October 3, 2006

The University of Northern British Columbia will play a leading role inone of the biggest research projects ever undertaken in northernCanada. The study will examine the social economy of the three NorthernTerritories: the Yukon, Northwest, and Nunavut.

The social economy of the North refers to the economic contributions oforganizations that are neither clearly private nor public operationsand include the activities of First Nations organizations, voluntarygroups, community associations, and charities. The research will becoordinated over the next five years by Yukon College, but researchersat a few Canadian universities will be overseeing the various researchthemes. Heather Myers, a professor in UNBC’s International Studiesprogram, is leading research on the connection between resourcedevelopment and the social economy.

“The resource-based economy of northern communities has traditionallyprovided food and materials for domestic income and for sharing withinthe community. This sector has also produced enterprises that providelocal jobs and economic benefits,” says Dr. Myers. “We’re interested inhow this sector has been affected by government policy and programming.For example, how have community-based enterprises been affected bygovernment policy? More importantly, how have these policies affectedcommunities and regions?”

Dr. Myers has considerable research experience in northern Canada. Forexample, she has been engaged in community-based activities designed toassess northern residents' awareness about the effects of environmentalpollutants, and has been an experts witness to the Council of Europeregarding the Canadian seal hunt. She has also researched the economicimpact of small-scale forestry enterprises in northern BC.

The Social Economy Research Network of Northern Canada is beingsupported by a $1.75 million research grant from the Social Sciencesand Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. It is the largestgrant 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