Report

Women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs are vital to Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In Canada, these businesses contribute about $150 billion to the economy and hire more than 1.5 million people (Cukier, Hassannezhad Chavoushi, et al., 2022). Supporting women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs’ empowerment boosts the economy and improves social and environmental outcomes (Cukier, Hassannezhad Chavoushi, et al., 2022; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 2022).

In 2023, the Grey Bruce Local Immigration Partnership (GBLIP) partnered with the Research Shop, part of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) at the University of Guelph, to conduct their Immigrant Survey 2023. The Immigrant Survey is a collaborative project involving 12 Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) across Canada. Each LIP conducted a similar survey in their own region to better understand their community, the needs of newcomers, and the impact of their collective work. The primary objectives of the Grey Bruce Immigrant Survey 2023 were to: 

Since January 2023, the Guelph Lab has been working with the City Clerk’s Office to create a Governance Framework for the City’s Advisory Committees of Council (ACOCs). This collaboration responds to the Clerk’s Office’s interest in gaining a deeper understanding of the form and function of the City's ACOCs, and in providing a tool to guide ACOCs’ future development.

The Research Shop at the University of Guelph and members of the Perinatal Mental Health Coalition of the Waterloo Region collaborated to better understand the use of perinatal mental health screening tools for pregnant, expecting, and new parents/guardians in the Waterloo region. The Perinatal Mental Health Coalition helps new and expecting parents within the Waterloo region receive the mental health supports that they need, throughout all stages of pregnancy and post-partum life.

Since 2018, Community Living Organizations across Southwestern Ontario, as well as colleagues from Sunbeam Community and Developmental Services, have partnered with the Research Shop, part of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) at the University of Guelph for a multi-year research project.

In December 2022, Wyndham House partnered with the Research Shop at the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute to conduct a program evaluation of their concurrent specialized youth hub (the Hub). The Hub offers low-barrier, complex-capable care for homeless youth under the age of 25 navigating mental health challenges and substance use issues. This evaluation study examined the impact of the Hub in accordance with guidelines set by current and future funders and collected feedback from clients, staff, and key stakeholders to inform services and programs moving forward.

Between 2021-23, student researchers, Tanja Samardzic and Britanny Pompilii, from the University of Guelph’s Community Engaged Scholarship Institute, were engaged to work with Sustainable Livelihoods Canada in the development of an Annotated Bibliography and an associated Literature Review. The work of the student researchers was supervised by Dr. Mary Ferguson of Eko Nomos, an independent consultancy.

Compass Community Services (CCS) provides a range of mental health and social support services to the Guelph–Wellington community and the surrounding area. One unique, free service offered by CCS is the TeleConnect program, an outbound call service providing emotional support, socialization, wellness checks, medication reminders, motivation, and assistance with accessing resources to isolated community members on a daily basis. Most referrals for TeleConnect come from health care providers who are unable to provide the level of support required by clients.

Since 2021, the Guelph Lab has worked with the City of Guelph on several research initiatives related to the City’s Advisory Committees of Council (ACOC).

Public washrooms are important for everyone in Guelph, but washrooms aren’t always available and not everyone has access to washrooms when they need them. Sometimes people are forced to go outside, especially in the Downtown area. Other people may be forced to stay at home if public washrooms are closed or not accessible to them.