Research & Outreach

We work in collaboration with universities, organizations, workers, and governments to build understanding and spread awareness of the realities and impacts of precarious work.

Interested in collaborating on a research project? Contact us.

Undocumented Workers

Our focus on precarious work has led us to supporting workers with precarious immigration statuses.

Toolkit for Undocumented Workers in Edmonton

This toolkit is a collection of resources intended to support residents of Edmonton with precarious immigration status in accessing necessary services. Toolkit resources are updated periodically and available in four languages: English, Español, Punjabi, and Tagalog.

Undocumented Needs Assessment Survey

We continue to gather information from undocumented families across Alberta in order to understand what resources are available and what is still needed.

Take the survey now / Realice la encuesta ahora

Completed Projects

Surviving the Canadian Dream: Stories of Undocumented Families in Edmonton

A multi-media project that expresses the experiences of eight undocumented families in Edmonton. Includes podcast interviews and original artwork.
Un proyecto multimedia que expresa las experiencias de ocho familias indocumentadas en Edmonton. Incluye entrevistas en podcast y obras de arte originales.

Visit project page: Surviving the Canadian Dream
Precarious Workers & Precarious Housing

This report investigates the current and ongoing challenges the migrant worker community in Edmonton face around homelessness and housing insecurity. Using Participatory Action Research, research team members from AWARE, Migrante-Alberta and York University made sure to involve the migrant worker community throughout the research process by holding research training workshops and by analyzing the data collaboratively. Overall, research team members conducted 22 interviews with migrant workers and 5 interviews with representatives of settlement/faith organizations.

Download PDF: Precarious Workers & Precarious Housing
City of Edmonton State of Immigration and Settlement Research

As part of the City of Edmonton's State of Immigration and Settlement report series, we conducted research into the lived experiences of migrants with precarious status. "In Our Voices" is the report prepared for the City of Edmonton by AWARE, Migrante Alberta, and Dr. Lucenia Ortiz. "Hidden Lives and Unheard Voices" is the final report from the City of Edmonton.

Download PDF: In Our Voices report
Direct Care Work and Occupational Health and Safety

AWARE has contributed to research that compares the experiences of unionized and non-unionized personal support workers, health-care aides, and in-home care providers.
This work is also aligned with BC-based research from the Migrant Care Workers Precarity Project, including the report A Decade of of Migrant Care Worker Programs – Addressing Racism and Precarity in Canada.

Go to Policy Brief: Ensuring the Success of the New Care Worker Pilots: Applying Lessons from the Past