What's New

CUISR Continues to Lead Regional Research on Affordable Rental Housing Funded by a Major National Award 

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

CUISR is happy to announce that we have taken over from Research Acceleration and Strategic Initiatives (RASI) hosting and administration of Pathways to Equity, a research initiative that explores cross-agency and cross-disciplinary research in the areas of homelessness, social justice, education, and health across the province of Saskatchewan. The initiative includes funding for community-engaged research projects, workshops and events. The current thematic focus of Pathways of Equity is on housing and homelessness. The mandate of Pathways to Equity is as follows: “To raise levels of equity and wellbeing through focused, thematic areas of research conducted in direct partnerships with the knowledge and experience of our communities and committed to bringing results back to participants and decision-makers in those communities.”
The mandates of Pathways to Equity and CUISR align very well. CUISR has made these commitments:
  • 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

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, A2The StarPhoenix ePaper


CBC's Saskatoon Morning radio show, February 26, 2025, interview with Isobel Findlay about housing rights.

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

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/rural-1.6728981

August

Data from Saskatoon homelessness count offers further insight: researchers, StarPhoenix, August 5, 2022

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/data-from-saskatoon-homelessness-count-offers-further-insight-researchers

Kayla Guerrette, Homelessness is increasing in Saskatoon, say housing advocates, experts, Global News, August 5, 2022

https://globalnews.ca/news/9041247/homelessness-is-increasing-in-saskatoon-say-housing-advocates-experts/

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

https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2483773

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

https://news.usask.ca/articles/research/2022/usask-city-%20of-saskatoon-study-finds-ways-to-divert-edible-food-from-landfill.php

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

https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/a-perfect-storm-saskatoon-agencies-critical-of-income-assistance-reform-1.5586980

August

Arthur White-Crummey, Landlords prevail in eviction cases: Study finds pandemic hardships of little account at hearings, StarPhoenix

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/landlords-triumphed-in-eviction-hearings-during-pandemic-study/ar-AAMWUfu

July

Amanda Short, Human trafficking fight on wrong path: advocates, StarPhoenix, 24 July

https://epaper.theprovince.com/article/281539408984189

September

Alex MacPherson, Non-urgent evictions spiked last month, but not as high as landlords expected:

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/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

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/more-work-needed-to-help-survivors-of-sexual-violence-ndp-justice-critic/ar-BB18GrgJ

August

July

Concerns about justice continue for Sask. sex assault suvivors

https://leaderpost.com/news/crime/concerns-about-justice-continue-for-sask-sex-assault-survivors/

May

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

https://regina.ctvnews.ca/newly-released-research-suggests-sask-has-one-of-the-highest-rates-of-sexual-victimization-in-canada-1.4918072

March