Linking Research and Policy: Reflections on the 2024 Rural Symposium

Linking Research and Policy: Reflections on the 2024 Rural Symposium
  The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph, in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), hosted a one-day symposium to showcase rural research being conducted at the University of Guelph. The Rural Symposium is an opportunity for graduate students to share their research with researchers, policy analysts and program staff with the OMAFRA, and rural organizations.

Global Pandemic, Local Impacts – Webinar on International Perspectives on COVID19

Global Pandemic, Local Impacts – Webinar on International Perspectives on COVID19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for significant change at a rapid pace. Rural communities across the world have pivoted to address both the short-term and long-term implications for rural people, rural economies, and rural landscapes. Prof. Ryan Gibson joined a panel discussion hosted by the International Comparative Rural Policy Consortium examining three rural regions and their responses to COVID-19. The webinar share experiences of how  rural

New Video: Rural and Island Resilience During/After COVID19

New Video: Rural and Island Resilience During/After COVID19
  How are rural and island communities dealing with COVID19? What unique challenges do they encountering? What innovative strategies do they employing to recovery? During the 2020 Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience conference a panel discussion was organized with Laurie Brinklow (University of Prince Edward Island), Heather Hall (University of Waterloo), Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph), and Sean Markey (Simon Fraser University). The discus...

New Video: Innovating through Infrastructure in Response to COVID19

New Video: Innovating through Infrastructure in Response to COVID19
  The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation recently released a new video on the Innovating through Infrastructure discussion from the recent 2020 Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience conference. The video showcases three presentations: Addressing the Digital Divide: COVID-19 and the Importance of Connecting Rural Canada: Ashleigh Weeden & Wayne Kelly Challenges with Rural Drinking Water Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance ...

Suggestions to Help Immigrants Join Recreational Activities

Suggestions to Help Immigrants Join Recreational Activities
Niva Shrestha’s recent major research paper entitled “Understanding Challenges of Nepali Immigrants to Enroll their Children in Recreational Activities in Guelph, Ontario” is now available online! You can read the full report by clicking here. You can also read the summary of the research here. A brief description of Shrestha’s research is listed below: “Sports is universal language that has been practiced in every culture and tradition since ancient times

Provincial, Territorial and Federal Governments Met to Discuss Rural Development Approaches​

Provincial, Territorial and Federal Governments Met to Discuss Rural Development Approaches​
Provincial, territorial, and federal government representatives connected in an online meeting to share information about government approaches to rural development across Canada on June 26, 2020. During the meeting, each government shared perspectives on rural development, rural policies, rural programs, and rural priorities. The attendees perceived this discussion as a great tool to connect with other governments from across the country and they are look...

Gibson Shares Innovative Local Economic Development at OGRA

Gibson Shares Innovative Local Economic Development at OGRA
During the recent Vision for a Prosperous Tomorrow Conference hosted by the Ontario Good Roads Association Dr. Ryan Gibson participated in a panel discussion on local and regional economic development strategies. Dr. Gibson was joined on the panel by Kathryn Wood (Eastern Ontario Leadership Council), Elliot Siemiatycki, and Paul Ainslie (Councillor, City of Toronto). Dr. Gibson's contribution highlighted key trends impacting current local and regional eco

Weeden featured in series on knowledge mobilization for public policy in i-Vote/je-Vote 2019 Election series

Weeden featured in series on knowledge mobilization for public policy in i-Vote/je-Vote 2019 Election series
Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, School of Environmental Design & Rural Development) has been featured in a collection of researchers, journalists, academics and public figures in sharing insights on knowledge mobilization in advance of the 2019 Canadian federal election. You can read her advice to researchers looking to share their work with policy makers on the iVote/jeVote website by clicking here. To learn more about research on knowledge mobiliza

Growing Smart Rural Policy Under the Midnight Sun: ICRPS2019 in Rovaniemi, Finland

Growing Smart Rural Policy Under the Midnight Sun: ICRPS2019 in Rovaniemi, Finland
As soon as word came that the 2019 International Comparative Rural Policy Studies (ICRPS) Summer Institute was going to be taking place in Rovaniemi, Finland, I knew I had to be there. Finland, and the Lapland region, have quickly become intriguing examples of the possibilities for building rural innovation ecosystems. As a doctoral student focused on investigating the link between place and innovation in rural communities, ICRPS2019 presented an amazing ...

Webinar on New Regionalism and Regional Development in Canada

Webinar on New Regionalism and Regional Development in Canada
Canadian regional development today involves multiple actors operating within nested scales from local to national and even international levels. Recent approaches to making sense of this complexity have drawn on concepts such as multi-level governance, relational assets, integration, innovation, and learning regions. These new regionalist concepts have become increasingly global in their formation and application, yet there has been little critical analys...