Solidarity among transgender Peruvians and how Black Lives Matter is helping Quebec youth cope with the coronavirus pandemic are among the programs receiving a piece of millions of dollars in COVID-19 research funding from the federal Liberal government.
The $4 million funding package was announced by Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains Monday, to be distributed to 172 different projects in the social sciences and humanities.
“These grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that will inform decision-making in the public, private or not-for-profit sector,” said a news release.
Among the funded research projects is “COVID-19, Serious Leisure, and Risk Tolerance: A case study of a crossfit gym”, which received $24,246 in funding.
Taxpayers will also be billed $25,000 for research on “mapping Canada’s potential to shift to a cycling nation post-pandemic.”
Meanwhile, researchers at McGill University will be given $25,000 to study “how the Black Lives Matter Protests have given Quebec Black young adults a chance to recover from the damaging psychological effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Two University of Toronto researchers, alongside a researcher from Peru’s Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, are getting $24,660 for “Testimonios of COVID-19 Violence and Solidarity among Peruvian Transgender Communities.”
The Liberals also devoted tens of thousands in taxpayer funding to pressing matters like “tackling systemic inequalities through the arts,” “re-conceptualizing young people theatre collaborative playwriting initiative for digitally mediated spaces,” and “music listening habits of Canadians during COVID-19 pandemic.
Other projects which also received funding include:
- COVID-19. Identifying mental wellness needs for racial/ethnic minority factory workers during and post- public health emergencies: to inform COVID-19 response – $25,000
- COVID 19 The Stream You Step In: Creating a Communal Theatre Experience in the Time of COVID – $19,942
- COVID-19 and Sex Trafficking: Understanding Intersections and Amplification of Precarity for Survivors of Labour Exploitation in the Sex Industry in the Durham Region – $24,498
- COVID-19: Advocating for resiliency through understanding the differential impacts of COVID-19 for Black Montrealers – $24,508
The funding is coming through the Partnership Engage Grants COVID-19 Special Initiative. First announced in May, the program is overseen by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
“SSHRC’s investment in these diverse partnered research projects will advance critical knowledge needed to address the impacts of COVID-19 and the social, cultural and economic challenges facing citizens, communities and businesses in Canada and around the world,” said SSHRC President Ted Hewitt.
A full list of the award recipients can be found on the SSHRC website.
