What's New on CPRN.org

Enhancing Access to Post-Secondary Education in Canada: An Exploration of Early Intervention Initiatives in Selected Countries

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

The accessibility of post-secondary education (PSE) has been identified as a key component of the social, economic, and cultural well-being of societies. A significant body of research has focused on the identification of PSE access barriers in the Canadian context; however, what governments, their partners, and PSE institutions might do to mitigate or overcome these barriers - particularly for those groups typically under-represented in PSE - is less understood.

Shari Orders and Cheryll Duquette. Enhancing Access to Post-Secondary Education in Canada: An Exploration of Early Intervention Initiatives in Selected Countries. January 2010. Ottawa: CPRN. 70 pp.

Annual Report [2008-2009] - Farewell

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

CPRN's final Annual Report, entitled Farewell, summarizes 15 years of contribution to Canada's public policy agenda and highlights the last 18 months of our work. We encourage you to share this with your friends and look for CPRN's legacy, which is now hosted by Carleton University, at www.cprn.org.

Thank you and goodbye

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

As most of you will have heard, today is the final day of operations for Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN). We will be closing our doors at the end of regular business hours today.

In late October we announced that after 15 years of quality public policy research, CPRN is no longer financially viable. In these tough economic times, and without a steady and long-term financial commitment from governments and other public and private funding sources, an independent, non-partisan organization like CPRN is no longer possible.

Why Social Housing Policy Matters

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) in partnership with the Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC) has just released six comprehensive papers that address a wide range of social housing policies in Canada. The papers are authored by graduate student interns as part of the Housing Internship and Scholar Program (HISP) with foundational support from SHSC and funding from other organizations in cooperation with CPRN. Dr. Michael Buzzelli, Director of Housing and Environment at CPRN, oversees the HISP.

Investing in Aboriginal Education in Canada: An Economic Perspective

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

Investing in Aboriginal Education in Canada: An Economic Perspective by economist and Executive Director, Andrew Sharpe, and senior economist, Jean-Fran�ois Arsenault at the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS), examines the strong positive correlation between education, employment and earnings that is well established in social science research, and postulates various positive economic outcomes for the Canadian economy - regionally and nationally - if Aboriginal educational attainment was improved even marginally. Sharpe and Arsenault argue that Canada's Aboriginal population could play a key role in mitigating the looming long-term labour shortage caused by Canada's ageing population and low birthrate.

Aboriginal Education: Strengthening the Foundations

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

In Aboriginal Education: Strengthening the Foundations, John Richards, Professor in the Public Policy Program at Simon Fraser University and the Roger Phillips Chair in Social Policy at the C.D. Howe Institute, and Megan Scott, graduate student at Simon Fraser University's Public Policy Program provide a detailed analysis of the current state of Aboriginal educational programs and policies across Canada's regions and highlight the successes, failures and lessons learned.

Policy Actions Report: Making Newfoundland and Labrador a Province of Choice for Young People

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Policy Actions Report: Making Newfoundland and Labrador a Province of Choice for Young People is based on findings from a series of deliberative dialogues with young people from the province; the dialogues were designed and conducted by CPRN, under the direction of the Newfoundland Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment (HRLE), which is responsible for the development of the strategy.

The priority issues expressed by youth in the dialogues and recommended by CPRN as primary areas for policy action include: access to high-quality and affordable education and better transitions between school and work; economic development that creates good quality jobs and is diversified and sustainable; accessible and high quality public services, including those that protect the environment; and strengthening ethnic diversity and immigration in the province.

Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador:
www.lmiworks.nl.ca/yras/.

CPRN will close its doors after 15 years of independent public policy research

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

It is with sadness that I must announce that after 15 years of quality public policy research, Canadian Policy Research Networks [CPRN] is no longer financially viable and will cease operations. Unfortunately, in these tough economic times, without a steady and long-term financial commitment from governments and other public and private funding sources, an independent, non-partisan organization like CPRN is no longer possible.

Canadian Non-Profit Organizations Play a Critical Role in Social Innovation and the Economy

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

Canada has long had a vibrant non-profit sector that provides important services to help meet the needs of our citizens. Non-profit and charitable organizations work hard to make our communities a better place by providing quality research, policy advice and front line services on everything from health care to housing to education, the environment and the economy.

What is not as well known is that the non-profit sector also makes up a significant portion of our workforce in Canada - employing 11 times more people than the automotive industry and four times more than the agricultural sector - and contributes as much to the gross domestic product (GDP) as other major sectors of the economy. In other words, our country benefits doubly from non-profits: through both social and economic contributions that affect us all.

Social Innovation in Canada: An Update

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

Canada is falling behind other countries, such as Australia, the UK and the US in recognizing the value of social innovation (SI) for addressing complex public policy issues. A new report from Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN), Social Innovation in Canada: An Update by Mark Goldenberg et al., highlights the urgency of the social challenges before us, such as climate change, sustainability, poverty and globalization, particularly in the midst of a global economic downturn, and points to the importance of fostering SI as a solution.

The report notes that while governments in Canada have acknowledged the importance of social capital and the social economy, and have been relatively active in these areas in recent years, Canada has missed opportunities to encourage SI by failing to develop adequate models for public support, engagement and funding. The report calls on Canadian leaders to establish a cross-sectoral national strategy to advance SI in this country.