Kelsey Timler

B.A. in Anthropology, University of British Columbia, 2013
M.Sc. in Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2017

I am an activist researcher working to confront carceral logics through arts-based, community-led and qualitative methodologies. I work with criminalized and incarcerated people using art, food, and storytelling to support community building and collective wellbeing.

Despite the implementation of numerous public health interventions, morbidity and mortality among people who use drugs (PWUD) continue to rise. Unemployment and poverty have been identified as key drivers of health-related harms among this population, yet many barriers to meaningful employment exist (e.g., discrimination, criminal history, education). Additionally, social forces such as globalization and technological advancements have increased inequities and generalized flexible labour markets, resulting in new forms of work characterized by wage inadequacy and precarity. To date, research has focused on the negative impacts of employment precarity, ignoring the potential for innovative employment models to support the health and well-being of people facing barriers to employment. Within Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a community with disproportionately high levels of substance use, poverty and inadequate housing, an ecosystem of low-threshold economic engagement opportunities has emerged for individuals who face barriers to employment. Low-threshold employment models are adapted to consider individual characteristics and provide improved support for workers. This may include roles that prioritize flexible hours, value lived experience, do not require abstinence from substance use and provide wrap-around supports. However, little is known about how participation in these employment models affects individual health. My overarching aim is to assess the impact of low-threshold income generation on the health and well-being of PWUD in British Columbia using a mixed-methods approach.

Killam Doctoral Fellowship, University of British Columbia
SSHRC Doctoral Award

McLeod KE, Timler K, et. al. (2021) Supporting people leaving prisons during COVID-19: perspectives from peer health mentors. International Journal of Prisoner Health. 17)3), 206-216.

Timler K, Brown H, Varcoe C. et al. (2020). “Healing on Both Sides”: Strengthening the Effectiveness of Prison–Indigenous Community Partnerships Through Reciprocity and Investment. The International Indigenous Policy Journal. 11(3), 1-26.

Timler K, Brown H, and Varcoe C. (2019) Growing connection beyond prison walls: How a prison garden fosters rehabilitation and healing for incarcerated men. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. 58(5), 444-463.

Timler K, Brown H, and Varcoe C. (2019) Growing Beyond Nutrition: How a Prison Garden Program Highlights the Potential of Shifting from Food Security to Food Sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples. International Journal of Indigenous Health. 14(2), 95-114.

Timler K, and Brown H (2019). Work 2 Give: Fostering Collective Citizenship through Artistic and Healing Spaces for Indigenous Inmates and Communities in British Columbia. BC Studies. No. 202, 21-40.

Crier ND, Timler K et al. (2021) The Transformative Community: Gathering the Untold Stories of Collaborative Research and Community Re-integration for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, Post-Incarceration and Beyond. Turtle Island Journal of Indigenous Health. 1(2), 30-39.