Rural communities throughout Canada experience unequal access to high-speed Internet. This 'disconnect' hinders the ability of rural residents, businesses, governments, and nonprofit organizations. Recently, Dr. Gibson was involved in a formal submission to the Government of Canada, advocating for changes to how broadband connectivity is delivered in rural and northern communities. The formal submission makes five recommendations to the Governmen...
The largest rural development and policy conference in Canada was recently held in Nelson, British Columbia. The Different by Design: Innovation for Rural Prosperity conference was co-hosted by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation and Selkirk College. During the conference, faculty and students from the University of Guelph made a strong contribution. The following oral presentations, panel discussions, and poster presentations were share
The Libro Professorship in Regional Economic Development in Southwestern Ontario was recently highlighted in a national rural development newsletter. The Canada Rural Revitalization Foundation, a national charitable nonprofit committed to bettering the lives of rural Canadians, shared the recent announcement of the Libro Professorship through their e-newsletter. Their newsletter is distributed to over 2,000 community leaders, economic development
During the Building Vibrant Rural Futures conference, Dr. Gibson and Logan Horrocks presented a poster titled Facilitating Rural Policy Connections. The poster presentation highlights the work of the Policy Fora team of the Rural Policy Learning Commons. The Rural Policy Learning Commons (RPLC) is a multi-year partnership striving to enhance rural prosperity by identifying and analyzing policy options relevant to rural areas. The initiative is ev
The Building Vibrant Rural Futures conference kicked off on October 12, 2016. Over 150 community leaders, community-based organizations, government representatives, researchers, and students have convened in Guelph to discuss the future of rural communities. Over the next two days, over 80 presentations, posters, panels, and capacity building sessions will be held on a variety of topics pertinent to building vibrant rural futures.
During the c...
What is the future of rural Canada? This was the focus of the State of Rural Canada webinar hosted by the Rural Policy Learning Commons on September 20, 2016. Drs. Al Lauzon and Ryan Gibson served as panellists on the webinar, both presenting research from the report. The webinar brought together over 70 participants from across Canada!
The webinar focused on the recently released State of Rural Canada book (www.sorc.crrf.ca). The State of Rural Canada
