Effective and meaningful engagement is at the core of CBR and is a guiding principle for academic and community researchers who co-produce knowledge with community stakeholders [12]. Based on the identified research priorities and principles, the MHCC’s CBR program was initiated in 2020 to address knowledge gaps in the relationship between cannabis and mental health and to build research capacity among identified priority populations at the community level. Key program components included a request for proposals (RFP) that centred equity and lived and living experience [13], extensive proposal-writing support for applicants from a network of CBR hubs, ample submission time (including an extension due to COVID-19), a review committee with representation from diverse priority populations, and capacity bridging workshops for the 14 funded projects.
The RFP built on the recommendations from the scan and community fora and was further refined through consultation with diverse stakeholders and experts in CBR and equitable research granting processes. For example, the research priorities on cannabis and mental health named in the RFP emphasized factors influencing cannabis use without pre-judging whether such factors were beneficial or harmful, and specifically encouraged applications on the impact of criminalization – drawing from the recommendations from the scan and community fora. Principles for CBR were clearly identified and emphasized, including a requirement that all projects be grounded in local culture and that research teams demonstrate equitable decision making and roles. The RFP was promoted through the MHCC’s networks (including participants of the community fora) and a webinar [14].
Soon after the RFP was released, a public webinar was held in March 2020 that introduced several CBR research hubs that the MHCC engaged to support proposal development among interested applicants with varying levels of research capacity. These hubs included the Wellesley Institute (Greater Toronto Area), the Centre for Community Based Research (University of Waterloo), Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (the national representational organization for Inuit in Canada), the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health (Saint Francis Xavier University), the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (University of Northern British Columbia), and the Centre for Healthy Communities (University of Alberta). Teams were invited to request proposal development support from the MHCC, who matched them to the hub that best aligned with their needs. The MHCC did not provide any direct proposal development support so as to remain impartial when making funding decisions.
At the time of the original launch of the RFP in late February 2020, communities had 8 weeks to engage in the proposal development process. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March had a significant impact on communities everywhere. After first consulting with community representatives regarding whether to postpone the CBR call altogether, the MHCC decided to proceed but extended the deadline by 5 weeks (13 weeks total) to give communities additional time to develop their proposals. By the close of the RFP at the end of May 2020, the MHCC received 60 proposals from across the country.
To further centre equity and lived experience, the MHCC recruited a team of 12 independent reviewers comprised of members of each of the priority populations identified in the RFP, community-based and academic researchers, and PWLLE. Each proposal was assigned to 2 reviewers. Final recommendations were made following deliberations with the full team of reviewers. While the original call was for 12 funded projects, the MHCC was able to reallocate funds to support 14 CBR projects on cannabis and mental health led by priority populations at the community level. All projects set out to explore perceived patterns, influence and effects of use including benefits and harms among Indigenous peoples, two spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or queer (2SLGBTQ+) individuals, racialized populations, and communities experiencing multiple layers of oppression. Six projects were Indigenous-led and sought to explore the impact of cannabis use on Indigenous communities (including Indigenous elders and youth) and to develop harm reduction strategies through Indigenous ways of knowing.
Funded research teams were supported through a monthly series of virtual training workshops facilitated by the Centre for Community Based Research over a 5-month period (between November 2020 and March 2021). During the CBR training workshops, a community of practice approach was adopted to bridge the capacity of workshop participants that comprised of early-stage and seasoned academics, community-based researchers, PWLLE, and priority populations, with the aim to continuously learn from and share with one another during the training and beyond. The strategy of prolonged engagement as outlined by Glesne & Peshkin [15] was used to strengthen and sustain capacity, and to give participants adequate time to express their views.