Research Summaries

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Open Access
Do Welfare Reforms Make Abused Women Safer?
(2007) Mosher, Janet; Evans, Patricia M.; Little, Margaret
Welfare reforms over the last decade have sustained, and even enhanced, the power of abusive men.
Open Access
Canada's HIV-Positive Youth Desperately Lack Services and Social Support
(2008) Flicker, Sarah; Skinner, Harvey; Read, Stanley; Veinot, Tiffany; McClelland, Alex; Saulnier, Paul; Goldberg, Eudice
Young people living with HIV need greater support to minimize the barriers to their full participation in society.
Open Access
Negative Comments About Weight, from a Peer, Can Impact How a Young Woman Views Her Body
(2008) Mills, Jennifer; Miller, Jessie L.
When it comes from a peer, a negative comment about a young woman's weight can make her feel unhappy with her body – even when the young woman is not overly concerned with her weight. This is the first study to demonstrate how negative comments, from peers, impact a young woman's body image.
Open Access
Emotionally Intelligent People Choose More Supportive Partners
(2008) Mongrain, Myriam; Amitaya, Oren Aaron
Emotionally intelligent people – in other words, people with a greater ability to understand and use their emotions in their day-to-day life – tend to choose romantic partners who are supportive and not critical. The partners of people with high levels of EI are not overbearing in their support. People who tend to suffer from depression may not need as much direct support if they are higher on EI.
Open Access
Homeless Youth Need More Than Low-Paying Employment to Succeed
(2008) Gaetz, Stephen
Most homeless youth do not lack the motivation to work and do not prefer a criminal lifestyle to a law-abiding one. Homeless youth see deviant and criminal activities as a short term economic necessity for survival rather than as a lifestyle choice.
Open Access
The Supreme Court Needs to Consider Both Common Law and Aboriginal Law When Resolving Land Disputes
(2008) McNeil, Kent
The Delgamuukw approach to resolving Aboriginal land claims is superior to both a strict common law approach and a strict Aboriginal law approach. It acknowledges the unique qualities of Aboriginal title, and provides Aboriginal peoples with the legal support for their inherent right of self-government.
Open Access
Planners Need to Address the Needs of Diverse Communities in Toronto
(2008) Rahder, Barbara; Milgrom, Richard
City planners need to learn to work with increasingly diverse communities. Planners need to accept the fact that they cannot know the answer to a planning problem in advance.
Open Access
City Dwellers Redefine What It Means to Be a Citizen
(2008) Gilbert, Liette; Phillips, Catherine
This research may help policymakers and community groups to better understand the needs of city dwellers in Canada. It highlights the benefits of continued activism and rights reform by citizens. Policymakers who are tackling issues like poverty and homelessness can use this research to co-ordinate their efforts more closely with housing activists, the homeless, and the public at large.
Open Access
Does the Tendency of Immigrants to Settle in Big Canadian Cities and in Enclaves Within These Cities Help Their Integration into Canadian Society?
(2008) Murdie, Robert
The number of immigrants arriving in Canada is bound to either stay the same or increase in the future. Expanding access to services for newcomers remains a big challenge for federal and provincial governments. This challenge has only increased in recent years as newcomers opt to live in concentrated ethnic enclaves. Many immigrants prefer ethnic enclaves because they enjoy greater links to family and community, get to speak their native language, and are able to access ethnically oriented businesses. A large amount of federal funding is needed to create settlement services outside of major Canadian cities in order to attract immigrants beyond their preferred ethnic enclaves. Greater co-ordination between all levels of government, employers, and Non Governmental Organizations is also needed to effectively attract and accommodate immigrants in smaller communities.
Open Access
Homeless People Need Stable Employment and Coordinated Services to Climb Out of Poverty
(2008) Baker Collins, Stephanie; Lethby, Michael; Syrotuik, James; Collins, Laura
Before any successful employment, the homeless need stable and secure housing. Employment programs for the homeless should be designed to help with all of the barriers that homeless people face in getting a stable job. The focus needs to be on securing long-term employment for the homeless instead of short-term jobs. Education and skills training is crucial to getting long-term well paying employment with benefits.
