Special Issue
July 2010
Learning Local Governance: Reimagining
Sustainable Communities
IN THIS ISSUE:
BACKGROUND ............2
WHAT IS LEARNING
LOCAL GOVERNANCE? .. 3
OUR CO-APPLICANTS
AND PARTNERS ...........4
FIRST COMMUNITY
WORKSHOP ................7
WORKSHOP
FINDINGS ..................8
NEXT STEPS ...............8
Since CUISR learned that our application for a
development grant for a Learning Local Governance (LLG)
Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) was
approved by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC), we have been working to prepare the full
formal application due September 17, 2010.
LLG is a dynamic, exciting project!
It is timely and
relevant – with importance for all sectors and levels of
governance as well as for communities across Canada and
elsewhere. Saskatoon is a vibrant, evolving community
emerging from ―Saskaboom‖ and struggling to meet the
needs of all its residents.
Effective models of local
governance can ensure that Saskatoon becomes a
creative, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable city. LLG will
help change the governance landscape engaging with
community in a learning process to identify the most
effective models to promote and support respectful
relations and sustainability.
CUISR .... Building Healthy,
Sustainable Communities
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Background
What is CUISR?
CUISR’s mandate is to facilitate partnerships between the university and larger community
to engage in relevant social research that supports a deeper
understanding of our communities that reveals opportunities
for improving our quality of life.
Built upon trust and respect between community and
university participants, authentic partnership is central to
CUISR. It is reflected in the composition of the board (50%
community and 50% faculty) and Co-chairs for the Institute.
Our comprehensive intersectoral and interdisciplinary
partnership model includes 100 active participants and groups.
U of S Williams Building,
home to CUISR
CUISR provides a forum for faculty, students, and community organizations to shape policy
and contribute to the greater good of our community.
Early priorities in Community Health Determinants and Health Policy, Community Economic
Development, and Quality of Life are retained
in current strategic research directions:
Saskatoon Community Sustainability, Social
What is Governance?
Economy, Rural and Urban Community Links,
Local Governance refers to the performance of the
governing function at the local level (rather than the
Indigenous Women’s Community
provincial or national level).
Development, Partnership Meta-analysis.
What is a CURA?
CURA is a SSHRC program designed to
―support the creation of alliances between
community organizations and postsecondary
institutions which, through ongoing
collaboration and mutual learning, foster
innovative research, training and the creation
of new knowledge in areas of importance for
the social, cultural, or economic development
of Canadian communities.‖
More specifically, it refers to a governance
framework that in addition to municipal governments
may also involve governmental and nongovernmental authorities, agencies or organizations
involved in policy-making and decision-making,
including the following:




Provincial, federal and Aboriginal
governments and agencies
Local or regional governing authorities (e.g.,
health and school boards)
Non-profit community based organizations
For-profit community organizations
Performed in a multiplicity of governance sites,
The committee that judged our proposal
rather than only one, the local governance function
indicated that ―it was well-focussed and had
may be performed both through formal and informal
clearly demonstrated its links to the CURA
interactions among the key persons involved in
various policy-making and decision-making
program objectives. It also found that the
initiatives.
proposal contributed significantly to
innovative knowledge and practices and that
it presented positive outcomes for the
stakeholders involved. The committee noted in particular the well-balanced participation
between the university and community sectors. Finally, it found that the proposal, most
importantly the research plans, were well-structured and well-presented. The committee
found the project to be meritorious and worthy of funding.‖ It recommended a grant as
requested.
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CUISR July 2010 Special Issue
What is Learning Local Governance?
Why Governance? Why Now?
What did we commit to do?
 Globalization, offloading of
 The objective is to engage in a
governance responsibility, budget
learning process to identify the best
gaps, slashed services, crumbling
ways for communities to develop
infrastructure, aggravated
local community governance to
inequalities, democratic deficits,
respond to complex needs.
crises of economy, finance,
 The project is a case study of the
environment, and legitimacy
Saskatoon city-region, with
 Citizens demanding participation in
relevance for all communities: a
local decision-making, leading to
study that builds on CUISR’s
new forms of engagement
foundational work, proven research
 Opportunity to reimagine ways of
capacity, extensive networks,
democratically engaging citizens to
infrastructure, and governance
deliberate, plan, and manage
model.
diverse community
 We will adopt new
resources
models of knowledge
Our overarching research
impacting quality
co-creation, translation,
question is: How do we
of life
and application involving
create local community
those most affected by
governance models that
Why Saskatoon?
