Thanks to a generous donation from the Fondation J.-Louis Lévesque, the Institute launched its first research project, Compassionate Communities Research Demonstration Project, in 2018.

The project research was led by Dr. Antoine Boivin, Canada Research Chair on Patient and Public Partnerships at the Université de Montréal. Dr Boivin’s team was selected based on the expert guidance of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé. The diversity and experience of the team is exceptional, with researchers from McGill University, University of Ottawa, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, University of Bradford (United Kingdom), and other organizations.

Collaborating with several municipalities in Montreal, this project was built on community-based programs that provide supportive environments and linkages for citizens of all ages dealing with serious disease, health decline, grief, isolation, caregiver stress or who are in the later stages of their lives. The impact on quality of life of these community-driven activities was measured and the findings are being shared so that more communities can benefit.

The Institute continues development in the West Island region as we further grow our programs and share experiences in two distinctly different areas from a demographic perspective.

In 2023, we published our first publication: “How does community engagement evolve in different compassionate community contexts?” which is focused on palliative care and social services.

In 2025, a second publication: “Community engagement in Public Health Palliative Care – A comparative ethnographic study of two culturally distinct compassionate communities in Canada” has been accepted by the Journal of Palliative Care & Social Practices.  The date for publication has not yet been confirmed but is expected sometime in September 2025.