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Lakehead University Press Release ...

Lakehead Professor Leading Team in Research of the Northern Social Economy

(Thunder Bay) The largest Northern Social Science research grant has been awarded to establish the Social Economy Research Network for Northern Canada (SERNNoCa).

Dr. Chris Southcott, a Professor of Sociology who is working with Yukon College as the lead institution, received $1.75 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to fund his work as Principal Investigator with the Network.

This Network will conduct research that is relevant and useful to communities currently facing substantial social and economic challenges. The term ‘social economy’ covers the economies of a range of organizations which are in neither government nor the private for-profit sector. It includes the traditional relationships in aboriginal communities, volunteer organizations, cooperatives, community groups, non-governmental organizations, non-profit groups, and charities.

In addition to Dr. Southcott, there are four other Lakehead University faculty members involved in the project: Dr. Bob Jickling, Faculty of Education; Dr. Margaret Johnston, School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism; Dr. Harvey Lemelin, School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism; and Dr. Joanne Zamparo, School of Social Work.

The research conducted as part of SERNNoCa will focus on four main areas: profiling the social economy in northern Canada; Indigenous communities and the social economy; resource regimes and the social economy in the north; and the state and the social economy in the north.

“The communities in Canada’s North are facing substantial challenges,” Dr. Southcott says. “This Network aims to help these communities with research findings that are relevant to their social economy, and will help them deal with changes in their economy."

A coordinator for SERNNoCa is working at Yukon College’s Northern Research Institute, in cooperation with the research institutes at Nunavut Arctic College and Aurora College in the Northwest Territories. In addition to Dr. Southcott’s work, social scientists from three other universities—Carleton, Memorial, and the University of Northern British Columbia—will be involved in the research projects.

“Yukon College is pleased to be the lead institution for this important northern research initiative,” says Paul Driscoll, dean of Arts & Science at Yukon College. “This role acknowledges the leadership capability of the Northern Research Institute at the College.”

Members of the Media: Dr. Southcott is available for interview by calling him directly at 807-343-8349. To connect with partnering institutions, please call Marla Tomlinson at 807-343-8177.

Background Information:

This proposal seeks to establish a social economy research network, or node, for Northern Canada. It is built around the three Northern territorial colleges and their respective research institutions and links researchers working in the North with Northern students, community organizations, and educational institutions. The network is structured around four main themes and three sub-nodes – one based in each territory. In addition to research seeking to conceptualize and inventory the social economy in the North, the network will investigate the particular relationships that exist between the social economy and indigenous cultures, resource regimes, and the state. Working with community partners, the network will conduct research and produce findings that will assist Northerners in the development of effective alternative social and economic strategies for their future development.

Communities in Canada’s North are currently facing substantial social and economic challenges. The social economy offers tools to help these communities face these challenges. The creation of a network of university and college-based researchers and representatives of community-based organizations, operating as partners, to conduct research relevant to the social economy in Canada’s North is therefore relevant and important to the region. Northern governments, both Indigenous and public, need research in this area in order to undertake realistic program development and especially to develop realistic economic development policies.

The network will be organized around four research themes. The first theme is the conceptualizing, inventorying, and evaluating of the Northern social economy. The other three themes are related to the specific realities underlying the social economy of the North: dependence on resource use, the predominant role of the state, and the significance of indigenous cultures (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 2004; Arctic Human Development Report, 2004). The remaining themes will be focused around these realities. Core research will be conducted for each theme. In addition specific projects have been developed to complement the core research. These projects will evolve over time and new projects will be added along with additional researchers and partners.

The network will ensure several key outcomes. These include an increased general awareness of the importance and potential of the social economy related activities to the North, the enhancement of social economy capacity in the region, a greater understanding of alternative forms of social and economic development in the North, the improved performance of organizations and enterprises in areas that are important to the social economy in Canada’s North, new policy resources for governments relating to the social economy, and better trained individuals to assist in the development of social economy organizations.