Typical Projects
By applying multidisciplinary teams, SPR is able to conduct projects in a wide range of areas.
Some illustrative projects are provided below:
- Evaluations and reviews to streamline or reform programs
(in a traditional evaluation framework or in a balanced scorecard-type framework), including:
Evaluation of the Community Inclusion Initiative (CII) (for Social Development Canada, 2004-06);
Evaluation of the Canadian Family Violence Information Clearinghouse (for Health Canada, 1998-99);
Review of the Canada Pension Plan-Disability Component (for Human Resources Development Canada, 1996).
- Surveys to collect basic program or population data, such as
An Evaluation of CMHC's Homeowner Education Training Program (HETP) Pilot, which included Internet, fax and mail surveys
of homeowners to assess the impacts of HETP seminars and CMHC publications (for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 2004);
an Inventory of Income-Tested Programs, which collected descriptions of income-tested programs in all provinces and territories
(for the Ontario Ministry of Finance, 2006);
Survey of Internet Users of the Canadian Pollution Prevention
Clearinghouse (for Environment Canada, 1999); survey of 7,000
Ontario employers on Examining Wages in Predominantly Female
Industries, which collected data on over 30,000 job categories (for the
Ontario Pay Equity Commission, 1989); or the Client Information System for the
Project Haven Evaluation, which collected data for over 9,000 women who
experienced family violence (for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,
1992-94).
- Projects using qualitative methods, such as SPR's
current national study of the need for Labour Market Information in the Canadian supply chain sector;
1999 national focus groups of teachers regarding start-up issues for Exchanges Canada;
studies of Occupational Health and Safety in 20 Ontario businesses (for the
Ontario Workplace Health and Safety Agency, 1995); Evaluation of the
Native Friendship Centre Program which included case studies of Friendship Centres
across Canada (for the Secretary of State, 1988); or case studies of
Canadian housing co-operatives (for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,
1990).
- Projects overcoming linguistic/cultural barriers, such as SPR's
Evaluation of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO), which examined the demand for, and efficiency of,
the clinic's services and its relationship with other legal aid clinics in the province, through telephone interviews
with community groups, clinics, and lawyers (for Legal Aid Ontario, 2006);
a study of health and social service needs of elderly and disabled members of
Manitoba First Nations, which required assessments of health status and
preferences for community home-based support services and nursing home care
from elderly Indians who usually only spoke Cree or Ojibway (for the Manitoba
Chiefs and Indian and Northern Affairs, 1983-86).
- Projects using quantitative methods, such as surveys and econometric analyses conducted as part of an
Evaluation of the Sector Council Program, which examined the role of sector councils in aiding Canada's agenda for
skills development and international competitiveness (for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2005-06);
econometric studies of retirement issues (for HRDC, 1997-98) and Canada Pension Plan issues (for
HRDC, 1996); and studies to estimate the incidence of algae in Ontario
recreational lakes, which modelled chemical and physical characteristics of 5,000 Ontario
lakes, using factor analysis and discriminant analysis (for the Ontario
Ministry of the Environment, 1988-90).