the socioeconomic
are comprehensive,
problems that are the
representative,
 For well over a
research focus and
responsive, culturally
decade,
sensitive to the diversity
appropriate,
and
collaborative,
of stakeholders.
sustainable?
multi-sectoral
 In strategic case
initiatives in
studies and research
Saskatoon and area—designed to
clusters probing comparative models
eliminate poverty and track
and data in regional, national, and
indicators of quality of life—have
international settings, we will explore
produced evidence-based strategic
key factors facilitating or inhibiting the
planning and policy.
development of local community
 ―Saskaboom‖ has added incentive
governance models for sustainable
to build on the multi-sectoral
communities.
foundation and to learn from
successes and failures.
What is Research?
 Saskatoon, CUISR, and its networks
―Research is formalized curiosity.
are ready.
It is poking and prying with a
 Quality of Life iterations
purpose‖ (Zora Neale Hurston)
 SSHRC CURA—Linking,
Learning, Leveraging: Social
 Research is asking questions
Enterprises, Knowledgeable
and listening to stories
Economies, and Sustainable
 Research is learning by
Communities
observing
 Building Community: Creating
 Research is capturing on
video or photograph
Social & Economic Well-being
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Our LLG Co-applicants and Partners
We value the contributions of our dedicated research team of co-applicants and partners.
Academic Co-applicants
Alan Anderson – Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology; Principal Investigator
and Co-director of the Bridges and Foundations Project on Urban Aboriginal Housing.
Alan’s areas of expertise include international development, Indigenous relations, and
social constructs.
Louise Clarke – Associate Professor, Edwards School of Business and University Codirector, CUISR. She has been with CUISR since its inception. Her specialization is the
area of industrial relations and organizational behaviour. Louise has research interest
and experience in Aboriginal community economic development.
Isobel Findlay – LLG Principal Investigator; Associate Professor, Edwards School of
Business; CUISR Co-director, Social Economy; and Scholar, Centre for the Study of Cooperatives. Isobel is committed to participatory action research and is published widely
on community, social economy, Aboriginal CED, governance, and justice. She is a
member, Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
Joseph Garcea – Associate Professor and Head, Political Studies, and CUISR board
member. His areas of teaching and research include public management, public
administration, public policy analysis, multi-level governance, local governance, the
interface of First Nations urban reserves and municipalities, immigration and
integration, and multiculturalism/interculturalism.
Michael Gertler – Associate Professor, Department of Sociology; CUISR board
member; Fellow, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives; and member of the
administrative committee for the U of S Regional and Urban Planning program.
Michael’s teaching and research interests include community sociology, co-operatives,
and sustainable development.
Lou Hammond Ketilson – Associate Professor, Edwards School of Business; Director
of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives. Her research interests include
management of co-operatives and other democratic organizations, community
development, Aboriginal co-operatives, governance bodies, and diversity on boards.
Anna Hunter – Assistant Professor, Department of Political Studies and Director of the
Aboriginal Public Administration Program. Anna is member of Ktunaxa First Nation in
British Columbia. Her specializations include Aboriginal governance, women and
politics, and constitutional law.
Deborah Lee – Indigenous Studies Portal Librarian. She is of Cree and Mohawk
ancestry and has been a librarian for ten years. Deborah has presented widely at
conferences and published widely in academic journals and conference proceedings.
Deborah is an active member on committees, including the one for Library Services for
Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples.
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Nazeem Muhajarine – Professor and Head, Community Health & Epidemiology;
CUISR board member (founding member and former CUISR University Co-director).
Nazeem leads community-university research partnerships for knowledge development,
transfer, and application in the areas of child health, health determinants and
population health.
Elizabeth Quinlan – Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology. She was one of
the first graduates of the Interdisciplinary Studies Doctoral Program at the University of
Saskatchewan, where she now teaches and researches. Her research interests include
health and illness, work organization, and research methods.
Community Co-applicants
Sue Delanoy – Special projects coordinator, Child and Youth Friendly Saskatoon,
kidSKAN, and Kinsmen Activity Place; CUISR board member. Sue collaborated as a colead on Understanding the Learning Years, a study that provided the impetus for
comprehensive literacy programs. She has contributed to CUISR research collaborations
in a myriad of ways.
