The Winnipeg Inner-City Research Alliance (WIRA) was formed in 1999 by a diverse group of academic and community partners who came together to combine their strengths and resources in promoting the development of sustainable inner-city neighbourhoods. WIRA taps into the expertise of all its members, recognizing the strengths of taking a partnership approach. Above all WIRA is committed to fostering innovative research, training and related activities that work toward the social, cultural and economic development of Winnipeg's inner city communities.

WIRA was founded with a number of interests in mind. It was seen both as a forum to exchange ideas about inner-city issues, and as a body to undertake diverse initiatives to respond to these issues. The initiative would address a wide range of topics, including housing, community development, cross-cultural approaches to education, child and youth issues, health and economic development, while drawing people together to build partnerships, build ideas, and strengthen community capacity. Although the focus is on Winnipeg's inner city, this type of research is relevant to many other Canadian cities as well.

In February, 2001 the WIRA coalition was awarded funding under the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's CURA grant program. The three-year grant includes a substantial contribution from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) Sustainable Housing supplement.

WIRA applied for and received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for a further two-year “Completion Grant”.

In the spring of 2006 WIRA became responsible for support and administration of funding for the Manitoba component of the initiative “Linking, Learning, Leveraging: Social Enterprises, Knowledgeable Economies, and Sustainable Communities”. This is a five-year research initiative headed by Dr. Lou Hammond Ketilson at the Centre for the Study of Cooperatives, University of Saskatchewan, in partnership with other Canadian universities and community and cooperative organizations. The initiative is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and covers the geographic area of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northern Ontario. More information on the Linking, Learning Leveraging initiative at Centre for the Study of Co-operatives

For more information about the Manitoba component of the initiative download Linking, Learning, Leveraging Program Overview: Manitoba Area.

The WIRA Research Program

WIRA pairs community groups with established researchers to undertake action-oriented research that meets community needs. The initiative draws on the resources and expertise of the local community, including a diverse range of community-based organizations, academics and researchers, and policy makers. Under the program, all community stakeholders work together to identify and address key issues in the inner city. The initiative funds a number of community-based research projects that will ultimately improve the quality of life in the inner city.

Research conducted under the WIRA program covers a wide range of topic areas, and focuses on issues identified as most important by the community. Research projects will address the physical environment of inner city neighbourhoods as well as the social needs of the people who live there. The objective is to fund local research that will improve policy and program development.

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