Muslim cultural community regarding psychoeducational programming for refugee women, and emerging individual and family mental health concerns.

Dr. Linda Ogilvie, (University of Alberta and PCERII Health Domain Leader) served on the Advisory Committee for a research project entitled, "Access to Licensure for Foreign Qualified Nurses," conducted for the Alberta Network of Immigrant Women in Calgary. In her role on the committee, Dr. Ogilvie chaired two forums in Calgary and Edmonton in November 2002 to present the findings of the project to stakeholders and to brainstorm approaches to solve issues.

The Prairie Centre continued to incorporate strong community representation within its management structures. For example, Ms. Jaye Fredrickson (Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers) is a member of the PCERII Adjudication Committee. Also, the Centre’s Board of Governors included: Mr. Fariborz Birjandian (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society); Ms. Yvonne Chiu (Edmonton Multicultural Health Brokers’ Cooperative); Mr. Tom Denton (Manitoba Refugee Sponsors); and Ms. Shelina Kassam (Saskatoon Open Door Society).

The PCERII Volunteer Internship Program is yet another form of partnership with the community. Now in its sixth year of operation, placements were offered by Catholic Social Services, the Centre for Foreign Trained Professionals affiliated with the Millwoods Welcome Centre for Immigrants, Changing Together…A Centre for Immigrant Women, the Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA), the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN), the Multicultural Health Brokers’ Cooperative in conjunction with a researcher at the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, the Northern Alberta Alliance on Race Relations; and, the Planned Parenthood Association of Edmonton.

Lastly, several PCERII research grant holders have invited NGO representatives to serve as advisors on research projects. For example, the Advisory Committee of the New Canadian Children and Youth Study (NCCYS), under the direction of Dr. Linda Oglivie (University of Alberta), continued to include representatives from Changing Together…A Centre for Immigrant Women, Edmonton Catholic Social Services, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, and the Multicultural Health Brokers Co-operative, as well as representatives from the Filipino, Kurdish and Vietnamese communities. The NCCYS research teams based in Calgary and Winnipeg also have community advisory committees made up of representatives from various government and community groups.

3. Research Collaborations and Networks: National and International

Research affiliates from the Prairie Centre continued to be involved in collaborative projects with researchers from the other Metropolis Centres during the fiscal year under review. For example, Dr. Paul Bramadat (University of Winnipeg) has been working with researchers at the Metropolis Centres on a cross-centre collaborative project on religion and discrimination in Canada. Authors for the book are drawn from across the centres and various elements of it have been presented at the Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities in Toronto in May-June 2002 as well as at the Sixth National Metropolis Conference held in Edmonton in March 2003.

in the Education Domain, PCERII researchers maintained their participation in national education research networks dealing with Metropolis-related issues such as the Metropolis Educational Research Forum (MERF) and the Citizenship Education Research Network (CERN). In the Health Domain, PCERII affiliates continued their involvement in the ongoing New Canadian Children and Youth Study (NCCYS) which involves researchers and stakeholders from all four Metropolis Centres. Furthermore, PCERII Health Domain Leader, Dr. Linda Ogilvie (University of Alberta), met with the other Health Domain Leaders of the other three Metropolis Centres in Ottawa in November 2002. The group plans to submit papers for a workshop at the Eighth International Metropolis Conference in Vienna in September 2003. In the Economic Domain, PCERII Economic Domain Leader, Dr. Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan) chaired a meeting of Metropolis Economic Domain Leaders in Ottawa in October 2002. During this meeting, discussion ensued concerning research programs in this domain area at the various Metropolis Centres and the feasibility of inter-centre research collaboration and possible research areas.

The Journal of International Migration and Integration (JIMI) continued to serve as a vehicle for national, inter-centre collaboration. For example, representatives from the three other Metropolis Centres continue to serve on JIMI’s Board of Directors and Board of Associate Editors. Furthermore, the registration fees for regular registrants to the Sixth National Metropolis Conference held in Edmonton in March 2003, included a discounted subscription to JIMI for one year thereby increasing the journal’s exposure on a national level.

In November 2002, the Prairie Centre invited Ms. Barbara Herzog-Punzenberger (researcher at the University of Bergen, Norway/ Visiting Research Scholar at the University of Calgary and former Research Officer at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in Vienna, Austria) to give two presentations at the University of Alberta: "Immigrant Children, Schooling and Social Mobility: Contradictory Findings in Four European Countries," and "COMPSTAT-A Meta Database to Overcome Incomparability of Data on Social and Economic Integration of Immigrants and their Descendants in Europe."

