PUBLICATIONS

TASSC – Publications . Engaging

Our Publications

TARP Research Approach

From the very beginning, TARP was committed to a community-based research approach. There are two basic characteristics of this approach:
It involves Aboriginal community representatives assuming key decision-making roles in overseeing all aspects of the research. The TARP Report was overseen by the TARP Research Steering Committee. The research is designed to be useful to the community.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

The TARP Report uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches to gain a more complete understanding of the Toronto Indigenous community. Quantitative methods (survey questionnaire and structured interviews) are used in combination with qualitative methods (focus groups, life histories, case studies and Photovoice) to gain a broad-based in-depth understanding of the situation of Aboriginal people residing in Toronto.

​How to Use the TARP Report

The TARP Report is organized around specific research topics, as set out by the TARP Steering Committee. Each topic forms a chapter. The TARP report is a resource for students, policy makers, government officials, Indigenous organizations, program administrators, and Aboriginal peoples.

Click here for the Report

To Higher Ground is a follow-up and a reflection on the impact of the Toronto Aboriginal Research Project (TARP) report published in 2011. In it we look back and look forward at some fundamental issues that continue to cause problems for many in our community. The report is released to spur efforts that promote Indigenous prosperity in the City of Toronto and area.
The report reflects the voices of 1,000 Indigenous community members and stakeholders.  It raises issues and sets the stage for a conversation and actions to address them.  We hope To Higher Ground starts a dialogue on the substantive structural changes necessary to improve outcomes.
To Higher Ground is now being widely distributed. You can download a digital copy here. We encourage you to share it with your networks.
TASSC is currently engaged in implementing aspects of this report. The focus of this effort will be in creating financial empowerment to those served by our respective agencies. We trust all who receive and consider this report, will try to assist as allies to address the issues raised.

Click here for the Report

In the Fall of 2022, the Toronto Aboriginal Support Service Council (TASSC) worked with the City of Toronto to create this Toronto Urban Indigenous Engagement Toolkit in support of meaningful, inclusive, and equitable engagement with Indigenous peoples and communities.

This will support City staff in understanding how Indigenous community members living in Toronto choose to be involved from start to finish … Click here for the Toolkit

All Our Voices is a community-driven project with the aim of understanding how to increase access to social services, with a focus on inclusion for all Indigenous peoples in Toronto. The All Our Voices research was done in partnership between Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC) and the Well Living House.

TASSC is a leading not-for-profit research, policy, and advocacy organization with the mission to address the social determinants of Indigenous health and wellbeing in the City of Toronto. The Well Living House is an action research centre for Indigenous infants, children, and their families, located at the Centre for Urban Health Solutions of St. Michael’s Hospital and co-governed by St. Michael’s Hospital and an Indigenous Counsel of Grandparents … Click here for the Final Report 

Two-Spirit is a term coined in the early 1990s by Indigenous community members to replace the derogatory term berdache. French settlers used this term after first contact to describe any Indigenous person who did not conform to colonial gender and sexuality norms. European colonials judged the Two-Spirit identity as immoral and disgusting. They forced Two-Spirit people to conform to European sexual and gender constructs, or be killed … Click here for the Booklet

TASSC has prepared this document for Ontario’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation (MIRR) to demonstrate how our work builds the capacity of Toronto’s Indigenous communities.
Over the past 20 years, TASSC grew from an advocacy and information-sharing network to a registered non-profit working as an Indigenous planning table, a research and social policy collective, and a legitimate voice and authority on issues pertaining to local community building.
Each of TASSC’s member agencies are accountable to the community through their own membership structures. In addition to evaluating our effectiveness through measurable strategic goals and deliverables, The community hears from the council quarterly on the action taken to address their recommendations and directives. This document provides examples of TASSC’s work and its outcomes and impacts.