Practice

I believe that sociology provides the world with valuable knowledge. Unfortunately, we are not always the greatest at ensuring that people have this knowledge when they need it. A couple of the best ways to overcome this are to collaborate outside our discipline and sector, and to actively participate in the communities in which we live and work. In recent years, I have had the privilege of supporting and/or leading many research initiatives beyond the academy.  

 
 
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UPSTREAM: INSTITUTE FOR A HEALTHY SOCIETY

In 2013, a number of us worked alongside Saskatoon-based family doctor, Ryan Meili, author of  A Healthy Society: How a Focus on Health Can Revive Canadian Democracy, to found the think tank Upstream: Institute for a Healthy Society. Simply put, Canadians care deeply about their health, and the health of their loved ones. Upstream strives to bridge the gap between laymen and expert knowledge of the social determinants of health in order to get them excited about the importance of politics and social policy in their lives. I served as the organization's first Policy Director from 2013 until 2015. 

 
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Living Wage Saskatoon

Through my work as the Policy Director at Upstream, I met many extraordinary people and became involved in a number of community lead research efforts, some of which I continue to be involved with to this day. In 2015, I calculated the living wage for Saskatoon, and made the business case for said wage in a widely shared report. In 2016, I updated these calculations for Saskatoon and worked closely with partners in Regina to calculate the Living Wage for that city, and nearby Weyburn. These days, Living Wage Saskatoon is working on an accreditation process for recognizes and celebrating living wage employers in our community. 

 
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poverty Costs Saskatchewan

Poverty Costs Saskatchewan was a campaign to raise awareness about the costs of poverty in Saskatchewan and to give the people of Saskatchewan a chance to voice their support for a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy. I calculated the $3.8 billion cost of poverty figure for Saskatchewan that became the focal point of the campaign. Following months of public campaigning and behind the scenes collaboration with policy makers, one of the my proudest moments of my career as a researcher came when the Government of Saskatchewan committed to creating a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy in late 2014.