Tanya Dunn-Pierce – Manager of Health Promotion, Saskatoon Health Region. Tanya
completed her Master of Science thesis in Facilitating Community Participation in Health
Needs Assessment, and has been employed in the areas of health policy and planning
as a manager, consultant, and researcher in the Saskatchewan health system for the
last decade. Tanya is a partner with CUISR on the Saskatoon Poverty Reduction
Partnership.
William J. Holden – Senior Planner, City of Saskatoon, CUISR Community Codirector, and founding member of the intersectoral group that established CUISR. He
actively provides intellectual direction in past and continuing CUISR research projects,
including the Quality of Life Module, as well as the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, and
remains committed to the collaboration of university knowledge and community
expertise and energy in local governance.
Kelley Moore – A principal partner in Prairie Wild Consulting Co. Kelley has worked on
projects spanning five levels of government and these fields: town planning; local area
planning; inter-municipal planning; international development; social and economic
policy development; and human service integration. A full member of the Canadian
Institute of Planners, Kelley has been nationally recognized for her comprehensive
planning and citizen engagement. She is currently completing an Interdisciplinary
Masters in the area of land use development and decision-making.
Fred N. Ozirney – Coordinator, Regional Intersectoral Committee. Fred founded the
Saskatoon and District Industry-Education Council and the SMART Program (Students
Moving Ahead with Real World Training). He is winner of a Saskatchewan Centennial
Medal (2005), Broad Community Collaboration Award (2001), and Training for
Excellence Award – Educational Partnerships (2000).
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Lenore Swystun – Founder & Principal, Prairie Wild Consulting. Lenore is a community
planning and development professional expert in municipal capacity development;
comprehensive community planning; local governance; community and civic
engagement; facilitation, international development, heritage planning; and related
social research. A former elected representative, an awarded community volunteer, and
member of local and national boards and commissions, she lectures at the University of
Saskatchewan and is a Leadership Saskatoon mentor and member.
Christine Thompson - Director of Community Impact, United Way. Christine manages
fund investment in the community service sector and works cross-sectorally to address
complex community issues. She has over 10 years’ experience in the not-for-profit and
health sectors and in facilitating community-university networks for applied research
and evaluation.
Len Usiskin –Manager, Quint Development Corporation, CUISR board member, and
community Co-director, Social Economy. Len oversees several development initiatives
and is a founding director, Saskatoon Housing Initiative Partnership. He is expert on
social justice and CED.
Pamela Woodsworth – Manager of KidsFirst, Saskatoon Health Region, and CUISR
board member. Pam has a keen interest in transforming our understanding of how to
best work with vulnerable citizens. Pam currently sits on the boards of the White
Buffalo Youth Lodge Partnership, the Provincial Respite Review Committee, and the
Youth Companion Program.
Community Partners are paramount to an effective research alliance that provides meaningful
solutions. We are pleased to have the following organizations supporting the Learning Local
Governance project:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
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Caledon Institute of Social Policy
Canadian Institute of Wellbeing
Central Urban Métis Federation, Inc.
Centre for the Study of Co-operatives
CHEP Good Food Inc.
Child and Youth Friendly Saskatoon
City of Saskatoon
Friends of Kinsmen Activity Place Corp
Humanities Research Unit
Passion for Action Against Homelessness
Quint Development Corporation
Rainbow Community Centre
13. Saskatoon Regional Intersectoral Committee
14. Saskatchewan Indian Institute of
Technologies
15. Saskatoon Community Youth Arts
Programming
16. Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre
17. Saskatoon Health Region KidsFirst
18. Saskatoon Indian & Métis Friendship Centre
19. Spectrum Corp. Community Services Inc.
20. Station 20 West Community Enterprise
Centre
21. Student Wellness Initiative Toward
Community Health
Learning Local Governance
CUISR July 2010 Special Issue Newsletter
Our First Community Workshop
Gathering at White Buffalo Youth Lodge on June 28 for a community workshop were sixty people,
many friends of CUISR and all deeply involved in the Saskatoon community. They came to share
their experience and expertise and to help us make our submission to SSHRC as meaningful and
responsive to the community as possible. For their collective intelligence we are very grateful.
Isobel Findlay introduced the project, the CURA program, CUISR, our coinvestigators and partners. She clarified why governance, why now and
why Saskatoon, as well as what we committed to do and how participants
could contribute.
Joe Garcea’s presentation, Making Sense of Governance, explained key
concepts related to an increasingly complex and multi-faceted
governance system. It involves many governmental and non-governmental
agencies and agents, interests, relationships, roles and responsibilities,
capacities, and both formal and informal dimensions.
