Professional advisors are invited to join the upcoming Lunch & Learn Workshop on May 22 (Friday) from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Bruce County Museum in Southampton, 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 Campaign, a national init...
A recent article in the Wellington Advertiser, written by Jordan Snobelen, takes a closer look at a growing concern for many communities: the difficulty of finding volunteers. The piece, titled “Are volunteers becoming harder to find? Local organizations struggling to find help,” explores how groups that rely on volunteer support are feeling the strain as fewer people are able or willing to commit their time. You can read the full article here: https://www
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 by Lucas Berek completed in 2025 titled The Living Room of a Rural Community. This thesis examines the actors, processes, and COVID-19 influences shaping economic development in the Town of New Tecum...
Are you an economic development practitioner in Ontario? We want to hear from you!
Please consider participating in the Knowledge Translation and Transfer to Advance Rural Economic Development survey. Your insights will help us better understand the realities, challenges, and opportunities facing economic development practitioners in rural Ontario, and inform recommendations to support economic development activities and knowledge sharing. You can acces...
Want to do more with your rural research? Join us for a workshop that teaches you how to create plain language summaries and videos on April 28 starting a 10.00 am.
Rural communities, businesses, and organizations face increasing challenges that require evidence-informed solutions. As a leader in rural research, the University of Guelph is well-positioned to support these communities through knowledge mobilization. To better address emerging complex and...
How safe is your favourite beach and who decides? The Connecting the Dots initiative is excited share the latest Rural Research Summary, “Canadian Beach Cohort Study: Protocol of a Prospective Study to Assess the Burden of Recreational Water Illness” providing implications and practical recommendations for conservation authorities, local governments, and community organizations among other stakeholders. The research was conducted by Ian Young, Binyam N. De...
The April 2026 newsletter contains updates to graduate students working with Prof. Gibson and recent alumni. This newsletter shares information about academic programs updates, celebrates receive achievements, profiles an RPD alumni, and share insights on upcoming events. If you have information to share in the monthly update do not hesitate to let Ryan know via email.
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...
