How can rural communities be ready to seize the opportunities—and avoid the pitfalls—of large-scale manufacturing investments? A new research initiative led by Dr. Ryan Gibson, titled Blueprints for Prosperity: Examining Rural Strategies for Mega-Manufacturing Investments, has been awarded funding through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance to help answer this vital question.
Running from 2025 to 2028, the project will explore how rural regions in O
Researchers recently made two outstanding contributions at the recent European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) Conference held in Riga, Latvia. This international gathering brought together scholars from across the globe to explore pressing issues shaping rural life today.
Ryan Gibson and Damilola Oyewale presented their research titled “From Fields to Homes: Housing Realities for International Agricultural Workers in Rural Ontario, Canada.” Their pres
A new publication titled "Reluctant entrepreneurs or embracing marketization" sheds light on the growing trend of municipal entrepreneurialism in rural Canada. In response to decades of neoliberal policy shifts and mounting infrastructure challenges, rural governments across four provinces have turned to municipal enterprises as a tool for generating revenue and supporting community development. However, the research highlights a complex balancing act betw
Research on rural philanthropy in Atlantic Canada was shared at the recent 8th Annual Conference of the Association of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research. Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph), Joshua Barrett (University of Prince Edward Island), Kelly Vodden (Grenfell Campus, Memorial University), and Edmund Yirenkyi (Grenfell Campus, Memorial University) shared a presentation titled "Investing in Place and Potentials: Rural Philanthropic Themes and Trend...
The Ontario Professional Planners Institute recently published a story titled "Mobilizing Economic Planning Knowledge
for Rural Ontario" that emerges from research conducted by graduate students and faculty. Take a read of the story based on research by Lucas Berek, Eliza MacLauchlan, Christine Miller, Damilola Oyewale, Natasha Pennell, Avery Velez, and Ryan Gibson.
The May 9, 2025, press conference of the National Housing Standards for Migrant Agricultural Workers at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo provided important insights for planning researchers focused on rural communities. The Coalition for National Housing Standards for Migrant Agricultural Workers (CoNaMi) led by Dr. Susana Caxaj, successfully brought together a diverse mix of voices, including seasoned researchers, passionate advoc
Take a read of a recently published an article by Lucas Berek in the Orangeville Citizen titled "A message from rural Canada to our urban friends". The article focuses on a recent presentation delivered as part of the Team Dufferin - County of Dufferin Tariff Response and Business Resources.
On May 15, 2025, Ryan Gibson shared insights a lunch and learn session co-hosted by the the Community Foundation of Grey Bruce and Brightshores Health Systems Foundation. The event brought together over 30 lawyers and professions to explore how rural areas are places of wealth and to understand that this wealth is increasingly mobile. Without careful consideration, much of it could leave rural areas as younger generations move to urban centres. The present
Calum Jacques recently published Master of Planning (Science) thesis, Agriculture as an Amenity: A Case Study of Peri-Urban Farmland in Tokyo, Japan, examines how small-scale farming continues to exist within Tokyo's expanding urban landscape. Unlike many North American cities where urban development often displaces agriculture, Tokyo has managed to preserve pockets of farmland that serve multiple roles, including food production, education, and disaster p
Sarah-Patricia Breen (Selkirk College), Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph), and Hannah Main (Dalhousie University) recently published a new article in Canadian Public Policy. The article examines the distribution of federal public transit funding, highlighting a significant urban-rural disparity. The authors argue that current federal funding mechanisms predominantly favor urban centers, leaving rural and remote communities underserved. This imbalance not