Dr. Invge Georg Lithman, Director, International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER) at the University of Bergen in Norway was a visiting research scholar the University of Calgary during the fiscal year under review.

PCERII social work researcher, Dr. Douglas Durst (University of Regina) gave a presentation entitled, "Refugee Adaptation and Adjustment: Lessons of Social Work in Germany and Canada," at the University of Esslingen in Germany in March 2002. Dr. Durst also received funding from the Delegation of the European Commission in Canada for scholarly linkages with social work educators at the University of Esslingen.

PCERII research affiliate, Dr. Derek Hum (University of Manitoba), gave a presentation entitled, "Panel Data on Immigration," in July 2002 at the Deutsches Institut fuer Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) Berlin in Germany.

PCERII health researcher, Dr. Wilfreda Thurston (University of Calgary) participated in a research study entitled, "Internationalization of Women’s Health and Gender Analysis Training in Health: A Teaching and Research Partnership between the University of Calgary and Edith Cowan University of Western Australia."

JIMI continues to be a very tangible international link; 50% of the articles published in the past year were from outside Canada. The international readership has grown, and in the upcoming year we will implement several aspects of our dissemination plan to continue to develop the number of international subscriptions.

The Sixth National Metropolis Conference attracted several delegates from abroad representing the following institutions: the University of Uppsala, Sweden; University of Warwick, England; Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; University of Bergen, Norway; Australian National University; Notre Dame University in Indiana and the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., USA; the University of Magdeburg, Germany; and, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in Toyko, Japan.

The space provided by the University of Alberta to the Prairie Centre is intact. This includes 12 rooms, plus a shared conference room, for a total of 2,000 square feet. The cost of space and amenities provided to the Centre in 2002-2003 amounts to about $46,000 (@$23 per square foot per year).

In addition to the above, all the participating universities contributed space and amenities to the researchers funded by the Centre. A conservative estimate is that the cost of space for each funded project is $1,000 per year, for a total of $17,000 for the projects that were active in 2002-2003. Other forms of infrastructure support provided in 2002-2003 by the Consortium of Prairie Universities, such as accounting and administrative services, totaled $53,600 —which is equivalent to 0.67 FTE @$80,000 per year.

In terms of direct financial support to the Prairie Centre, the University of Alberta, the host university, provided the Centre with a grant totaling $60,856 for 2002-2003. This grant was used to support graduate student assistants, the Journal of International Migration and Integration, travel, computer equipment and software, equipment rental (telephone lines, photocopier, and so forth), and casual non-academic support, among other things. Moreover, the University of Alberta contributed two senior academics to serve as Co-Directors of the Prairie Centre, at no cost to the SSHRC/CIC grant. At a minimum, the dollar value of the current administrative arrangement for the Prairie Centre is $67,600.

During 2002-2003, each of the six participating universities provided office space and furniture, office equipment, access to the library, clerical and, accounting services and ethical reviews. Moreover, all six of the participating universities awarded grants to PCERII researchers, from internal funds, in support of Metropolis-related activities. PCERII researchers reported the following: The Prairie Centre received $5,000 in graduate student support from the Department of Sociology, University of Alberta; Baha Abu-Laban received a grant of $6,000 from the University of Alberta; Dr. Tracey Derwing received a SAS grant from the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta in the amount of $3,666 for a project entitled, "Mail Order Brides in Canada"; Dr. Yvonne Hébert received a $500 travel grant from the Office of the Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary to attend the Commonwealth Framework on Citizenship Conference in South Africa; Dr. Sandra Kouritzin received $4,000 from the University of Manitoba/SSHRC Small Grants Program, 2002-2003 for a research project entitled, "Social-suggestive Norms in Foreign Language Learning"; Harvey Krahn received $6,000 from the University of Alberta, Support for Advancement of Scholarship (SAS), to study, "Attitudes Toward Immigration Before and After September 11"; Daniel Lai received two grants from the University of Calgary totaling $5,000, including a proposal development grant from the Vice-President (Research) for a project entitled, "Experience of Visible Minority Social Work Professionals," ($1,000), and ($4,000) from the Cultural Diversity Institute for "Needs for Training and Professional Development of Ethno-specific Groups and Agencies: A Community Participatory Research Project," and; Wilfreda Thurston received $9,410 from the University International Grants Committee (UICG) at the University of Calgary for the project, "Internationalization of Women’s Health and Gender Analysis Training in Health: A Teaching and Research Partnership between the University of Calgary and Edith Cowan University of Western Australia."

