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MBC

Metropolis British Columbia

Metropolis British Columbia (MBC) is one of five Centres of Excellence that make up the Canadian Metropolis Project.  MBC is funded by a consortium of federal government ministries, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the provincial government of British Columbia, and three participating universities (The University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Victoria).  At UBC, the MBC is affiliated with, and located in, the Liu Institute for Global Issues.

Metropolis BC pursues the twin objectives of academic excellence and policy relevance.  The Centre is dedicated to gathering and analyzing new information on immigration and cultural diversity in the British Columbia region.  This basic research is intended to facilitate informed policy making, practice, and public debate on these important issues.  MBC concentrates on five core topics of investigation:

  • Citizenship and Social, Cultural and Civic Integration

  • Economic and Labour Market Integration

  • Housing and Neighbourhoods

  • Justice, Policing and Security

  • Settlement, Integration, and Welcoming Communities

Vancouver's Diversity International education in Vancovuer

 

The research and dissemination activities of MBC build on the work of some 100 affiliated researchers and a broad network that engages with all three orders of government in Canada and representatives of non-governmental organizations dedicated to immigrant settlement and cultural diversity.


MBC is led by two Co-Directors: Daniel Hiebert at UBC and Krishna Pendakur at SFU.  Daniel Hiebert is a Professor of Geography and specializes in research on immigration to Canadian metropolitan areas, particularly the integration of immigrants in labour and housing markets, and the ways that immigration is changing the nature of Canadian cities.  This research is frequently conducted in partnership with government ministries and non-governmental organizations.  Dan is a member of the Joint Federal Provincial Immigration Advisory Council (for BC), and the City of Vancouver Mayor's Task Force on Immigration.  He is also active in international comparative research, especially projects that seek to understand Canadian immigration in relation to policies and outcomes in Australia and Europe.