2. The Alliance 3 Manitoba universities 16 Academics 21 Community & Gov’t Partners Principal Investigator – Dr. John Loxley Lead Organization – CCPA Manitoba

3. Project Details 3 ½ year project ending April 2006 Total grant $895,000 42 research projects 37 undergraduate researchers 14 graduate researchers 5 doctoral researchers 37 community researchers

4. The New Economy High tech, knowledge based Globalization, corporate concentration

5. Research Goals Assessing the impacts of the NE Evaluating the potential of CED in NE Evaluating the role of policy Theorizing CED in the NE

6. Governance/ Decision Making Proposal stage – consensual Full Alliance involved Research themes established Research interests expressed Levels of involvement Research Committee Alliance member Partner/Researcher Project Manager Funds allocation stage Requests for proposals Research Committee decision

7. Issues in Governance Funds allocation Timeliness of research project completion Quality control Synthesis of results Maintaining a sense of “team” Administrative workload

8. “Collateral” Achievements Research as a tool for community empowerment Building alliances between community, academia, funders and government Student formation Academic research grounded in practice – more concrete, implement able Stimulated practitioners to bring a systemic, theoretical reflection to their work

9. Design Features Community members on proposal team Community members on Research Cte. Large promotional outreach to CBO’s Organized research planning forum with practitioners in early months 13 community research projects funded 37 community researchers About half of research topics from CBO’s

10. Design Features Special grants to help develop proposals Regular dissemination at national and local practitioner gatherings Paired community researchers with academics where help needed Embedded some academic researchers within CBO’s

12. Part Two Research Conclusions

13. Impact of the New Economy NE not essentially a “good news” story Inner city lacks capacity to take full advantage Rural communities investing heavily in infrastructure – but depopulation continuing Great promise for northern communities, but Lack of availability of broadband Internet playing very limited role in lives of northern First Nations Technology has been a boon to CED networks

14. Impact on Specific Industries Agricultural – assisted agri-business trend Airlines – increased employment barriers Banking – increased employment barriers Call Centers – big growth, some connection to CED goals Garment industry – production shifted overseas

15. CED Opportunities Incorporating CED into welfare to work Workforce Intermediaries & employment development best practices Increasing uptake on potential provided by rural broadband CED lens for business attraction policies Social housing as a CED tool

16. CED Opportunities Agricultural land trusts CED models for business revitalization Access to broadband, need for training in north Range of opportunities for young women

17. Policy Implications Role of government is crucial Each opportunity has a policy application e.g. Welfare to work Business attraction Employment best practice Social housing Etc. Most CED work requires subsidization

18. An Aboriginal Construct for CED Life stories of 26 aboriginal leaders in CD “Organic intellectuals” Holistic means: Starts with individual – need to heal – decolonization Process of rebuilding selves requires strong sense of community – in which aboriginal culture flourishes Requires creation of aboriginal organizations to reclaim collective identity All of which requires development of an ideology – rooted in historical impacts of colonization – based on aboriginal cultural values and traditions