The total contributions from the PCERII Consortium universities is $313,492.

5. Support from Other Sources

Prairie Centre affiliates have also been successful in leveraging funds from external sources either to supplement their Prairie Centre grants or to support new research that may flow from such grants. The following grants were received in 2002-2003:

The Prairie Centre received a total of $114,878 from several federal government sources to assist with the organization of the Sixth National Metropolis Conference held in Edmonton, March 21-24, 2003, specifically: Canadian Heritage ($35,000) to cover travel and accommodation expenses of NGOs and graduate students from across the country to attend the conference; Immigrant and Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) funding from CIC ($35,000) to assist students, NGOs, and several keynote speakers to attend the conference as well as some printing costs; ($20,000) from the SSHRC President’s Fund to partially cover the costs of the meetings being held at the conference, for logistical support. The Rural and Co-operatives Secretariat of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provided ($10,000) and an additional ($14,878) was collected from CIC, Industry Canada and Justice Canada by the Metropolis Project Team.

The Journal of International Immigration and Integration (Baha Abu-Laban, University of Alberta) received $22,958 from the Metropolis Project Team at CIC; Dr. Abu-Laban also received a total of $40,542 from Canadian Heritage ($18,500) and the Metropolis Project Team at CIC ($22,042) for a research project entitled, "Arab and Muslim Canadian Identity Post 9-11"; the Prairie Centre received $5,000 from CIC to fund several PCERII stakeholders to attend the February 2003 Metropolis Conversation Series seminar on the regionalization of immigration in Ottawa; Paul Bramadat (University of Winnipeg) received $25,000 from the Metropolis Project Team to develop a cross-centre project on religion; Tracey Derwing (University of Alberta) is a co-investigator on a grant in the amount of $138,365 from SSHRC for a three year research project entitled "The Production of English Vowels by Adult Second Language Learners;" Douglas Durst (University of Regina) received $2,416 from the Delegation of the European Commission in Canada to pursue scholarly linkages with social work educators at the University of Esslingen, Germany; Yvonne Hebert (University of Calgary) received a total of $38,500 for a number grants/contracts including a travel subsidy ($500) to attend the Commonwealth Framework on Citizenship Education Conference in South Africa from the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, England, ($10,000) from the Federation canadienne des enseignantes et enseignants, Official Languages and Canadian Heritage for a project entitled, "La petite enfance, Porte d’entrée a l’ecole francaise," a contract from CIC ($25,000) for a research project entitled, "Values and Citizenship Education," and an Evaluation Research Contract for the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society from HRDC, "Signposts for Youth," ($3,000); Derek Hum (University of Manitoba) received a course release valued at approximately $5,000 from the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics for a research project on the Chinese Head Tax; Sandra Kouritzin (University of Manitoba) received an Initiatives on the New Economy (INE) Standard Research Grant (2002-2005) from SSHRC in the amount of $161,640 for an international comparative analysis of "social-suggestive norms" in foreign language teaching; Linda Ogilvie (University of Alberta) received a total of $48,250 from CIC ($23,250) and Alberta Learning ($25,000) for the NCCYS; Dr. Valerie Pruegger (Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary) received $10,000 from Canadian Heritage for her work on diversity and policing as part of a forum the department held in March 2003; and, Dr. Wilfreda Thurston (University of Calgary) received two grants totaling $49,478 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research ($48,078) for the project, "Participation of Immigrant Women in Health Policy Development: The Role of Advocacy Coalitions and Policy Networks," and ($1,400) from the Centre for Advancement of Health for a pilot project entitled, "Interplay of Gender, Migration and Socio-Economics and Health."

In addition, several PCERII affiliates continue to work on SSHRC-funded projects that fall under the Metropolis mandate.

The total of these external grants for the year under review is $662,027.

Overall, the support which the Prairie Centre received in 2002-2003 from consortium universities and from external sources amounts to $975,519. Thus, each dollar from the SSHRC/CIC grant is matched by 2.82 dollars from both the participating universities and external funding agencies.

