Research Shop

Rapid response research contributed to a Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination research profile that examines different furniture bank models, the impacts of furniture banks, and the need for a furniture bank in Guelph and Wellington.

This report presents the findings of a research team from the Research Shop on the emergency food service system in Guelph-Wellington. Strengths and weaknesses of the current system, local programs and services to improve food security, and best practices and new strategies in emergency food provision and food security are discussed.

This rapid response research brief for the Guelph Wellington Food Round Table provides a literature review and environmental scan of communication strategies used for promoting food security in Ontario, identifying methods that have been found to be useful.

This review of the social science literature identifies successful and unsuccessful strategies for promoting community-level energy efficiency. It was conducted to identify best practices for promoting energy efficient behaviour at the community-level, as well as promoting recruitment/outreach to community-level energy efficiency programs.

Together with the Healthy Communitites Ontario Fund, the Research Shop conducted a scan of the types of collaborations related to healthy communities that exist in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG). This comprehensive report provides insight into the current state of collaborations in WDG, including their key characteristics and strategic approaches, as well as an analysis of strengths and challenges of existing collaborations.

This research explored and compared community energy plans from six single-tier municipalities in Ontario including Kingston, Hamilton, Windsor, London, Peterborough, and Sault Ste. Marie. A Community Energy Plan (CEP) is a publicly available document that outlines different ways communities aim to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and drive economic development (Community Energy Planning, 2018). The goals of this research were to examine initiatives being pursued through CEPs with an emphasis on the role of the municipality, and with an eye toward innovative approaches.

Based on a literature review, key informant interviews, and an online survey of collaboration needs and priorities among participating organizations, this report presents the highlights from the research findings, beginning with a definition of collaboration.

This report examines outcomes of integration in children services using a review of the grey and academic literature, as well as informational interviews conducted with four Ontario child welfare agencies.

Prepared for in motion in collaboration with the Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination, this report presents results from a survey of service providers on policies and procedures related to affordable access to recreation. Implications for removing barriers to physical activity are discussed.

This rapid response research for the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy addresses the ways in which programs and shelters in cities closer in size to Guelph manage harm reduction and/or needle exchange programs, as well as issues related to health and safety.