The Community Transformations Project is a multi-year research project led by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, in partnership with the Community Data Program and the Energy Mix. The project includes an interactive map which ranks Canadian communities according to their susceptibility to market and workforce transformations that are likely to arise as Canada and the world move toward net-zero emissions. The map itself focuses on the likelihood of workforce disruption, which will be a key driver of community disruption. Several policy briefs will accompany the map, exploring areas such as community economic development, skills training, and Employment Insurance. A series of community profiles will provide local insights and perspectives, and in-depth expert-led studies will tackle a variety of related topics. The overall goal of this project is to inform government decision-making and empower communities and workers.

This webinar will present a draft version of the interactive map and provide early insights into the project’s research findings, with an opportunity for participants to provide feedback that will improve the map’s functionality and the usefulness of the policy briefs.

During this webinar, we would like to get feedback on the map's functionality and user experience, clarity, and usefulness to inform improvements prior to publication. We would also like to discuss some early research findings related to the community economic development policy brief. The IRPP will present the methodology behind the map, including data sources, limitations, and potential use cases. We will provide some early results and insights from the data and showcase a draft version of the map. This will be followed by an open discussion with the working group.

Date: Tuesday, September 10th, 2024, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm ET 

Intended audience: Anyone who is interested in community planning, local economic development and workforce development. From policy makers to data analysts, this workshop hopes to engage members of the Community Data Program's consortium who are interested in exploring an early version of the tool prior to public release and providing constructive feedback on the project components, including the methodology, the map's interface, and the community economic development policy brief. 

Presenters: 

Ricardo Chejfec is a policy researcher and the lead data analyst at the IRPP.
Rachel Samson is the vice president of research at the IRPP.