Wikipedia

Signal49 Research

Signal49 Research is Canadian applied-research organization that focuses economics, human capital, innovation and technology, education, health, sustainability, Indigenous and northern communities, and immigration.

Signal49 Research
TypeNonprofit applied research organization
Legal statusNonprofit with charitable status
PurposeMission to provide Canada's leaders with research insights to inform evidence-based decision-making
HeadquartersOttawa, Ontario, Canada
Region served
Canada
Official language
  • English
  • French
President and chief executive officer
Susan Black
Staff200
Websitewww.signal49.ca

In the economics forecasting space, Signal49 Research produces medium and long-term outlooks on the national, local, and industrial economies, as well as proprietary economic indicators and custom economic analyses.

The organization traces its origins to 1954 as a division of the American National Industrial Conference Board, now known as the Conference Board. In 1980 the name was licensed to an outside body; in 2026 the larger Conference Board took back the name and the existing licensee started operating as "Signal49 Research".[1][2]

The organization is headquartered in Ottawa, but moved to being fully remote during the pandemic, and has employees located across the country. Susan Black is the President and chief executive officer of Signal49.

Past presidents

edit

Services

edit
  • In-Fact: Research reports, webinars and conference proceedings available to subscribers.
  • e-Data: Data underlying Signal49 Research's economic forecasts. U.S., Canadian, Provincial, Territorial, 24 Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas, and 16 Canadian Industries.
  • Networks: Executive networks, councils, centres and working groups on various topics.
  • Custom Research
  • Research Centres: Canadian Centre for the Innovation Economy, Centre for Business Insights on Immigration, Centre for the North, National Immigration Centre, Value Based Healthcare Canada, Workplace Mental Health Research Centre

Select research publications

edit

Controversies

edit

In May 2009, the organization was criticised over its claim to be objective and non-partisan. It released a report related to copyright regulations in Canada, which plagiarised papers published by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (the primary movie, music, and software lobby in the US).[3][4] The organization responded, standing by its report,[5] which drew further criticism, claiming they ignored a commissioned report for partisan reasons.[6][7] The reports were recalled after internal review, which determined that there was undue reliance on feedback from a funder of the report.[8] The organization hosted a roundtable discussion on intellectual property in September 2009 and published a new report, Intellectual Property in the 21st Century, in February 2010.

In November 2016, a recording surfaced of Michael Bloom, the vice-president, which contained a number of generalizing statements about Indigenous peoples, people of Caribbean, Asian, and Middle-Eastern descent. The statements were made in the presence of an employee of Indigenous heritage. Upon learning of the recording, the organization placed the vice-president on immediate leave of absence and initiated an internal investigation.[9] Shortly after the recording was made public, it was further revealed that a former employee who worked under Bloom commenced legal action against the organization. This employee, also of Indigenous heritage, and alleged a "toxic work environment". A lawsuit was filed in Ontario seeking $175,000 in damages.[10]

References

edit
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Signal49_Research&oldid=1352662536"