Durham Region recently created a plan to help guide future decisions about adapting to climate change. The plan shows how extreme future weather is expected to be and identifies many ways that the cities and towns in the region and other agencies that deliver services like water and electricity need to be prepared. Some municipalities […]

The world has many ageing bridge structures which are being used well beyond their design service life time. It is of essential interest for the governments and public to insure safety and sustainability of bridges. One of the most advanced techniques used to investigate the conditions of bridges is the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). The […]

Vacant storefronts reflect the disinvestment and loss of retail activity that has accompanied suburbanization, while also creating impediments to revitalization. It is therefore important to consider alternative approaches, such as activating empty storefronts through social innovation. Social innovation focuses on public interest and social cohesion, rather than commercial success. In this research, we seek to […]

Across Canada, many provinces and municipalities are struggling to address poverty in their communities. Communities are attempting to address poverty with poverty reduction strategies. With a lack of literature to support these attempts, it is difficult for communities to best address poverty and to best engage people experiencing poverty in their poverty reduction initiatives. Results […]

This project involves in depth interviews of HR/line managers as well as skilled migrant employees in 3 organizations. Our focus is on understanding current issues and challenges related to inclusion and integration of skilled migrants locally. Our goal is offer actionable practical suggestions in terms of how identified challenges may be addressed in the future. […]

This project aims to develop a tool for cities and municipalities to use to negotiate and evaluate how large real estate development projects coming into communities, especially vulnerable neighbourhoods, can provide benefits back to that community. The specific focus of these benefits is on providing work and training opportunities for local residents, as well as […]

Obtaining reliable information is crucial for humanitarian workers who aim to respond to a catastrophic situation. In this context, there are many possible sources of information (e.g., local population; journalists; authorities), but only a limited time to gather data, analyze them and respond to the situation. Since 2010, a new way of gathering data has […]

This research presents a conceptual model of the geography of capacity and explores, through a small-scale study, the experiences of capacity across the nonprofit sector at the individual, organizational and community level in three different locales in Canada. By identifying the varied nonprofit capacity needs in different socio-economic and geographic locations, and by examining how […]

The reliability of transit buses is essential for the cost-effective delivery of public transportation services. This research aims to improve the reliability of transit buses through optimized operational maintenance planning. We specifically wish to develop a mathematical optimization model that would help transit operators in deciding which bus components to repair during a maintenance intervention. […]

The Opportunity Equation is a multi-year research project that explores trends, dynamics and causes of income inequality in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The project aims to produce a comprehensive portrait of the changing income distribution and income gaps among key socio-demographic groups in the City of Toronto, York Region and the Region of Peel […]

The 2017 Neighbourhood Small Grants Program Evaluation will deepen understanding of grassroots grant making through an analysis of program outcomes and participant feedback from the Vancouver Foundation’s 2017 Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) program. Using data collected by the Vancouver Foundation, the project intern will produce a report that highlights the outcomes, opportunities, challenges, and lessons […]

Pivot Legal Society seeks to improve the lives and the health of people who are homeless, use drugs, and/or engage in sex work through law and policy reform. Beginning in 2017 Pivot begun a large scale project to expand its knowledge base and networks with the goal of creating inclusive communities and promoting respect for […]