1
Welcome to the
RSA Webpage on Canada
Within universities, many individual researchers, especially in Geography Departments but also others, are centrally concerned with themes central the RSA mandate (regional analysis, spatial and environment planning, location dynamics and urban, regional and community development). These interests have spawned numerous research and graduate-degree driven centres, schools and institutions that focus on these themes. Officially bilingual (English/French), most programs are unilingual, although there are exceptions. While Canadian regional studies research is diverse, the specialized centres typically either have a strong urban or environmental focus. Studies in resource-led regional development and the evolutionary trajectories of resource-dependent communities have also been a distinctive feature of Canadian research.
Regional and urban policy and planning is important in Canada and, as elsewhere commitments along these lines mushroomed from the 1950s, heralded by several federal government initiatives. Indeed, the Federal Government’s introduction of equalization payments in the late 1960s that transfer funds from so-called ‘have’ to ‘have-not’ provinces reflected a deep concern for regional equity. In practice, equalization payments are substantial (around 5% of the federal budget), and have dwarfed the funding of more conventional regional initiatives. However, these payments have become controversial for various reasons, not least because the levels of public services they support have become higher in the many have-not provinces compared to the few have provinces. In addition, as a federation in which provinces have much autonomy, significant tax raising powers and typically comprise large geographic areas, many regional initiatives within Canada are ‘intra-provincial’ and organized by provincial governments.
The remainder of this document provides an overview of selected university-based institutions, drawing mainly from their webs-sites, that specialize in regional studies as defined by the RSA. Unlike some other countries, Canada does not have major spatial planning research institutes that are independent of universities, although there have been federal agencies, mostly now closed, that have embraced these issues.
Selected Schools at Universities
In Canada, there are almost 100 universities located across 13 provinces and territories and serving a population of over 34 million (2012). Geography is strongly represented in this system and most departments are diverse, integrating the physical and social sciences, and typically incorporate strong interests in urban studies, spatial planning, and environment studies. Selected specialized research and graduate-based programs are mentioned below. Note that broadly-based (continental) Regional or Area studies (e.g. Asian Studies) are not noted, although such programs often contain spatial planning specialists. The listing is more or less from west to east.
University of British Columbia: School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP)
SCARP was founded in 1951, is a graduate program and focuses on all aspects of spatial planning with a strong focus on integrated planning for development, especially with respect to British Columbian issues, although national and international comparative work is undertaken. As of 2013 there are 11 faculty supervising over 100 graduate students. The School, within the Faculty of Applied Science, is accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners and the American Institute of Certified Planners. SCARP is home to the Centre for Human Settlements, created in 1976 and a multidisciplinary research program on regional, urban and community development.
Simon Fraser University: School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM)
REM was founded in 1974, is a graduate program with an applied emphasis in environmental science, resource and environmental planning and energy issues, and community development. Research focuses primarily within British Columbia, especially outside of the Vancouver metropolitan area, while national and international comparative work is undertaken. As of 2013 there are 15 faculty supervising over 100 graduate students. REM’s MA degree is certified by the Canadian Institute of Planners, and a PhD program was introduced a couple of years ago.
Simon Fraser University: Urban Studies
Urban Studies was founded in the early 1990s to provide an inter-disciplinary approach to urban studies, with particular interests in transportation, governance and policy, race, and sustainability issues. It has six faculty, plus associates, and is a graduate program that offers a MA and Graduate Diploma in urban studies on a flexible (part-time or full time basis).
University of Saskatchewan: School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS)
SENS is a research-driven and applied inter-disciplinary program on environment and sustainability issues from both natural and social science perspectives. With respect to the latter, the main emphases relate to environmental governance, community development, resource economics, forest communities, and food systems. SENS has 23 faculty who supervise research-based MA and PhD programs and a course-work based MA program. Its activities are closely connected to the newly renovated Toxicology Centre, the Global Institute for Water Security, the Saskatchewan Isotope lab, and the Historical GIS lab. SENS offers research-based degree options at masters and PhD levels plus a course-work based MA focused on community development.
University of Waterloo: School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED)
SEED focuses on the intersection of environment/sustainability issues with business and development issues. With around 20 faculty, and a substantial support network, SEED offers a wide range of programs that at the graduate level are organized around environment and business, development practice, social innovation, sustainability management, and local economic development. Master’s degrees are offered in these fields, and a graduate diploma in social innovation.
University of Toronto: Graduate Program in Planning
Geography and Planning are combined as one Department, with Geography faculty contributing to the latter. The Department has over 50 faculty (2012), and graduate planning programs feature a MSc in planning, a professional degree accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute; a Master of Urban Design Studies, an advanced degree for established planners; and PhD in Planning. There is a strong focus on research and urban studies from Canadian and international perspectives that embrace wide-ranging (social, political and economic) themes at intra-urban and inter-urban scales. There are several related centres, including the Cities Centrethat was established in 2007,evolving out of the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, to study a wide range of policy issues in Canada and elsewhere. Numerous faculty are affiliated with this centre which offers space and facilities to visiting scholars. The University of Toronto also offers a collaborative graduate program in community development which integrates faculty and graduate students from various disciplines.