1. Research Teams and Research Programs

In the second phase of the Metropolis Project, affiliation with the Prairie Centre is confined to university-based researchers within the prairie region. The Centre currently has 103 affiliated researchers from across the Prairies (see Appendix 8 for names of affiliates and recent changes therein).

The Centre’s research program continues to cover five domains, namely:

Economic
Educational
Social and Cultural
Citizenship and Political
Health

The Prairie Centre received a total of 18 grant applications by October 15, 2002, including five from the Economic Domain. Of these, eleven were approved for funding, for a total of $119,535.70 for year one. The average grant size was $10,867 (see Appendices 9a to 9d). The following is a list of projects funded by domain:

Economic Domain:

"Socio-Economic Performance of Immigrants: The Social Capital Factor," Abdolmohammad Kazemipur – Principal Investigator (Sociology, University of Lethbridge);

"Short-term, Medium-term and Long-term Economic Performance of Immigrants," Peter Li - Principal Investigator (Sociology, University of Saskatchewan) Domain-driven Project (in five component parts which includes):

"The Educational and Labour Force Outcomes of Immigrant Children and Second Generation Immigrants in Canada," Shiva Halli – Co-Investigator (Sociology, University of Manitoba);

"Second Generation Immigrant Assimilation in the Labour Market," Derek Hum and Wayne Simpson – Co-Investigators (Economics, University of Manitoba);

"Short-term, Medium-term and Long-term Economic Performance of Immigrants," Richard Wanner (Sociology, University of Calgary); and,

"The Short-, Medium-, and Long-term Labour Market Adjustment of Immigrant Women: Canada and the United States Compared," Lori Wilkinson (Sociology, University of Manitoba).

Education Domain:

"Negotiating Institutional Change Within the Tensions of Multicultural and Anti-racist Education in Ethno-culturally Diverse Urban Schools," Terrance Carson – Principal Investigator (Secondary Education, University of Alberta); and,

"Focusing on Meaning: Immigrant Children’s Exploration of Non-verbal Interaction Strategies with Peers through Creating Photo Novellas," Anna Kirova – Principal Investigator (Elementary Education, University of Alberta).

Social and Cultural Domain:

"Immigrant Women’s Action Against Violence: An Evaluation," Esther Blum – Principal Investigator (Social Work, University of Manitoba);

"Experience of Racial Minorities in Rural Communities and Small Towns," Daniel Lai – Principal Investigator (Social Work, University of Calgary); and,

"Socio-Economic Integration of the French-Speaking Immigrants Belonging to a Visible Minority Group in Winnipeg’s French-Speaking Community and in the Society at Large," Thibault Martin – Principal Investigator (Sociology, University of Winnipeg).

Appendix 10 provides Project Profile Sheets for each of the above-noted projects, including background information, an abstract and, where available, a brief account of the likely outcomes and policy implications of the work.

Of the funds awarded to these projects, 56% was claimed by the Economic Domain; 24% by the Education Domain, and 20 % by the Social and Cultural Domain (see Appendix 9c).

2. Training Opportunities

Approximately 56% of the total funding awarded for 2002-2003 was allocated to student assistants (for more details, see Appendix 9d). The grant recipients have indicated they have hired or intended to hire seven Ph.D. students, nine M.A. students and three undergraduate students (for information about student theses, see Appendices 11a and 11b).

Regarding student participation, the Prairie Centre has always collected data on the number of Ph.D., M.A. and undergraduate students working on PCERII-funded projects as well as the number of student theses using data from these studies (i.e, the end products). However, based on several key recommendations of a report conducted by PCERII graduate students in 2001-2002 entitled, "Student Involvement in the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration: An Evaluation of Academic and Professional Development," the Centre began, in 2002-2003, to track students earlier in their affiliation in order to enhance their participation in the Centre and the Metropolis Project as a whole. This is being done by requesting the names and contact information from PCERII Grant Holders at the onset of their research projects. The idea is that the PCERII will then be able to send information packages directly to students and establish a student listserv with Metropolis and PCERII-related information of interest to students rather than relying solely on PCERII Grant Holders to forward the information to their student assistants. Also in response to the report, for the first time, students were able to submit workshop abstracts independently to a Metropolis National Conference. Furthermore, the PCERII funded, either fully or partially, 49 students to attend the Sixth National Metropolis Conference in March 2003 in Edmonton. Of this number, 25 students worked at the conference assisting with such tasks as registration. As a result, most of these students were also able to attend a number of plenaries and workshops.