White Buffalo Youth Lodge,
Saskatoon
 It involves extensive intersectorality (immigration, employment, housing, health)
 It also involves extensive intersectionality (gender, race, religion, language)
Michael Gertler’s presentation, Sustaining and Sustainable
Communities, stressed the importance of community-based research
to address knowledge gaps, divides, disinformation, governance
failures, political deskilling. Knowledge privatization, he argued,
underlies economic and social inequalities, democratic deficits, and
power differentials.
 Create ―common ground‖ and ―public spaces‖
 Promote equitable participation
 Celebrate shared leadership
Each presentation served to engage people in morning and afternoon breakout sessions, before
bringing people together in a concluding plenary session. The full presentations can be accessed on
CUISR’s website: http://www.usask.ca/cuisr/.
*****
In plenary and small group discussions, participants
probed and challenged, defined and dreamed, coming
up with these themes.
Emphasizing knowledge as
power, people challenged
customary hierarchies,
cultures of presumption and
paternalism, and widespread
Workshop participants enjoying a presentation
political deskilling. Literacy, education, access to
information are key to meaningful engagement.
Recognizing and respecting multiple knowledges can create the conditions for reimagining
governance as the exercise of local competency and creativity. The status quo is not ordained, but
constructed. Deconstruct in order to reconstruct—and use a gender and cultural lens.
 Study to transform elite institutions like universities
 City councillors invoke the will of the people while only 27% vote!
 Let’s work at real democracy. We need a manifesto.
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Creative cities cannot be divided ones—east-west, urbanrural, Aboriginal-non-Aboriginal, university-community.
And we need to go beyond partnerships on paper. Be clear
on how we define success. Balance universal standards
and community governance. We need to work together in formal and informal settings to reimagine
and reconstruct relationships and change the governance landscape for
sustainable and sustaining futures.







Survey people’s experience of governance
Build on past practice (Saskatoon Development Board)
Put to work valuable research (St. Denis & Hanson on Increasing
Women’s Participation in Municipal Consultations, 2004)
Learn from elsewhere (New Zealand)
Study Truth and Reconciliation, its processes, protocols, and
priorities
Nicola Chopin leading a small
Explore models like White Buffalo Youth Lodge
group discussion
Look at multiple models of Aboriginal governance—shared
government, self-government, pan government, urban reserves, FNUC
Some are too preoccupied with survival or too fearful to go into
some neighbourhoods or to cross gang boundaries. Engage
those that are most affected, using traditional (face-to-face),
less traditional (Facebook), and creative (tell me your story,
paint a picture, photo, etc.). Know some fear losing funding and
children. Create a safe and welcoming space and focus on youth
and the homeless. Demystify research, governance, and policy.
Target niche organizations, representatives from all levels of government, business (BIDS,
Chamber). Let’s make this happen for the next workshop!
Possible Cases/Models: Aboriginal Economic Development organizations, Affinity Credit Union, Affordable Housing
Initiative, Casinos, Chamber of Commerce, Child/Youth Initiative, Communities for Children, Community Service Village,
Craik, Farmers Market, Gang Strategy, Heifer International, Immigration/Integration/Inclusion Initiative, InterPares, John
Howard Society, Labour Boards, Meewasin, Mennonite Central Committee (and other faith based organizations),
Municipalities, Poverty Elimination Initiative, Quint, Race Relations Committee, Regional Planning Commissions, Sask
Housing, Saskatoon Anti Poverty Coalition, Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership, School Boards, Soccer Association,
United Way, Universities, Urban Aboriginal Strategy, Wanuskewin, White Buffalo Youth Lodge, White Dakota First Nation.
Next Steps.....

The proposal deadline of September 17 is fast approaching! Co-applicants and collaborators are
encouraged to enter their first draft CV on the web application by Friday, August 6, and partners to
finalize letters confirming participation and contribution.

Our next community workshop will be on Wednesday, August 18; location and further details
forthcoming. Mark your calendars!

For further information on the LLG project, the workshop, or to get involved, please contact the
following:
Isobel Findlay
Principal Investigator
findlay@edwards.usask.ca
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Mark Brown
CUISR Community-University
Research Liaison
cuisr.liaison@usask.ca
Bonnie Reddekopp
LLG Research Assistant
blr084@mail.usask.ca