PRA’s Winnipeg office is on Treaty One Territory, the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Red River Métis. Our Ottawa office is on the unceded and unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. PRA recognizes that research has been complicit in supporting colonialism. We are committed to learning how we can better collaborate with Indigenous peoples in research that is respectful of their communities, cultures, and knowledge.
Our contribution to community building
We are continuously amazed by the generosity of our staff.
We encourage volunteerism among our staff, whether they wish to volunteer on their personal time, organize good ol’ bake sales at the office or run, walk or cycle together to raise funds for specific causes that are dear to them.
We give directly to a number of organizations. We also encourage giving back to our community by matching employee donations. For example, for decades, we have matched employee donations to the United Way Winnipeg. Every week, our Ottawa staff pools funds on Casual Fridays, we match that and they draw a recipient from among their favourite charities.
For decades, our company has been a big supporter of the arts community in Winnipeg. Partners and staff have supported artists via Winnipeg Arts Council events, volunteered and contributed in-kind as well as financially to help organizations such as: the Plug In ICA Gallery, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Prairie Theatre Exchange.
Finally, we believe in paving the way for the next generation of social researchers. To that end, for several years, we have contributed to the Canadian Evaluation Society Educational Fund.
Doing our part for the environment
Efforts toward energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and diversion are evident in practically all of our activities.
Like many workplaces, we have a recycling program where employees are asked to collect their recyclable material such as newspapers, glass or plastic bottles and aluminum/tin cans so that they can be recycled. We pay for the collection of these recyclable materials.
We attempt to purchase from suppliers that offer recyclable or compostable products or cleaner energy alternatives for delivery. For example, we use compostable coffee pods rather than plastic pods, our letterhead is printed on recycled paper by a local company (rather than shipped from a greater distance), and we use recycled printer and photocopier cartridges.
We also conserve energy and material in many other ways:
- We reuse paper as scrap paper, photocopy material back to back and view statistical material electronically whenever possible. We also edit reports and other material electronically, submit all invoices electronically and use an electronic payroll system, all of which also reduce the amount of paper we use. As a result of privacy laws, as well as environmental concerns, we shred all paper or paper material related to projects. An external service provider collects this paper for recycling.
- All computers and lights (except emergency lights) are turned off after hours to conserve energy. The heat levels in PRA’s buildings are also lowered outside of business hours. When employees are not at their desks, computers go into a hibernation mode after 10 minutes of inactivity.
- When conducting focus groups or site visits outside of Winnipeg or Ottawa, we prefer to use one vehicle for our staff and clients if possible, reducing emissions and the number of vehicles on the road.
To enable eco-conscious commuting, we have selected office locations that are readily accessible by public transit. In addition, many of our staff demonstrate their commitment to the environment by walking or biking to work.