‘Building the Future’ Research Team Shares First-Stage Findings with OMAFRA

‘Building the Future’ Research Team Shares First-Stage Findings with OMAFRA
On January 14th, members of the 'Building the Future' research team shared the first-stage of findings from the project with staff at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as well as others from across the Ontario Public Service. Dr. Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph), Dr. Sean Markey (Simon Fraser University), Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, University of Guelph), Melissa Visser (MSc Student, University of Guelph), Jay Maloney (MS...

P2P National Conference

P2P National Conference
Reflections on the 2020 Pathways to Prosperity National Conference Pathways to Prosperity held a virtual conference from 23rd November to 25th November 2020. The online conference did not compromise on anything to make it as lively as an in- person conference. There were plenaries, keynote speakers, workshops, posters, exhibitors, and networking opportunities. It was amazing to see the facilitators of every workshop considering most of the questions from

Passport to Research

Passport to Research
Rural research was on full display on November 18 at the Rural Talks to Rural Conference! In partnership with Libro Credit Union, the Passport to Research session invited four emerging rural scholars to share their connections to rural, describe the issues they are seeking to better understand, and describe the value of their research to rural community leaders, government, and businesses. The discussion featured Abdul-Rahim Abdulai (University of Guelph)

New Video: Rural and Island Resilience During/After COVID19

New Video: Rural and Island Resilience During/After COVID19
  How are rural and island communities dealing with COVID19? What unique challenges do they encountering? What innovative strategies do they employing to recovery? During the 2020 Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience conference a panel discussion was organized with Laurie Brinklow (University of Prince Edward Island), Heather Hall (University of Waterloo), Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph), and Sean Markey (Simon Fraser University). The discus...

New Video: Innovating through Infrastructure in Response to COVID19

New Video: Innovating through Infrastructure in Response to COVID19
  The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation recently released a new video on the Innovating through Infrastructure discussion from the recent 2020 Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience conference. The video showcases three presentations: Addressing the Digital Divide: COVID-19 and the Importance of Connecting Rural Canada: Ashleigh Weeden & Wayne Kelly Challenges with Rural Drinking Water Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance ...

Suggestions to Help Immigrants Join Recreational Activities

Suggestions to Help Immigrants Join Recreational Activities
Niva Shrestha’s recent major research paper entitled “Understanding Challenges of Nepali Immigrants to Enroll their Children in Recreational Activities in Guelph, Ontario” is now available online! You can read the full report by clicking here. You can also read the summary of the research here. A brief description of Shrestha’s research is listed below: “Sports is universal language that has been practiced in every culture and tradition since ancient times

New Video: COVID19 and Impacts Rural Products and People

New Video: COVID19 and Impacts Rural Products and People
  Did you miss the recent online panel discussion on changing patterns in people and products at the 2020 Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation's Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience conference? Great news - the recording of the discussion is now available online! The discussion features Karen Foster speaking about supply chains, Emily Sousa and Sara Epp discussing agriculture and agri-food, Louis Helps and Ray Silvius speaking about immigra...

Local Economic Development Trends and Implications

Local Economic Development Trends and Implications
What are the key trends in local economic development and what are the implications for small communities? As rural and northern communities plan for COVID-19 recoveries they need to be aware of the broader trends in local economic development. On November 6, 2020, Prof. Ryan Gibson shared local economic development insights with the Community Futures Northeastern Ontario Conference. The presentation outlined key macro-level themes influence local developm...

Rural Rebound

Rural Rebound
Rural communities have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Ryan Gibson and Lissel Hernandez participated in the Rural Rebound panel discussion organized by the Rural Ontario Institute on September 24, 2020. The discussion brought together community leaders, government, nonprofit organizations, and researchers to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on rural communities and strategies for how rural rebound. Ryan and Lissel were joined by Ray B

Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience Online Conference

Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience Online Conference
  COVID-19 has greatly influenced rural communities throughout Canada. To better understand the impacts, recovery strategies, and how to build long-term resilience the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation is hosting a free online conference from October 1-2, 2020. The Supporting Rural Recovery and Resilience online conference will features a series of discussions enhancing our understanding of the impact of the global pandemic on rural communit