Intergovernmental Committee on Urban and Regional Research

The Canadian Intergovernmental Committee on Urban and Regional Research (ICURR), located in Toronto, Ontario was established in 1968 following a Federal-Provincial Conference on Housing and Urban Development for the purpose of exchanging information between policy-makers on urban, rural, and regional matters between provincial governments across Canada and at all levels of government. Not all provinces and territories were initially contributing members until the late 1970s when ICURR was formally established through an Order of Council with Ontario and Memorandums of Agreement between ICURR and all provinces and territories, except Nunavut, which was created after this time.

Presently, ICURR is funded by all Canadian provinces and territories as well as supported at the federal level by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

The Committee provides support to local and regional governments as well as private and non-profit companies through the subsidized Muniscope service. Subscription fees cover the rest of the operating costs of providing information and networking services. Current services include a lending library, focussing on local, regional, and municipal government, planning (urban, rural, environmental and regional), and housing, primarily in Canada; research services; and a monthly newsletter, the Liaison, which was resurrected after a long hiatus in March 2007. The Liaison is published 8 times per year.

In the past, ICURR independently produced research reports as well as collaborated on research reports with the Institute of Public Administrators of Canada (IPAC), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC).

ICURR also facilitates the planning and web space for the annual Meeting of Ministers' Responsible for Local Government.

Present staff include a librarian, Mark Phillip Rose; two researchers, Monika Ruffolo and Mathieu Rivard; and an executive director, Richard Copeland.

Past staff members have included: Sarah Nichols, Christianne Sawruk, Catherine Marchand, John Slatcher, Heidi Stock, Michael Afar, Andre Lanteigne, Nicki Weinberg, Wayne Berry, Claude Marchand, Monica Hope, Michel Gauvin, Gilbert Héroux, and Vicky Gregor.

References

http://www.muniscope.ca [http://www.muniscope.ca]
http://www.canurb.com/general/info_urbanresources.php#icouarr [http://www.canurb.com/general/info_urbanresources.php#icouarr]