What's New
CUISR is pleased to announce the award of a 3-year SSHRC-CMHC Renewal Partnership Grant, March 2025 to March 31, 2028, on People, Places, Policies and Prospects: Affordable Rental Housing for Those in Greatest Need. The Renewal Award worth $899,470.35 involves three regions--Atlantic Canada (Cape Breton Regional Municipality; Principal Investigator Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid, Cape Breton University), Central Canada (Ottawa), and the Prairies (Saskatoon) in one of the research nodes within the Collaborative Housing Research Network (CHRN), an independent, Canada-wide collaboration of academics and community partners focused on multi-disciplinary research on housing conditions, needs and outcomes in support of the priority areas of the National Housing Strategy. The CHRN, a joint initiative between CMHC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). provides objective, recognized and high-quality research that can support housing policy decisions and inform future program development.
Expanding on the extensive research we have conducted in our first five years, our team will pursue seven projects with a national or multi-national scope during the renewal period. Five of these will use Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) data, including to understand the experiences of Indigenous renters, to examine housing quality and stability by rental housing type, to explore structural determinants of health and housing, and to build a comprehensive profile that describes the housing outcomes/experiences of young renters across Canada. In keeping with the NHS’s GBA+ lens, we will also conduct research on feminist housing commons, drawing out both theoretical and practical implications as co-operatives and other collective forms of housing become increasingly relevant in the context of the NHS. Finally, several cross-regional and regional initiatives will focus on research gaps and solutions, incorporating unique goals of our community partners. These include conducting applied research on the application of international housing policies in the Canadian context and understanding different rental housing options for people with disabilities.
Pathways to Equity
- Pathways to Equity's status as a Working Group will be maintained.
- Pathways co-chairs will report to the CUISR Management Board.
- Co-chairs will submit an annual report to RASI prior to the release of the next instalment of funds.
- Pathways branding will be maintained.
- Pathways website will Dabe integrated within or linked to the CUISR website.
- The funds from RASI will be set up as a separate fund within CUISR (fund approvals by co-chairs).
- In the short term further funds will be sought via internal competitions.
- In the longer term external funding applications (SSHRC or CIHR) will be made.
- To the extent possible, CUISR intends the funding to be used to support research activities, outreach and engagement, including report launches, and community-driven proposals
Community Co-Directors: Michael Kowalchuk, senior planner at the City of Saskatoon, joins Colleen Christopherson-Cote as Community Co-Directors. Our sincere thanks to both and also to Roy Lavallee, City of Saskatoon, for his term as Community-Co-Director. We are grateful for your good guidance and commitment to CUISR and its strategic research.
New Publications
- Advocating for Housing Rights: A Guide and Toolkit
- 2024 Saskatoon Point-In-Time Homelessness Count - Highlights and Key Findings
- 2024 Saskatoon Point-in-Time Homelessness Count - Niloofar Nili, Isobel M. Findlay, and Rosmary Martinez Rueda
- Housing Security and Neighbourhood Safety Pathways to Equity Workshop Report - Nadia Sedaghat, Isobel M. Findlay, and Rosmary Martinez Rueda
- Housing Insecurity, Renter Equity, and Homelessness in Saskatchewan Workshop Summary Report - Natalie Tai and Keith Da Silva
- Financialization of Housing in Canada: A Case Study of the Eviction Practices of Epic Alliance Properties - Sarah Buhler and Kenechukwu Aneke
- Manor Transition Initiative: Outcomes and Evaluation Year One - Shirmin Bintay Kader, Alexis Cook, and Isobel M. Findlay
In The Media
Carla Shynkaruk, Sask University group tackles housing insecurity. CTV News, February 26, 2025 Sask. university group tackles housing insecurity
Brody Langager, Housing Addressed: Forum explores what ordinary folks can do about housing rights. Saskatoon StarPhoenix, March 1, 2025, A1, A2. The StarPhoenix ePaper
CBC's Saskatoon Morning radio show, February 26, 2025, interview with Isobel Findlay about housing rights.
Cold warning chills Saskatoon as 1,500 people are homeless | 650 CKOM
MacLean, R. (2024, December 12). Nearly 1,500 people are homeless in Saskatoon, according to the latest count
https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/Gordon Edgar, U of S prof helps Square One organize Point-in-Time homelessness count. MooseJawToday.com July 11, 2023
U of S prof helps Square One organize Point-in-Time homelessness count - MooseJawToday.com
January
Dayne Patterson, Sask. rural, remote communities need better sexual violence education, more support. CBC News. January 27, 2023
August
Data from Saskatoon homelessness count offers further insight: researchers, StarPhoenix, August 5, 2022
Kayla Guerrette, Homelessness is increasing in Saskatoon, say housing advocates, experts, Global News, August 5, 2022
Work together to help homeless, advocate urges, StarPhoenix, August 6, 2022
https://epaper.vancouversun.com/article/281582359396843
Pat McKay, 2022 PIT Homelessness Count, CTV News
July
Zak Vescera, Record number of people homeless in city: Count
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/saskatoon-starphoenix/20220712/281509344901365
Zak Vescera, Mayor asks province to help house the homeless
Saskatoon mayor asks provincial government to step up and house homeless people
April
Nick Pearce, Results of probe into Epic collapse expected in weeks.
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/saskatoon-starphoenix/20220407/282437057648806
February
Ethan Williams, U of Sask., City of Saskatoon collaborate on food waste reduction research
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/uofs-saskatoon-food-waste-1.6350922
USask-City of Saskatoon study finds ways to divert edible food from landfill
Johnathon Charlton, Saskatoon study finds “practical” ways to reduce food waste
https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon-study-finds-%20practical-ways-to-reduce-food-waste-1.5773152
September
Francois Biber, “A perfect storm”: Saskatoon agencies critical of income assistance reform, CTV News
August
Arthur White-Crummey, Landlords prevail in eviction cases: Study finds pandemic hardships of little account at hearings, StarPhoenix
July
Amanda Short, Human trafficking fight on wrong path: advocates, StarPhoenix, 24 July
September
Alex MacPherson, Non-urgent evictions spiked last month, but not as high as landlords expected:
Mark Melnychuk, Support for survivors of sexual violence still falling short: NDP critic
August
Experts question urgent evictions during pandemic
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/experts-question-urgent-evictions-during-pandemic
July
USask researchers partner on $1.3-million study on affordable housing
https://globalnews.ca/news/7227979/university-of-saskatchewan-affordable-housing-research/
Concerns about justice continue for Sask. sex assault suvivors
https://leaderpost.com/news/crime/concerns-about-justice-continue-for-sask-sex-assault-survivors/
May
Sexual assault study reveals victims have little faith in the justice system
Concerns about justice continue for Sask. sex assault suvivors
https://leaderpost.com/news/crime/concerns-about-justice-continue-for-sask-sex-assault-survivors/
April
Study on survivors of sexual violence in Sask. finds low satisfaction with law enforcement
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/survivors-of-sexual-violence-in-sask-1.5549099
Newly released research suggests Sask. has one of the highest rates of sexual victimization in Canada
Sexual violence a prevalent issue in Saskatchewan: researchers
https://globalnews.ca/news/6885493/sexual-violence-issue-saskatchewan-researchers/
https://globalnews.ca/video/6885957/sexual-violence-a-prevalent-issue-in-saskatchewan-researchers/
March
Calls mount for Sask. government to halt evictions during COVID-19 pandemic
Letter of the Day: Saskatchewan must halt evictions now
https://thestarphoenix.com/opinion/letters/letter-of-the-day-saskatchewan-must-halt-evictions-now/