On May 2, Ashleigh Weeden (PhD student, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development) shared insights from her career and research into rural community innovation with approximately 150 leaders in economic development from across Saskatchewan at the 2019 Intersections for Growth Conference, the annual conference hosted by the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA).
Ashleigh's presentation focused on the importance of developing a stro
For the past ten years, the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health has been changing health and well-being in the Huron, Bruce, Grey, and Perth counties. On May 2, 2019, community leaders, volunteers, health practitioners, and researchers marked the 10th anniversary of the Gateway and its achievements.
Gateway is a not-for-profit corporation with charitable status striving to improve the health and quality of life of rural resident
Rural Canada is doing immigration differently. Although historically not sites of large-scale immigration, rural communities and regions throughout Canada continues to welcome new immigrants. This session explores how rural communities and regions are building strategies to attract, settle, welcome, and integrate new immigrants. These strategies, however, can not simply replicate urban-based strategies. This session highlights lessons learned from the pers...
On March 20, 2019, Dr. Ryan Gibson and Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Student & Research Assistant, University of Guelph) joined Gemma Mendez-Smith (Executive Director, Four County Labour Market Planning Board) and Patrick Jilesen (Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture) to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the current labour market in Western Ontario. Hosted by the Town of Saugeen Shores, the event focused on the specific challenges facing the fa
During the 2019 Rural Symposium, five graduates supervised by Dr. Ryan Gibson, presented their research focused on evidence-based policy, rural policy interventions, rural innovation, opioid crisis, trail development, and rural infrastructure. Copies of the presentations and posters can be found below:
Making a Difference: Provincial Policy Reflections on Knowledge Mobilization (Ashleigh Weeden)
Creating Effective Rural Policies: Rural Lenses and thei...
Communities across rural Ontario are exploring new strategies for economic development opportunities. In partnership with the Ontario Good Roads Association, rural planning and development students in the economic development course discussed the future of rural economic development with over 150 municipal leaders from across Ontario. Building on Michael Fenn's report on the six megatrends impacting rural Ontario, students facilitated a series of small gro
On January 24, 2019 Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Student, School of Environmental Design & Rural Development) presented her early-stage research on place-based rural innovation systems at the 2019 European Regional Science Association's (ERSA) Winter School, co-hosted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Trento, Italy.
The 2019 ERSA/OECD Winter School was themed around spatial productivity and local development and Ms. Weed...
On January 14, 2019, the federal government announced a new Minister of Rural Economic Development. Dr. Gibson was recently interviewed by the Manitoba Co-operator newspaper for reaction to the new announcement and the implications for rural Canada. You can read a copy of the article, "Rural Canada has a new voice, say rural advocates" here: https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/rural-canada-has-a-new-voice-say-rural-advocates/?module=under-c
On January 15, 2019, the federal government announced the creation of a new minister of rural economic development. Bernadette Jordan (Member of Parliament for South Shore-St Margarets in Nova Scotia) takes on the new minister role. What does it mean for rural Canada? What should the priorities be for moving forward? Dr. Gibson joined eleven CBC Radio station morning programs to discuss the recent announcement, potential strategies for focus, and why urban...
Graduate students in the Rural Planning and Development program at the University of Guelph will be able to take a course this winter focused on building healthy rural communities. Dr. Wayne Caldwell is teaching an online course titled, "Healthy Rural and Small Town Communities". The course builds on recent research and publications, such as the Healthy Rural Communities Toolkit. As part of the course, Dr. Gibson shared perpsectives from recent r