1. Communications and Dissemination

As in previous years, Prairie Centre researchers have shown proclivity to disseminate research results in a variety of ways including, for example, presentations at professional conferences and at colloquia and university classes and seminars within and outside their home institutions, presentations to immigrant serving agencies and other community groups, interviews with electronic and printed media, work with graduate students, publications in newsletters and non-refereed (applied) journals, as well as publications in scholarly journals, books, and edited collections.

Appendices 12a – 12e provide a list of publications and conference presentations related to the mandate of the Prairie Centre. The publications listed include nine books and research monographs; 31 refereed articles; 16 book chapters; 14 completed theses and research projects; 51conference presentations; plus a number of unpublished reports, workshops organized, and entries under work in progress. This outstanding record of dissemination activities results from research supported either by the Prairie Centre or by external sources in prior years.

It might be worthwhile to provide a few examples of Prairie Centre researchers' involvement in organizing special sessions at national or international conferences. Dr. Sandra Kouritzen (University of Manitoba) organized a symposium on "heritage language maintenance and loss" at the annual meeting of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (Salt Lake City, April 2002). Metropolis researchers who organized workshops at the Seventh International Metropolis Conference in Oslo include: Ms. Lenise Levesque (Web Master, Prairie Centre, University of Alberta); Dr. Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan); and Dr. Xin Ma (University of Alberta). In addition, the following researchers organized one or more workshops each at the Sixth National Metropolis Conference in Edmonton: Dr. Paul Bramadat (University of Winnipeg), Dr. Tom Carter (University of Winnipeg); Dr. Doug Durst (University of Regina), Dr. Joe Garcea (University of Saskatchewan); Dr. Wanda Hurren (University of Regina); Dr. Ingrid Johnston (University of Alberta); and Dr. Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan). Community partners who organized workshops at the same national conference include: Yvonne Chiu (Edmonton Multicultural Health Brokers' Cooperative, Edmonton); and Dr. Gita Das (Indo-Canadian Women's Association, Edmonton).

In addition to the above, under the series entitled "Metropolis Presents", Paul Bramadat, along with two other leading experts on religion, one from the United Kingdom and the second from the USA, addressed the topic of "contributions of the religious communities to the overall stock of social capital in pluralistic societies" (March 18, 2003). Several PCERII research affiliates also contributed to a special edition of Canadian Issues on Immigration in April 2003 including: Dr. Peter Li (University of Saskatchewan), Dr. Shiva Halli (University of Manitoba) and Dr. Abdolmohammad Kazemipur (University of Lethbridge).

The Prairie Centre provides both encouragement and support for its research affiliates and community partners to be involved in research dissemination. For example, during this past year, the Centre subsidized, either partially or fully, seven Metropolis researchers and representatives of partnering organizations to attend the Seventh International Metropolis Conference which was held in Oslo, September 9-13, 2002; and a total of 80 researchers, graduate students and community partners to attend the Sixth National Metropolis Conference held in Edmonton, March 21-24, 2003.

The Brown Bag Lecture Series (Speaker Program) brings university researchers, government policymakers, and representatives of partnering organizations together, typically during the noon hour, to discuss research results and other Metropolis related topics. The Administrative Centre of the Prairie Centre hosted several brown bag seminars in 2002-2003 (Appendix 13). Most of the lectures were held on the premises of partnering organizations; only one was held on the University of Alberta campus. This proved to be helpful in drawing policymakers and NGOs to the sessions.

2. Web Site

As in past years, PCERII's web site has undergone many changes and continues to develop. Specifically, the front page was redesigned to improve navigation and new documents continue to be added to the PCERII Virtual Library. In addition, strategies have been developed to increase the number of hits on the site. For example, frequently requested information is uploaded to the site or else a link to it is included on the site. Also, full bibliographic references are provided for research documents and publications that have copyright restrictions.

PCERII's Web Master, Ms. Lenise Levesque, remains an active member of the Metropolis Web Master's Committee. Projects currently underway by this national committee include improving the network's user interface and adopting a standard look and feel for uploaded documents. Notably, modifications to the search engine will see its icon moved to a centrally located top bar to highlight and improve access to Metropolis research. These on-going changes are driven mainly by user suggestions, but also by the results of Web Masters' brainstorming sessions such as the one held in Edmonton during the March 2003 National Metropolis Conference.

