On February 25, 2020, in partnership with the Ontario Good Roads Association, the Building the Future research team launched a survey for rural municipal officials and staff to learn more about their experiences in planning for and connecting infrastructure initiatives and economic development strategies.
Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, Rural Studies) launched the survey to a standing-room-only session of more than 75 delegates at the 2020 Ontario Good Roads Association Conference in Toronto, Ontario. The Building the Future research initiative is examining the capacity of different communities in rural Ontario to respond to infrastructure pressures and how these response impact their short and long-term economic well-being. It is funded through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance and will provide recommendations for enhancing the understanding of the diversity and varying levels of rural community capacities, improving public policy, and enhancing rural infrastructure development programming across rural Canada.
The survey can be completed by both members of municipal council or staff, and by multiple people from the same municipality. It will run until April 10, 2020.