October 3, 2006 Source: :
http://www.unbc.ca/releases/2006/10_03yukon.html UNBC
Participates in Major Northern Research
Program The University of
Northern British Columbia will play a leading role in one of the biggest
research projects ever undertaken in northern Canada. The study will examine
the social economy of the three Northern Territories: the Yukon, Northwest,
and Nunavut. The social economy of the North refers to the economic contributions of
organizations that are neither clearly private nor public operations and
include the activities of First Nations organizations, voluntary groups,
community associations, and charities. The research will be coordinated over
the next five years by Yukon College, but researchers at a few Canadian
universities will be overseeing the various research themes. Heather Myers,
a professor in UNBC’s International Studies program, is leading research on
the connection between resource development and the social economy. "The resource-based economy of northern communities has traditionally
provided food and materials for domestic income and for sharing within the
community. This sector has also produced enterprises that provide local jobs
and economic benefits," says Dr. Myers. "We’re interested in how this sector
has been affected by government policy and programming. For example, how
have community-based enterprises been affected by government policy? More
importantly, how have these policies affected communities and regions?" Dr. Myers has considerable research experience in northern Canada. For
example, she has been engaged in community-based activities designed to
assess northern residents' awareness about the effects of environmental
pollutants, and has been an experts witness to the Council of Europe
regarding the Canadian seal hunt. She has also researched the economic
impact of small-scale forestry enterprises in northern BC. The Social Economy Research Network of Northern Canada is being supported by
a $1.75 million research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. It is the largest grant ever awarded for
social science research in the Canadian North. Contact:
Heather Myers, International Studies professor, UNBC - 250.960.6481 or
myers@unbc.ca
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC -
250.960.5622
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