Research Assistant - Survey of Municipal Climate Action in Canada

312 Main Research Shop is a program within SFU CERi that facilitates collaboration between SFU graduate students and non-profit/community groups. It is focused on supporting research projects that provide plain-language answers to community-driven research questions at low or no cost to the community partner.

The Climate Reality Project Canada (CRPC) is dedicated to catalyzing a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society. We focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through education and grassroots action. With branches in 10 countries, including Canada, our mission is to empower citizens to become effective catalysts for change in their communities.

The Research Assistant will support CRPC’s National Climate League (NCL) by conducting research on municipal climate action and public engagement across Canada. The NCL is a participatory data collection project that is meant to encourage transparency and accountability from local governments around climate action. This role will focus on how local governments can create meaningful public engagement processes on climate. The findings will inform various CRPC resources, especially creating advocacy resources for our network to push for more extensive and meaningful public involvement in climate decision-making at the local level. 

• Conduct background research on participatory democracy and climate decision-making

• Identify 4-5 case studies of innovative participatory or deliberative climate democracy processes led by Canadian municipalities 

• Conduct interviews with municipal climate and sustainability staff from those 4-5 municipalities to gather qualitative data on these case studies 

• Conduct interviews with 4-5 members of CRPC’s network of climate-engaged citizens, analyzing the barriers (and enablers) they experience around participating in public engagement processes led by their local government 

• Prepare a comprehensive report summarizing these 4-5 case studies as well as barriers citizens face 

• Collaborate with CRPC staff to transform the report into various formats such as a toolkit, infographics, social media content, a short video, and webinars.

• Graduate degree (MA or PhD) in a related field such as Environmental Studies, Public Policy, Urban Planning, or a related field. MA students who are near completion and current PhD students are encouraged to apply.

• Strong research skills, including experience with qualitative and quantitative methods.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to analyze and synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insights.

• Proficiency in using digital tools for research and data collection.

• Experience with public engagement, climate policy, or municipal governance is an asset.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a remote team environment.

• Opportunity to contribute to meaningful climate action at a national level.

• Gain experience in research, policy analysis, and public engagement.

• Collaborate with a passionate and dedicated team.

• Flexible working hours to accommodate academic commitments.

• Please send a current CV, writing sample, and application form to Joanna Habdank, Program Manager at SFU CERi: joanna_habdank@sfu.ca
• Candidates from equity seeking groups, including Black, Indigenous and racialized people, people facing accessibility barriers, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people and people from low-income backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. 
• Application Deadline: The closing date for applications is July 31st, 2024
• Application form link: https://forms.gle/uhq9vw6kuthjpryAA