The new publication of Moving to the Cottage: Pandemic Migration in Muskoka and Haliburton, Ontario, Canada in Transactions on Ecology and the Environment marks an exciting achievement. Authored by Natasha Gaudio Harrison, Sara Epp, Ryan Gibson, and Chris Fullerton, the study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced migration to the rural and recreational communities of Muskoka and Haliburton.
The pandemic brought significant changes to where people
The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) was well represented at the 2026 Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and North Atlantic Forum Conference, where faculty, students, and alumni shared research that is helping shape the future of rural communities in Canada and beyond. Their presentations explored topics ranging from economic development and environmental stewardship to housing, philanthropy, belonging, and public p
Prof. Ryan Gibson challenged people to rethink how they see their communities during his presentation, From Deficit to Possibility: Reimagining Community Futures, at the recent Meaford TEDwalks on July 18. Rather than focusing on problems such as housing shortages, population changes, or economic pressures, Gibson encouraged participants to start by recognizing the strengths already around them. He argued that every community has valuable a...
Researchers from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development recently shared their work at the Fusion 2026 National Planning Conference in Montréal, Quebec, hosted by the Canadian Institute of Planners and l'Ordre des urbanistes du Québec. Natasha D'Souza, Ryan Gibson, and Wayne Caldwell presented "Attracting and Retaining Talent: Lessons on Rural Planning, Governance, and Skilled Migration from Bruce County's Energy Cluster."
The presentatio
At the World Community Development Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Ryan Gibson presented new research examining how rural communities in Ontario are adapting to major changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic shifts, technological change, and demographic trends. The conference, co-hosted by the International Association for Community Development and the University of Glasgow, brought together community development professionals and rese...
Students, alumni, and faculty from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) at the University of Guelph made important contributions to the 2026 Relational Wellness Conference, co-hosted by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, the North Atlantic Forum, and Grenfell Campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Their presentations demonstrated the breadth of rural research and practice taking place within SEDRD and highligh...
Rural communities are often described as places facing population decline and economic challenges. But a new article in Plan Canada by Natasha D'Souza, Ryan Gibson, and Wayne Caldwell highlights a different story. Their research explores how Bruce County, Ontario, has experienced growth and change because of its close relationship with the nuclear sector. The research demonstrates how planners, municipalities, and industry partners work together to address...
Canada's housing crisis continues to challenge communities across the country, but the experiences of rural municipalities are often overlooked in broader policy discussions. In her Master of Science (Planning) Major Research Paper, The Housing Crisis in Rural Ontario, Aubree Erickson explores how rural communities face unique housing and homelessness challenges while operating within governance and funding structures largely shaped by upper levels of gove
Housing policy often focuses on building more homes, but access to land is just as important. In his new article, Government Land Leasing and Intersections with Housing in the Northwest Territories, Chris Van Dyke explores a unique feature of housing in the Northwest Territories (NWT): many homeowners lease the land beneath their homes from the territorial government rather than owning it outright. The study shows that this practice remains common in small
The University of Guelph is home to a wide diversity of research on rural people, places, and environments. As a leader in rural research, this video series facilitates knowledge sharing across rural Ontario and beyond.
This summary – Housing Needs and Actions for the Agricultural Sector in Rural Greenbelt Communities – examines the relationship between agricultural productivity and rural housing in Ontario, drawing on case studies from Niagara, Durham ...
