The recent Rural Symposium brought together 160 participants, both in person and online, for a dynamic exchange of ideas focused on rural research and policy. The event featured 17 presentations and 11 posters, highlighting the depth and diversity of work being done by graduate students at the University of Guelph. These projects explored a wide range of rural issues and offered practical insights for policymakers and practitioners.
The Rural Symposium is
At this year’s Good Roads Conference in Toronto, a presentation on rural and northern transit offered a clear reminder that transportation planning in Canada is not one-size-fits-all. Ryan Gibson, on behalf of Sarah-Patricia Breen and Ela Mastej, highlighted how distance, low population density, and limited infrastructure shape transit systems outside urban centres. In many rural and northern communities, transit is not about convenience—it is about access
What if one of Canada’s most gender-inclusive sports was quietly thriving in rural Ontario? The Connecting the Dots initiative is excited share the latest Rural Research Summary, “Mapping Women’s Community Sport Participation to Inform Sport Development Initiatives: A case Study of Row Ontario” providing implications and practical recommendations for regional planning bodies, community recreation departments and policy makers, among other stakeholders. Th...
Check out Navneet Kaur Dhaliwal's recently completed Major Research Paper. Navneet's study aims at understanding the public transit options available in rural areas by identifying the transit options for Mount Brydges, Ontario, located in the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc through policy review, data analysis and research on other modes of transit which are not identified in the local planning policies. The policies for Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc...
Rural Studies alumna Ashleigh Weeden (PhD '22) has been awarded a Canada Postdoctoral Research Award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Considered one of the most competitive and sought-after awards for early-career researchers in Canada, the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program recognizes the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers at a pivotal tim...
The University of Guelph is home to a wide diversity of research on rural people, places, and environments. As a leader in rural research, this video series facilitates knowledge sharing across rural Ontario and beyond.
This video highlights recent research published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems examining how Ontario potato farmers adopt sustainable practices. It shows how several factors influence decisions, revealing the need for policies ...
Are you curious about rural data availability at Statistics Canada? Join the upcoming webinar “A Tour of Rural Data in Statistics Canada,” on March 24 at 1.00 pm ET. This free online webinar designed for anyone who wants to understand the rich statistical resources available on rural communities across the country.
In this engaging session, hosted by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, you’ll get an expert-led tour of the data products and tool
Researchers collaborated with Communities of the Williams Treaties First Nations: the Chippewas of Beausoleil, Rama, and Georgina Island First Nations, and the Mississaugas of Curve Lake First Nation. Their findings reveal perspectives on food security and sustainability and highlight the challenges and priorities for Indigenous communities to achieve and enhance their access. Read more about how this research aims to enhance the capacity for Community-led...
Ryan Gibson recently participated in the 42 Canada Podcast with Laurie Cook on rural community development. Laurie and Ryan talk about community wealth building and many of the creative ways rural and remote communities have always just 'got things done.' Check out the recording below or online.
The Inaugural Black Planning Symposium brought together planners, scholars, and community leaders in a generative space of dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collective imagination. As a Research Associate at the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph, I left the symposium with deepened appreciation for the multiplicity of ways Black planning is reshaping the profession, and its resonance with my own research on hou
