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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-10-030 - CURA Partnership1 ~~ REPORT TO: Mayor C. Zehr and Members of Council DATE OF MEETING: September 7, 2010 SUBMITTED BY: Shelley Adams, Director, Community and Corporate Planning Ext. 2476 PREPARED BY: Shelley Adams, Director, Community and Corporate Planning Ext. 2476 Silvia DiDonato, Manager, WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT REPORT NO.: September 1, 2010 CAO-10-030 SUBJECT: COMMUNITY SOCIAL CAPITAL AND LABOUR MARKET INITIATIVES: COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ALLIANCE (CURA) PARTNERSHIP RECOMMENDATION: That the City of Kitchener agrees to be a Community Partner in the establishment of a Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) under the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada (SSRCC), related to undertaking research to improve our knowledge base regarding the role of social capital in newcomers integration. And, that the Mayor be authorized to sign a letter of Intent to become a Community Partner in the undertaking. BACKGROUND: In 1999, Community-University Research Alliances (CURA) was born, sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC). The goal: to help organizations within communities and university institutions combine forces to tackle issues they have identified as being of common priority and concern. In 2000, the City of Kitchener signed on as a community partner in a CURA project that looked at planning in the mid-sized city, and, more specifically, the issues related to the development of urban cores (inner cities). The knowledge acquired and shared between partners lead to "need to know" research, training, innovative projects, new partnerships and public policies that underscore our downtown revitalization efforts to this day. More recently, the City of Kitchener was approached to partner in a second - as yet, still in proposal stages -CURA collaborative, to assess the pattern of migration that has emerged in recent years and, second, to understand more fully the processes through which newcomers integrate into and transform the community and the economy (see full proposal attached). This would be in recognition of the fact that immigration will provide the primary means to increase 15-1 Canada's labour pool in the coming years, reinforcing our economic vitality. And that competition for this talent will be stiff! REPORT: In the next decade, Canada's population and labour force growth will be almost entirely from immigration (StatsCan, 2006), including any net growth in employment numbers. Communities need to attract immigrant populations to counter population aging, to transfer economic activity, and maintain or boost productivity. Importantly, diversity and immigration are today understood as highly valued, strategic assets in a rapidly diversifying and globalizing economy. "Ontario is one of the most diverse jurisdictions on the planet. The breadth and depth of our immigrant communities gives us an edge in the competition for talent and are a key connection to the global world" (Martin & Florida, 2009). Where will immigrants settle? Well, Ontario receives 3 of every 5 newcomers and 40% of this group will stay in Toronto, 60% in second and third-tier municipalities. Waterloo Region is a community that has always welcomed and benefited from immigration; our historic competitive advantage is anchored in a diverse, innovative and egalitarian community life. The 2006 Census reports that 27% of Kitchener citizens are born outside of Canada and we remain to this day one of the top 7 communities in Canada for recent immigrants/refugees on a per capita basis (StatsCan, 2006). However, now more than ever, we compete for talent with major cities and with other medium sized cities across Canada. Research completed in preparation for this CURA proposal to SSHERCC highlights that some of the biggest changes and challenges are occurring in communities that "are barely coming to grips with sharp increases in multiple forms of (im)migrant diversity, or `super-diversity"' (see attached proposal). Through the Local Immigrant Partnership Council (LIPC) and the Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network (WRIEN), we know the challenges and barriers faced by our newest citizens are numerous and complex, and may include: • Finding employment (including barriers to foreign credential recognition); • Understanding Canadian systems (health, education, justice, social services, etc.); • Accessing needed services; • Learning a new language; • Learning how to integrate with new cultures and how to adapt family or personal ways to anew environment, and; • Facing discrimination. "Social capital" describes the value of social relationships and the expected return of those relationships in the marketplace. To be competitive in the new marketplace, we need to understand: (a) how and why immigrants may be attracted to certain destinations, (b) the impact and development of immigrant businesses and their integration into labour markets, and (c) the public policies that can support immigrant integration and community development. Existing immigration and ethnicity scholarship generally examines Canada's metropolitan cities: Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Consequently, little research addresses the processes involved in the integration and resettlement of newcomers, especially the contribution of social capital in second- and third-tier cities, or how it differs from metropolitan cities. This research project addresses this gap, and examines the role of social capital in immigrant integration across a wide variety of communities. Working hand-in-hand with community partners and other 15-2 stakeholders to identify strategic priorities, conduct analyses, shape public policy and embed practice in evidence-based approaches to successful employment and social capital outcomes. More specifically, CURA will consider; 1. How policy-makers can maximize and manage the economic benefits and costs of super-diversity for Ontario cities, including second- and third-tier communities? 2. How communities can attract and retain immigrants by building social capital that enhances labour markets and business practices and reflects Canadian values of equity and justice? 3. How Canada can create sustainable community labour markets for immigrants by building partnerships across arrays of stakeholders, including community, university, and government entities, as well as different communities (e.g., rural-urban, Francophone- Anglophone)? The City of Kitchener, as a potential partner, has a substantial interest in this research project. We are, as previously described, a primary destination for immigrants and refugees. But it is the community connections that people make that encourage them to stay. As a municipality, and in response to citizen priorities concerning quality of life, diversity, development and engagement, we seek to maximize public policies and community programs to engage immigrants in community who might otherwise return to their country of origin. Talent is the driving factor for business site selection, growth, and innovation in the new economy; communities able to retain talent will thrive. Additionally, how do we support the local economy by helping to match new Canadian entrepreneurs with business opportunities? Participating in CURA will allow us to collaborate with other medium sized cities and academic partners in exploring these areas, integrating theory and practise, embedding practice in evidence-based approaches to successful employment and social capital outcomes. This project employs amulti-layered governance structure, a model functionally consistent with social capital outcomes. CURA will draw its core members from 3 key constituencies: (1) a consortium of 8 Ontario Universities located in first-, second- and third-tier cities, bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines including business, economics, sociology, political science, geography, and psychology; (2) local and regional organizations, including planning councils, business associations, multicultural associations, voluntary agencies and cultural communities; and (3) all three levels of government. There will be both aprovince-wide Project Steering Committee, and local Community Partner tables in each of the project sites. By virtue of its presence in a range of Ontario communities, the project will engage and molbilize local stakeholders and local knowledge, "not as an add-on, but as a way of doing business". The City of Kitchener has been asked to sit at the local Community Partners Table. Membership in the local initiative is still underdevelopment. We are a part of a process that is considering local issues related to diversity, the economy and social capital, identifying appropriate stakeholders, and extending invitations to participate as appropriate. The Region of Waterloo, the Local Immigrant Partnership (LIP), and WRIEN are anticipated partners at this point. CURA projects are generally approved fora 5 year time span and, in agreeing to partner, we will be committing to this project for that time period. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Involvement as a community partner does not require a direct financial contribution to the project. In-kind contributions may take the form of dedicated time from professional and 15-3 technical staff (economic and community development) and/or coop students and/or student interns, access to and the exchange statistical data, the use of meeting space, and connection to existing professional and other community networks. COMMUNICATIONS: One of the primary objectives of this CURA initiative is knowledge mobilization. The proposed project will provide public policy and economic development insights into "super diversity" in communities of different sizes, locations and political structures. Workshops, seminars, conferences, and brown bag lunches are proposed, to establish communication between the researchers and practitioners, as well as public policymakers whose decisions might be influenced by these results. A dedicated website, refereed publications and special publications will be produced. And, with time and results, courses will be designed and offered to practitioners and policymakers toward an end goal of evidence-based, promising practises in community. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Pauline Houston, General Manager of Community Services 15-4