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Other Urban Aboriginal Research:

Toronto Aboriginal Research Project (TARP): Final Report

Link

Commissioned By: Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC)

Authors: Don McCaskill, Kevin FitzMaurice and Jaime Cidro

Description:
The TARP is distinctive in that its approach to research is community-based. That is, the research is overseen from start to finish by representatives of the Toronto Aboriginal community. Specifically, the study was guided by the following principles: collaboration, community benefit and the implementation of results. Thus, the research was sponsored by the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC) and overseen by the TARP Research Steering Committee. TASSC is a non-profit organization composed of senior representatives of Aboriginal agencies whose primary activity is the delivery of services to the Aboriginal people of the GTA. The TARP Research Steering Committee was a partnership between TASSC, representatives of Toronto Aboriginal organizations and federal, provincial and City of Toronto government officials.

The study was initiated by TASSC (then TASSA) in October, 2008 as a result of a felt need to gain a better understanding of the circumstances of Aboriginal people in Toronto to fill a gap in our knowledge and to put forth recommendations so as to better meet their needs. The research was seen as a follow-up to the Urban Aboriginal Task Force (UATF) which studied Aboriginal people in five cities in Ontario.

The mandate of the TARP Research Steering Committee was to oversee all aspects of the research including: choosing the topics to be researched, deciding on appropriate methodologies, giving feedback and approving research instruments, approving research ethics, assisting in contacting participants to be included in the sample, sponsoring focus groups and cases studies and giving feedback and approving the Final Work Plan, Progress Reports and the Final Report. Two Co-chairs were appointed to chair the Steering Committee; Kenn Richard, Executive Director, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (which was appointed as the agency which would sign the contracts with the funders on behalf of TASSC) and John Paul Restoule, Professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies of Education at the University of Toronto.

The TARP Steering Committee consisted of the following members::

• Kenn Richard, Co-chair, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

• Jean-Paul Restoule, Co-chair, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

• Andrea Chrisjohn, Council Fire Native Cultural Centre

• Francis Sanderson, Nishnawbe Homes

• Larry Frost, Native Canadian Centre of Toronto

• Art Zoccole, 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations

• Christa Big Canoe, Kimberly Murray and Jonathan Rudin, Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto

• Harvey Manning, Na-Me-Res

• Kerry Potts, ImagiNATIVE Film Festival

• Mae Maracle, City of Toronto

• Magda Smolewski, Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs

• Gavin Shaw, Ministry of Children and Youth Services

• Jeff Westlake, Office of the Federal Interloctor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

• Jerren Corbiere, Office of the Federal Interloctor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

• Barbra Macgibbon, City of Toronto Homelessness Partnership Initiative

• Don McCaskill, Research Director, Mukwa Associates

• Kevin FitzMaurice, Research Associate, Mukwa Associates

The TARP process began with TASSC sponsoring a preliminary needs assessment conducted by Don McCaskill and Kevin FitzMaurice of the firm Mukwa Associates to determine the nature of research topics that should be studied. The project involved conducting 19 interviews with key informants, a mail-out survey to TARP Steering Committee members and two focus groups. These activities all involved asking participant to suggest possible topics for research. A report was prepared and the TARP Steering Committee selected the following topic to research:

TARP Research Priorities
Demographics and Mobility	Children and Youth
Aboriginal Women	Aboriginal Men
Elders and Seniors	Housing
Homelessness	Poverty, Social Services and Aboriginal Organizations
Culture and Spirituality	Urban Aboriginal Governance
The Emerging Aboriginal Middle Class	The Two-Spirit Aboriginal Community
The Arts	Justice and Policing

The firm Mukwa Associates was contracted to conduct the study. Don McCaskill was appointed Research Director, Kevin FitzMaurice was appointed Research Associate and Jaime Cidro was appointed Research Coordinator. In addition, 12 Research Assistants were hired to carry out specific research tasks such as interviewing key informants, administering community surveys, facilitating and recording focus groups, assisting with the photovoice project, interviewing individuals for life histories, reviewing documents and literature and assisting with data analysis.

Funding for the TARP was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, the Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) of the Office of the Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians and the City of Toronto Homelessness Partnership Initiative.

TASSC and the TARP Steering Committee met 19 times from November, 2008 to July, 2011 and received regular Progress Reports, updates and deliverables from the Research Director.