Ryerson University: Urban Development (Master of Planning)
This graduate program is located within the School of Urban and Regional Planning with its 13 faculty. The graduate program centres on urban development with a focus on design approaches that integrate multi-cultural and ecological frameworks in the context of contemporary metropolitan regions. The program offers a master of planning accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. In a related initiative, Ryerson has established (2013) Centre for Urban Research and land Development (CURLD) that will study the economic impacts of urban policies in a rapidly urbanizing area of southern Ontario.
Queens University: School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP)
SURP was established in 1970 to offer a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree, with research and professional training components. The program is urban focused, recognized by Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ontario Professional Planners, and has seven full-time faculty plus numerous cross appointments.
McGill University: School of Urban Planning
McGill was the first Canadian university to offer a full program in urban planning in 1947, and an autonomous program was created in 1972 that became the School of Urban Planning in 1976. The School offers a Master of Urban Planning and a specialization in Transportation Planning, and has long standing affiliations with the School of Architecture. The School is recognized by the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Ordre des urbanites du Québec. The school has nine core faculty and about 50 graduate students. Research focuses on urban problems in developing countries as well as Canada.
INRS University: Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre
This research centre is based in Montreal and Quebec city and has almost 40 faculty and around 150 graduate students. There is a strong research emphasis on multiple social and cultural aspects of urbanization, although economic development is also a theme. The Centre offers six graduate and post-graduate programs in urban studies, population studies and mobilization.
Université du Québec at Rimouski (UQAR): Regional Development
Since the late 1960s regional development has been a central focus of UQAR. Basic and applied research has focused on rural development and sustainability, especially in relation to the Lower St. Lawrence, as well as elsewhere, including developing countries. UQAR fosters a multidisciplinary approach to regional development and at the graduate level offers Master’s and PhD programs in regional development.
Dalhousie University: Resource and Environmental Studies (SRES)
Founded in 1973, SRES offers a master of environmental studies and a master of resource and environmental management, both inter-disciplinary programs. SRES has 9 faculty members, about 15-20 students. Research interests are wide-ranging in relation to environmental processes, impacts, and conservation and engage both social science and natural science perspectives. Note also that Dalhousie’s School of Planning, in addition to its undergraduate degree, offers a master of planning and master of planning studies; the former provides a foundation for planners and the latter an option for established planners. These programs have a strong focus on communities, design and Atlantic Canada.
The Metropolis Project
The metropolis project was initiated in 1995 and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to support university-level research centres. The Metropolis Project has been highly successful in developing international networks for comparative research and public policy issues related to migration, diversity, immigration and integration in cities in Canada and around the world. The project is administered by a project team at Immigration Canada (a federal government agency) while research was or is organized at university centres across the country. These centres have archived their research contributions, at the University of British Columbia for example, and some remain active such as the Ontario Metropolitan Centre (CERIS) housed at York University..
Associations
Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG)
The CAG, founded in 1950, has around 1000 members and publishes The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien that include articles (English and French) on regional study type topics. The CAG has an active email circular to keep members informed on a variety of issues and has various study groups, several of which are concerned with regional planning, location dynamics, and environmental management, and which help organize sessions at annual meetings. The CAG would welcome foreign faculty to organize sessions at its meetings.
Its informative web-site is at:
Canadian Regional Science Association (CRSA)
The CRSA, founded in 1977, specializes in the field of regional studies/science from an inter-disciplinary perspective and publishes the Canadian Journal of Regional Science which is now an on-line journal that features articles mainly on Canadian themes (in English and French).
Other Comments
In addition to the organizations mentioned above, the Canadian Institute of Planning has accredited courses at; University of Northern British Columbia; Waterloo University ; York University, Université Laval; Université de Montréal; and the Université du Québec.
The Centre for Spatial Analysis at McMaster University is a RSA type initiative that specializes in quantitative regional analysis.
Some centres have developed significant data bases relevant to regional analysis. For example, at Ryerson University, the Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity has a broad array of location data sets and conducts research on consumer trends in the consumer service sector.
There are think-tanks that undertake research that sometimes has a regional studies orientation. These think tanks include the long established C.D. Howe Institute and the ‘right wing’ Fraser Institute and the ‘left wing’ Centre for Canadian Policy Alternatives.
Contact Information of Country Representative
Dr. Roger Hayter
Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6
Tel.: 1 778 782 3527
Fax.: 1 778 782 5841
Email: