Professional advisors are invited to join the upcoming Lunch & Learn Workshop on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the NII Advance Technology Campus in Tiverton, ON. Presented by the Community Foundation Grey Bruce and Brightshores Health System Foundations, this event offers valuable insights into philanthropy, tax planning, and rural wealth transfers.
Laurie Fox will introduce and update attendees on Canada’s Will Power Campai...
This summer, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 CIP-OPPI National Planning Conference, held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto from July 8–10, as a recipient of a student CIP-PSTF bursary, alongside fellow planning students from undergraduate and graduate programs across the country. It was also a pleasure getting to meet them and form new friendships throughout the conference.
Attending this conference was truly a great experience. As someo...
Researchers recently made two outstanding contributions at the recent European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) Conference held in Riga, Latvia. This international gathering brought together scholars from across the globe to explore pressing issues shaping rural life today.
Ryan Gibson and Damilola Oyewale presented their research titled “From Fields to Homes: Housing Realities for International Agricultural Workers in Rural Ontario, Canada.” Their pres
Rural Planning and Development students, alumni, and faculty shared findings from a number of research projects at the 2025 Confluence Conference.
Ferdous Huq - Community Gardens and Food Justice: Exploring Access, Equity, and Effectiveness
Ben Tobias-Murray - Examining Local Food Procurement Practices: Costs, Strategies and Benefits of Purchasing Local Food in Long-term Care Homes
Lucas Berek - Growth on the Edge: Economic Development Challenge...
The May 9, 2025, press conference of the National Housing Standards for Migrant Agricultural Workers at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo provided important insights for planning researchers focused on rural communities. The Coalition for National Housing Standards for Migrant Agricultural Workers (CoNaMi) led by Dr. Susana Caxaj, successfully brought together a diverse mix of voices, including seasoned researchers, passionate advoc
Prof. Ryan Gibson recently delivered a presentation titled Translating Place to Wealth: Experiences from Place-Based Endowments in Rural Canada. The presentation was delivered at the Folk, Place, and Knowledge Conference in Singapore. Prof. Gibson's presentation focused on recent research in philanthropy, rural development, and wealth building. A brief description of the presentation is listed below:
Rural communities are at a critical turning p
Throughout the week, the Rural Planning and Development social media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter) are sharing reflections and contributions from the 2024 Rural Symposium. Presentation and poster contributions from the 2024 Rural Symposium can be found online - https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/ruralReview.
Details about the 2025 Rural Symposium are forthcoming - stayed tuned.
Four members of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development shared rural research at the recent 74th annual Canadian Association of Geographers national conference in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. With a conference theme of Edges, students and faculty contributed research on rural health, rural economic development, northern veterinary service provision, and rural workforce development. Presentations shared at the conference included:
Rural development practitioners are at the front line of facilitating prosperous rural communities, places, and environments across Ontario. Ensuring rural development practitioners have access to the most up to date knowledge it critical to facilitating decision-making on the future of rural places.
Leading rural development organizations, community innovators, elected officials, students, and researchers gathered at the North Atlantic Forum in Letterfra
Rural Ontario research was on full display at the recent North Atlantic Forum in Letterfrack, Co. Galway, Ireland. Graduate students and faculty from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph showcased new and emerging rural development knowledge related to agri-food systems, housing, work force development, economic development, and rural transit:
Sara Epp & Regan Zink - Rural Communities, Agri