3. Journal of International Migration and Integration

The Journal of International Migration and Integration (JIMI) continues to attract interest and international attention. While researchers from around the world prepare book reviews and assess manuscripts, it is worth noting that the contributions of Metropolis researchers in Canada, who account for about one-half of the articles published in Volume 2, are substantial.

In order to increase subscriptions to the journal, among other things, a Marketing Plan was finalized in the fall of 2002. Implementation of strategies outlined in this plan are already bringing positive results. For example, a list-serve sent out in November 2002 to 60 individuals identified as having an interest in immigration issues resulted in 11% increase in subscriptions. Judging from past experience, it seems that web based initiatives, including the promotion of upcoming special issues, are a key marketing tool for JIMI. Although subscriptions to JIMI have more than doubled since its first year of operation, it is still far from being a self-sufficient journal. This is an area which continues to need special attention in the next two to three years.

4. Newsletter

The Prairie Centre’s newsletter, Notes from the Prairie Centre, is distributed to all affiliated researchers, partnering organizations, and community contacts. The information contained in the newsletter includes profiles of research underway at the Prairie Centre or among our partnering organizations as well as announcements conferences, workshops, news from research affiliates and announcements of publications related to immigration research. Copies of the newsletter are available on the PCERII web site.

5. Data Coordination Committee

As in previous years, the Prairie Centre Data Coordination Committee has been active in making data, primarily from Statistics Canada, available to researchers at PCERII and the other Metropolis Centres. Statistics Canada has agreed to provide Metropolis researchers with a set of custom tables based on the 2001 census, as they did for the 1996 census. As in the case of the earlier data, the Prairie Centre Data Coordination Committee will be responsible for the tables at the highest level of geographic aggregation, i.e., Census Metropolitan Areas. Committee members have already provided suggestions for the new tables and will be involved in their design over the next several months. Dr. Richard Wanner (Committee chair, University of Calgary) and Mr. Chuck Humphrey (Committee member and Data Librarian, University of Alberta) attended the National Data Committee meeting held in Edmonton during the March 2003 National Metropolis Conference to work out the details with representatives of other centres.

A number of other new or updated data resources are either now available or will become available soon. CIC's Landed Immigrant Data System (LIDS), which contains information from the landing document on all landed immigrants coming to Canada, has now been updated through 2001. Chuck Humphrey has again provided an important service to the entire Metropolis network by producing a series of SPSS portable files (one for each year) from the original files provided by CIC, making it considerably easier for researchers to make use of this rich data source. CIC’s Immigration Data Base (IMDB), which extends the LIDS data by linking it to tax filer records, has been updated to 2000, with an update to 2001 pending. It is available as either a set of detailed tables on CD or as microdata through special arrangement with Statistics Canada. The first wave of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants should be available to researchers this spring either in a public use version released to member institutions of the Data Liberation Initiative; or in a master file available through the Statistics Canada Research Data Centres by application.

6. Media Coverage:

PCERII Co-Director, Dr. Baha Abu-Laban (University of Alberta), was interviewed several times throughout the year by the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun as well as by CBC Radio and ACCESS T.V. Regarding the CBC, Dr. Abu-Laban participated in a series of coast to coast radio interviews on CBC Radio One on the topic of regionalization of immigration policy.

PCERII research affiliate, Dr. Lori Wilkinson (University of Manitoba), was interviewed by CBC Newsworld in November 2002 on the topic of "Racial Profiling: Is it too tough to get into the United States?". Dr. Wilkinson and her PCERII colleagues on the New Canadian Children and Youth Study (NCCYS), Dr. Esther Blum (University of Manitoba) and Dr. John Anchan (University of Winnipeg), were interviewed by the Winnipeg Free Press in July 2002. In addition, several members of the Winnipeg-based NCCYS research team gave a series of interviews on various ethnic radio stations regarding the project throughout the year.

The Sixth National Metropolis Conference held in Edmonton, March 21-24, 2003, also garnered media coverage. Six television stations sent teams to attend the media scrum with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, The Honourable Denis Coderre, as well as four radio stations and two Edmonton daily newspapers. Articles of reference to the conference and to the media scrum appeared in the Edmonton Journal, the Edmonton Sun and on the 6:00 p.m. news on the television stations. Radio interviews with plenary or workshop participants were requested and some of these interviews are to be part of a longer story each radio station is developing on immigration-related topics .

