Canadian Plains Research Centre

Canadian Plains Research Centre
Name	Canadian Plains Research Centre
Established	1973
Type	Research institute
Affiliation	University of Regina
Location	Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Canadian Plains Research Centre is a research institute affiliated with the University of Regina focused on the history, culture, and environment of the Canadian Plains. It hosts interdisciplinary scholarship that intersects with studies of Indigenous peoples of Canada, Métis people, First Nations in Saskatchewan, and settler communities across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The centre has contributed to regional heritage preservation, archival collections, and public engagement linked to provincial institutions such as the Saskatchewan Archives Board and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.

History

The centre was founded in 1973 during a period of expansion for the University of Regina and affiliated closely with prairie initiatives like the Prairie School of Liberal Arts and provincial cultural policy from the Government of Saskatchewan. Early leadership included scholars with ties to the Canadian Plains Research Centre’s predecessor programs at the University of Saskatchewan and networks connected to the Association of Canadian Archivists, the Canadian Historical Association, and the Royal Society of Canada. During the 1980s and 1990s the centre collaborated with projects connected to the National Film Board of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and the Hudson's Bay Company archives, reflecting broader trends in Canadian history and regional studies exemplified by initiatives such as the Prairie Provinces Historical Project.

Mission and Research Focus

The centre’s mission emphasizes documentation and interpretation of the cultural landscapes of the Canadian Prairies and engages with topics including Indigenous land claims, Métis nationalism, settler migration patterns tied to the Canadian Pacific Railway, environmental change in the Great Plains, and agricultural transformation connected to organizations like the Canadian Wheat Board. Research areas intersect with studies of the North-West Rebellion, treaties such as the Numbered Treaties, and demographic shifts following events like the Dust Bowl and World War I veteran resettlement. The centre supports scholarship in collaboration with institutions like the Canadian Council of Archives, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Programs and Publications

Programming has included seminars, conferences, and lecture series featuring contributors from the Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Geographical Society, and universities such as the University of Manitoba, University of Alberta, Simon Fraser University, and McGill University. The centre has produced monographs, edited volumes, and working papers with distribution through presses including the University of Regina Press and partnerships with the University of Toronto Press and McClelland & Stewart. Notable publication themes have addressed the North American Fur Trade, prairie cartography linked to the Geological Survey of Canada, and oral histories documented in collaboration with the Métis National Council and the Assembly of First Nations.

Facilities and Collections

Facilities include archive spaces that house manuscript collections, map libraries, and oral history recordings created with communities such as the Cree people, Saulteaux people, Dene people, and Nakota people. The centre’s collections complement holdings at the Saskatchewan Archives, the Glenbow Museum, and the Canadian Museum of History, with materials relevant to the Hudson's Bay Company, homesteading records connected to the Dominion Lands Act, and photographic series documenting settlement patterns associated with the Canadian Northern Railway. Collections serve researchers from institutions including the National Research Council (Canada), the Canadian Studies Network, and the Prairie Metropolis Centre.

Partnerships and Outreach

Outreach initiatives have involved collaboration with the City of Regina, the Saskatchewan Arts Board, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, and indigenous governance bodies such as the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan. The centre has worked alongside museums and cultural organizations including the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, the Manitoba Museum, and community groups like the Regina Multicultural Council to develop exhibitions, educational kits, and public programming tied to events such as Canada Day commemorations and regional heritage months. It maintains academic partnerships with the Canadian Plains Research Centre-associated faculties of the University of Regina and external collaborations with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the Canadian Heritage portfolio.

Notable Projects and Impact

Major projects have included regional oral history initiatives, digital mapping collaborations with the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) community and the Digital Humanities field, and archival digitization funded through grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and provincial ministries such as the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport (Saskatchewan). Case studies undertaken by the centre have influenced municipal planning in Regina, informed heritage designations near sites like Fort Qu'Appelle, and contributed to scholarship on events such as the 1917-1920 influenza pandemic in Canada and prairie environmental responses to the Great Depression (Canada). Its outputs have been cited in work by scholars affiliated with the Canadian Historical Association, the Royal Society of Canada, and international centres studying plains cultures such as the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum.

Category:Research institutes in Saskatchewan