April 3, 2002 For Immediate Release

New investments from the Government of Canada are significantly expanding opportunities to conduct research at UNBC, in areas related to enhancing our understanding of northern communities and environmental issues. The total investment exceeds $1.4 million.

1. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is providing $323,000 to help acquire equipment that will be used both to document the history of northern communities and to predict their social, economic, and political futures. The Social Science Research Lab will allow researchers to apply multimedia to community research in unique ways, making research more accessible to local residents. The proposal still requires matching funding from the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund.

2. Federal granting agencies are supporting a number of new, multi-year research projects at the University. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council is supporting research on windflows and air pollution, chemical processes, the genetics of aquatic vertebrates, backcountry recreation impacts, and organic soil compounds. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council is funding research on gender and political participation in the Russian North, comparative models of self-government, and the early maps and writings of a Hudson's Bay Company employee. The Canadian Institutes for Health Research is investing in a rural and remote health study involving Nursing professor Martha Macleod. The total value of this new research is about $600,000.

3. The Government of Canada is providing universities with one-time funding to help offset the costs of conducting ground-breaking research. The contribution to UNBC is nearly $520,000.

"We recognize the University of Northern British Columbia's important role as an agent of economic diversification and social development in central and northern BC," says Allan Rock, Minister of Industry. "These investments will assist UNBC with its important mandate."

"Research is vitally important as a tool for economic diversification and expansion," says Max Blouw, Vice-President for Research at UNBC. "Being on the cutting edge of research, however, is expensive and these Government of Canada investments are key if UNBC is to be able to continue directing attention to the crucial research needs of communities."