Open Access
Homeless People and Welfare Recipients Suffer Under Restrictive Laws
(2008) Mosher, Janet
Homeless people and social assistance recipients have the same goals as the rest of the population. Current laws only reinforce the stereotypes about the poor and homeless as lazy, unmotivated, and prone to crime. Welfare recipients and the homeless need to develop their autonomy so that they can be capable of improving their situation. Respecting the privacy of welfare applicants is more beneficial to helping them succeed than encouraging a hotline for others to report on their misdeeds.
Open Access
Insurance Providers May Be Making Promises That They Can't Afford to Keep, with the Latest Generation of Retirement Income Products
(2008) Milevsky, Moshe; Salisbury, Thomas S.
Corporations, governments, and insurance companies may be underestimating the financial risks of the new generation of personal pension and retirement income products. Insurance providers may not be charging consumers enough, when you consider the long-term guarantees and promises embedded within these products.
Open Access
An Immigrant's Country of Origin Has a Small Effect on What He or She Earns in Canada
(2008) Anisef, Paul; Walters, David; Phythian, Kelli
The cultural and economic conditions of the country from which an immigrant originates have a small impact on what he or she earns in Canada. Canada remains a good destination for immigrants.
Open Access
Using the Internet to Help HIV-Positive Youth
(2008) Flicker, Sarah; Skinner, Harvey; Read, Stanley; Veinot, Tiffany; McClelland, Alex; Saulnier, Paul; Goldberg, Eudice
The internet is a useful medium for assisting HIV positive youth. Youth need a dedicated website to access information, services, and social support to help manage their HIV.
Open Access
Language Use Affects How Much an Immigrant Earns
(2008) Anisef, Paul; Walters, David; Phythian, Kelli
Recent immigrants tend to have good educations. However, their language use and the amount of time that they have spent in Canada can have an impact on their earnings.
Open Access
Ghanaian Immigrants Use Religion to Affirm Their Identity
(2008) Mensah, Joseph
Ghanaian immigrants in Toronto use their churches not only for spiritual support, but also to form social networks and affirm their cultural identity. Racism causes some immigrants to turn to religion – which, in turn, can create ethnic enclaves that further isolate immigrants from other Canadians.
Open Access
Path to Good Quality and Affordable Housing Is More Difficult for Refugee Claimants Than for Sponsored Refugees
(2008) Murdie, Robert
More formal supports for getting affordable and good quality housing are needed for the refugee population in Canada, especially for refugee claimants. While the support of family, friends, and the local community can help refugees who are looking for housing, government and community organizations are better able to provide professional advice and act as guarantors for landlords. Refugees continue to pay too much for housing. They also live in generally poor conditions. The goal is to provide refugees with permanent housing which will help their integration into Canadian society.
Open Access
How Do Small Companies Attract the Attention of Their Corporate Parents?
(2008) Bouquet, Cyril; Birkinshaw, Julian; Ambos, Tina
Subsidiaries that are remote from their corporate headquarters need to take on initiatives and build their profile in order to attract positive attention from their parent companies.
Open Access
The Health Bus Delivers Innovative Healthcare to the Urban Poor
(2008) Daiski, Isolde
Services like the Health Bus need to be continued and expanded. Bringing healthcare staff into vulnerable communities gives many users a chance to bond with the healthcare staff. This helps break down traditional barriers that the homeless and working poor experience in accessing mainstream healthcare. The Health Bus also attracts members of the community to participate in delivering healthcare. This makes projects like the Health Bus a truly community-based healthcare service.
Open Access
How Do the Homeless See Their Own Health Problems and Needs?
(2008) Daiski, Isolde
Because the homeless have no stable housing, they are at a greater risk of developing chronic health problems than those who are housed. Homeless people are also more likely to develop conditions like arthritis at an earlier age as a result of their poverty and living conditions. The first step to combating these health problems is an open and accepting attitude towards the homeless from support workers and the general public. The social exclusion which homeless people experience every day leads to, and further reinforces, stress, addictions, and mental health problems. Homeless shelters need to have a more welcoming atmosphere with greater safety and fewer restrictions on the lives of homeless people. Lastly, providing affordable and safe housing is the only long-term solution to the widespread health problems of the homeless.