A major challenge faced in the year under review was to organize and host the Sixth National Metropolis Conference. Due to the growth of the Metropolis Project and the increasingly high expectations associated with conference quality, a great deal of time and effort were expended to adjudicate and coordinate workshop and research paper proposals; correspond with partners; and develop a quality programme. A related, time consuming challenge has been to apply for funding from external sources in order to minimize the impact of the conference on the Prairie Centre's base budget. A full report on the conference will be made public in the near future (see Appendix 3 for a copy of the conference programme).

A second major challenge faced was the unexpected decrease in annual funding for the Prairie Centre. Whereas the Centre was expecting a 25% increase in annual funding for the second phase of the Metropolis project (from $340,000 to $425,000), the projected increase did not materialize. The actual grant at the beginning of the fiscal year was $338,750; this was augmented by a supplement of $22,500 in March 2003, for a total of $361,250 for 2002-2003. This grant represents only 6.25% increase over the annual grant for the first phase of Metropolis. The issue of funding has been very challenging for following reasons: (1) the high increase in the cost of running the Prairie Centre between 1996 (when it was established) and 2002 (when Phase II commenced); (2) the enormous increase in the cost of travel in the post-9/11 period; (3) the high expectations associated with the second phase of Metropolis (see renewal documents); (4) the high costs associated with expanding the role of domain leaders; (5) the high costs of running a geographically dispersed centre such as the Prairie Centre; and (6) the immense financial pressures associated with the national Metropolis conference hosted by the Prairie Centre.

In terms of challenges ahead, the Centre Co-Directors need to: (1) nourish the newly established Working Paper Series; (2) continue to coordinate the activities of domain leaders regionally and nationally; (3) build appropriate research teams and encourage cross-domain, cross-node and cross-centre research; and (4) lay the groundwork for a large, high profile research project, in an area of national importance, involving senior researchers from all Metropolis Centres.

It is anticipated that the Sixth National Metropolis Conference will have an immense impact on the Centre's SSHRC/CIC budget for next year in terms of the size of the balance brought forward. Currently, we are projecting a carryover of $25,000 for the SSHRC/CIC budget. However, the conference expenses have not been finalized and we may have to draw further on the SSHRC/CIC budget after the conference accounts have been settled.

The budget projections are based on estimates made by successful grant applicants in 2002-2003 concerning their needs in different categories of expenditure (e.g., research assistants, technical support, supplies and sundries, and travel), as well as estimates of the Administrative Centre's overall budget needs, based on past experience (see Appendix 14).

The Office of Financial Services at the University of Alberta does not finalize the accounts for the 2002-2003 fiscal year until later in May. For this reason, the attached projections of income and expenditures will be reviewed by the Centre's Board of Governors in June 2003, in light of the official financial statements. As in previous years, the revised, Board-approved budget will be submitted to SSHRC/CIC at the end of June 2003.

The Prairie Centre’s workplan for 2002-2003, as detailed in last year’s annual report, has been implemented in full.

The workplan for 2003-2004 includes the following major activities:

1. Initiate domain-driven collaborative team research in selected research-policy priorities in the Citizenship and Political and/or Education Domain.
2. Approve quality investigator-driven research grant applications that address the established research-policy priorities or else are within the Centre’s research programme for the second phase of the Metropolis Project.
3. Review progress and final reports based on PCERII-funded projects.
4. Develop plans for the inauguration of a large, cross-centre, multiyear research project, the major funding for which is to be obtained from external sources, in a research area of national importance, under the leadership of the Prairie Centre.

Communications/Dissemination

5. Develop the Centre’s Web Site further and upload more research reports and other relevant material.
6. Publish 10-15 working papers under the newly established Working Paper Series.
7. Publish the fourth volume of the Journal of International Migration and Integration, as well as the Centre’s Newsletter and other occasional publications.

Administrative Activities

8. Prepare a final report on the Sixth National Metropolis Conference which was held in Edmonton, March 21-24, 2003.
9. Visit Prairie Centre Nodes in the region, as may be necessary, and encourage Metropolis researchers to utilize existing databases developed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and/or Statistics Canada.
10. Review the Prairie Centre’s progress in implementing the terms of the renewal documents governing the second phase of the Metropolis Project.

Respectfully submitted
Baha Abu-Laban, Co-Director
Tracey Derwing, Co-Director
Kelly McKean, Coordinator