Monday September 25, 2000

1:30 -4:30 pm

1. Approval of Agenda:

-no opposition

2. Report of Research Groups:

I/ Historical: R. Widdis and L. Dale (presented by L. Dale)

Have developed a "finders guide":

• Department of Agriculture Ag/Rep Reports (1944-1974)
• Indexed according to year and location
• Outlines Ag/Rep concerns regarding agricultural conditions of their area
• Contains information on "how to farm", supporting agricultural legislation etc.
• Is available on computer disk

Have developed an idex of files relating to the Agricultural Society:

• Ie. Fairs; improved seed/livestock; charity work; homemaker files (letters to Dept. of Agriculture regarding community concerns)

II/ Policy, Institutions: P. Diaz and M. Nelson

*See handout regarding 1987 survey conducted in Coderre, Wishart, Naicam and Stewart Valley.

• Data set is very clean; very good useable questions
• P. Diaz discussed the need to define the theoretical concepts of social cohesion which should be used in the survey. Need to establish a consensus with regard to question selection
• Need to choose the communities (end of October)
• Potential criteria for community selection:
• Regional distribution (NE/SW)
• Farm production
• Population change
• Should perhaps bring in someone who really knows S. SK communities

III/ Social Organizations

B. Powell:

• Research Assistant (Terri) spent the summer researching women's organizations: agricultural and rural life (1911-1952)
• Examined submissions by Homemaker's club- detailed notes in Royal Commission
• Extensive archival work regarding women's organizations as official voices and activists within the communities
• Has overview
• Is meeting on a once a month basis with the Women's Secretariat/ Stat's Canada study re: project on unpaid household work, childcare arrangements. This feeds into measures of social cohesion, stresses on families

B. Rutherford:

• Research Assistant is going through secondary sources to get a sense of which groups have been involved (civil engagements).
• The history and roles of farming groups in such areas as education and labour and how this has changed
• Examine how these groups have acted in a "godfather" role within the community: have been lobbyists for different sectors, such as disability and labour (Pallisers Wheat Growers Association, Boy Scouts, church groups)
• Difficult to continue without knowing the communities

IV/ Education and Training

K. Quinlan and A Bockarie

*see handout on various federal statutes and provincial Acts on education and training

• Need to determine communities
• Various government acts do not disclose the resulting programs that were created- need to review the plans and programs which followed
• Problem with overlapping jurisdictions in some acts (federal/provincial

V/ Economy

M. Jones

• In collaboration with research assistant, V. Singh, worked over the summer compiling reports on the elasticities involved in the "scissor gap"
• Examining Crow Rate, WTO/Free Trade, grain mega-terminals, rail-line abandonment, land prices/taxes (and others) in terms of historical influences, developments and changes in rural communities (in the processes)
• Research Assistant, Stacey Kadyschuk, will now be examining marketing boards.

VI/ Physical Environment

D. Sauchyn

• Research Assistant, Sam Kennedy, has resurrected the department's geographic database of Saskatchewan as it is in need of upgrade/replacement.
• Vendors are willing to replace the database (initially purchased in 1993) at no cost. Furthermore, they will provide new map sheets at a cost of $25, the "new" academic institution price. These will be digital 1:50,000 national topographic series maps.
• The data is location specific, therefore need to pick communities ASAP.
• D. Sauchyn suggests Vanguard as a potential community due to its vulnerability to climate change (ex. Flood of 2000). These event may become more prevalent.
• Student, J. Stroik, is currently working on compiling a climate database: will be able to examine historical changes as well as use it as a predictive tool

VII/ Indicators

D. Gauthier and A. McPhee

• Spent the summer accumulating local, national and international indicators of sustainability (look for 52 page report outlining various indicators)
• Need to select those indicators which would best reflect issues of sustainability and cohesion in S. SK.
• Also need to select communities in order to determine the availability of statistics (spatial and temporal)
• Discovered "Sustainable Communities Indicators Program" (SCIP) created by Environment Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Demonstration provided. It is a program that allows communities, educators, planners etc. to create, select, analyse and report indicators. It comes with a set of ``core" indicators that are periodically updated. It is free software available at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/scip-pidd/

2. Open Discussion on Work Plan

• Need to choose the communities:

How many? Do we choose six or use the two national communities and only select four?

What criteria did the national project use? What are their sampling strategies? What are their objectives?

• What will be the criteria for selection?

1. Agricultural production zones
2. Population change
3. Periphery/ peri-urban
4. Level/ trend of production
5. First Nations

• We need a spatial overview of the criteria elements; a stratification of the criteria in order to narrow down potential areas for the next meeting
• Will be prepared by the research assistants with a time-line of two weeks
• Research Assistants will create a base map with agricultural zones, population change, First Nation communities and place names.
• Researchers need to think of potential communities they would like to see examined and be prepared to discuss the rational behind the decision for next meeting

4. October Social Cohesion Workshop- Oct 27^th/28^th Toronto

• Will discus problems associated with approaches, methodology and theory
• Are there any other entries that could be brought to the table? (R. Widdis)
• Terms that need theoretical clarification by all researchers as soon as possible:

1. Sustainability
2. Community
3. Regions
4. Social Cohesion

• Is the issue of community selection the same across Canada?

5. Administrative Issues

Hiring: Any problems?

• Remember to keep track of hours and budgetary constraints

Notebooks: those who did not receive one in the spring can now do so if they wish

• Follow guidelines from past meetings and check out selection and price yourself
• Original notebooks came from Micro-Warehouse (web site)
• Need an actual quote
• Arrange through Lorraine (CPRC) and she will arrange it through purchasing
• Any problems should be reported within the warranty period- arrange through technician over the phone first
• If you have to send it back, word of advice: save all important files first

Data Sets and Lists of Reference: Information sharing:

• Will set up a web site with the capability to post information
• D. Sauchyn will set this up and a research assistant (Jennifer?) will tend to upkeep.
• Need to send an HTML file to D. Sauchyn initially. Please include as the file name, the title you wish the information to be viewed as.
• Eventually will have to hire a Web Master as this will be changing to a public site

5. Other

Interdisciplinary Aspect of Project

• We need to think of ways that other researchers and students can become actively involved, a "Productive Team Approach". Ex: lunch seminars- bring in a speaker once a month to discuss one aspect of the project. Needs to be interactive 15 min presentation followed by discussion.
• R. Widdis has offered to initiate this- send possible topics to him.
• Slate for beginning of January

Next Meeting

• Tentative: Friday October 20^th in the afternoon.
• Please confirm with D. Gauthier (Lorraine)