What does the future of rural development policy look like? How can we ensure appropriate, effective, and efficient policies to support rural areas and their economies? This was the focus of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's 2018 Rural Development Conference.
The Conference brought together over 400 leading policy makers, private sector and renowned experts to exchange experiences and good practices on issues related
Each year, graduate students and faculty from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development participate in a two-week summer institute focused on comparative rural policy. The 2018 edition of the International Comparative Rural Policy Summer Institute will be held in Tuskegee, Alabama from June 24-July 7, 2018. An introductory session for students interested in learning more about the 2018 International Comparative Rural Policy Summer ...
On March 1, Dr. Gibson delivered a presentation to the Recreation Connections Manitoba Conference in Winnipeg outlining how community development tools could be used to advance recreation in both rural and urban communities. The presentation focused on photovoice, asset-based community development, and social network analysis. Each of the three community development tools were explored through recent community development initiatives in Manitoba,
Rana Telfah and Ashleigh Weeden, doctoral students in the Rural Studies program in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, were recently profiled as emerging rural researchers by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (www.crrf.ca). Each year, the Foundation devotes their winter newsletter to showcasing new and emerging rural researchers from across Canada and internationally. The CRRF newsletter is an opportunity for emer
Rural areas are places of wealth, however, wealth is increasingly mobile. How do rural communities tap into this wealth and to encourage the wealth to be place-based? Over the past two days, over 70 community representatives in two regions of Ontario gathered to discuss rural wealth, intergenerational transfers of wealth, and strategies for rural revitalization and development.
The Rural Ontario Institute hosted forums in Fergus (February 1) and Cobou...
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...
Communities throughout Ontario are seeking new economic development directions to support sustainability and revitalization. These new directions need to be built on local and regional assets and an understanding of economic development trends. The Corporation of the Town of Kingsville Tourism and Economic Development Committee hosted an two-day conference to explore these topics.
Dr. Gibson shared lessons on the future trends in regional econ
Authors from across Canada and internationally hosted a webinar to highlight the key stories from a new publication called From Black Horses to White Steeds: Building Community Resilience. The book celebrates and critiques the dynam- ics of innovation, governance, and culture in place. Case studies from both sides of the North Atlantic illustrate episodes of “turning around”: evolution, transformation, and visionary strategy that breath
On November 1, 2017, representatives from Town of Minto, Township of Mapleton, Township of Wellington North, the County of Wellington gathered in Drayton to discuss opportunities for joint economic development initiatives. Building on previous meetings, workshop participants identified recent positive changes that have been noticed in the region.
Dr. Gibson shared perspectives on the future of regional economic development from across Canada a...
