University of Saskatchewan 

The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) formalized an opportunity to enhance their respective roles and effectiveness with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on September 25, 2007. The MOA was renewed on September 22, 2010, for an additional three-year period.

Context

It is widely recognized that substance abuse and addictions have a negative impact on the social, health and economic well-being of Canadians, and that effective partnerships between educational institutions and non-governmental organizations can promote the development of leading-edge research, policies and programs that reduce the harm associated with alcohol and other drugs.

CCSA and the U of S have identified an opportunity to enhance their respective roles and effectiveness through a cooperative arrangement that brings together the unique strengths of each organization. As part of its provincial action plan for substance abuse, the Government of Saskatchewan established a Research Chair in Substance Abuse at the U of S to help increase what is known about substance abuse issues and how best to treat them. The agreement between CCSA and the U of S provides a bridge between academic excellence and the field of addictions.

Highlights of Activities to Date

Current and Ongoing Collaborations:

• The U of S is a member of the Ethics Committee for CCSA’s 2011 Issues of Substance (IOS) conference. The U of S, CCSA and other partners are also working to organize a national networking session on Aboriginal women's addictions treatment and knowledge translation, which is set to take place in conjunction with IOS 2011.
• In June 2010, a collaboration between CCSA, the U of S, the University of Calgary, the University of Regina and additional community partners received research funding from the Alberta Centre for Child, Family & Community Research for a two-year project to examine the role of equine-assisted learning (EAL) in the treatment of volatile solvent abuse among Indigenous youth. In collaboration with this project, Dr. Randy Duncan received a Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship in 2011 to develop a culturally competent measure of EAL effectiveness with First Nations youth.
• The BC Centre for Excellence in Women’s Health, CCSA, the U of S and the University of South Australia are working to increase the understanding of sex, gender and diversity differences in substance use and addictions. These groups offered a virtual community of practice for The National Framework for Action to Reduce the Harms Associated with Alcohol and Other Drugs and Substances in Canada; a document entitled Applying a Sex/Gender/Diversity-based Analysis Within the National Framework for Action to Reduce the Harms Associated With Alcohol and Other Drugs and Substances in Canada was also created as part of this work. The possibility of offering a second virtual community of practice is being explored.
• CCSA is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Saskatchewan Team for Research and Evaluation of Addictions Treatment and Mental Health Services (STREAM), which is led by the U of S. Specific linkage is being made between CCSA’s Systems Approach Workbook and STREAM’s development of an evaluation manual.
• The U of S is a member of the following CCSA-led advisory groups:
  • National Advisory Group on Youth Substance Abuse Prevention
  • National Alcohol Strategy Advisory Committee
  • National Treatment Strategy Leadership Team
  • National Low Risk Drinking Guidelines Expert Advisory Panel (Chair)
  • Brief Intervention and Referral Advisory Committee and Project Team
• The community-based research project entitled, Aboriginal Women Drug Users in Conflict with the Law: A Study of the Role of Self-Identity in the Healing Journey, is funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and led by the U of S in partnership with CCSA and the National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation (NNAPF). This project examines the role that identity and stigma have in the healing journeys of criminalized Aboriginal women in treatment for illicit drug abuse at National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program centres across the country.
  • In 2008, additional funding was received for the project from the U of S Indigenous Peoples Health Research Centre to involve community members with lived experience in the analysis of project data. The first findings focused on helpful traits and characteristics of staff in residential treatment and are available as a fact sheet and journal article.
  • Released in November 2009, “From Stilettos to Moccasins”, a song sung by Violet Naytowhow and written in collaboration with Aboriginal women healing from illicit drug abuse and problems with the law, has been shared widely across the country and internationally. Findings from the project were presented at CCSA’s 2009 IOS conference and the 2010 Healing Our Spirit conference and, as of March 2011 the song has been viewed more than 15,000 times on YouTube and 7,000 hard copies have been distributed.
  • Funding was awarded in 2009 from the National Network on Aboriginal Mental Health Research to design and evaluate knowledge dissemination tools from the project, including a residential and community discussion guide regarding the role of identity and stigma in Aboriginal women’s healing. This half-day workshop has been pilot tested at eight treatment and community facilities in Canada and a 2010 Knowledge Dissemination grant has been submitted to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for broad dissemination.
  • In June 2010, with support from CCSA, NNAPF and the U of S, YWCA Saskatoon Women of Distinction Awards were presented to research team members Colleen Anne Dell, Research Chair in Substance Abuse & Associate Professor at the U of S Department of Sociology & School of Public Health, and Sharon Acoose, Assistant Professor at the First Nations University of Canada School of Indian Social Work, for their unique leadership in translating the findings of the study into song.
• In the area of youth volatile solvent abuse, the U of S provides media expertise to CCSA.
• CCSA provides media and library support to the U of S Research Chair in Substance Abuse.

Previous Collaborations:

• In 2010–2011, CCSA contracted U of S researchers and a student from the School of Public Health to develop the first Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (CCENDU) report for the city of Saskatoon.
• In September 2010, CCSA and the U of S co-hosted CCSA’s inaugural Bill Deeks Lecture. The lecture, available on podcast, focused on how to create a culture of moderation for young adults by exploring young adults’ perceptions of alcohol, marketing and advertising of alcohol and its influence on drinking patterns, and strategies for drinking safely in social settings. A post-graduate student from the U of S School of Public Health is evaluating the event for her thesis.
• In 2008, CCSA and the U of S, in collaboration with national and international partners, were awarded a Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) International Opportunities Fund. The objective was to bring together expertise from Canada, the United States, Australia and Mexico to develop an international research program specific to the treatment of and healing from volatile solvent abuse for Indigenous youth, and to share the success of the Canadian experience. Outcomes of this grant include:
  • Information-sharing video sessions from each of the participating countries in the topic area.
  • In collaboration with additional national and international partners, the securing of a Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Aboriginal Peoples' Health from CIHR in 2009 focusing on the impacts of stigma and discrimination.
  • A letter of intent for a SSHRC Partnerships Grant focusing on the role of digital technology in volatile solvent abuse treatment and prevention was subsequently developed by the original and additional partners, including New Zealand, and was submitted for review in 2010.
  • The forthcoming publication (June 2011) of a special issue of the Substance Use & Misuse Journal entitled, “Global Issues in Volatile Substance Misuse", which will be guest edited by Dr. Colleen Dell (U of S), Dr. Steve Gust (National Institute on Drug Abuse, International Program) and Dr. Sarah MacLean (Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre).
• In 2008, the U of S and CCSA jointly presented to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Community Epidemiology Working Group, on drug surveillance in Canada in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
• The U of S, CCSA and other partners organized a national networking session on women's treatment, harm reduction and prevention in conjunction with CCSA's IOS conference in November 2007.
• In 2007, the U of S participated in CCSA’s educational and training experts consultation in Toronto on Core Competencies for the Substance Abuse Field.

This agreement expires on September 21, 2013, and can be renewed with the consent of both parties.