During Day 3 of the Rural Policy Twitter Conference three contributions were shared from researchers focused on the digital divide (Ashleigh Weeden and Wayne Kelly), barriers for newcomers to access recreation services for children (Niva Shrestha), and the role of rural community leaders (Norm Ragetlie and Lissel Hernandez Gongora). Check out the Twitter presentations below: https://twitter.com/ashleighweeden/status/1405510790996578312?s=20

Highlights from Day 2 of the ICRPS Rural Policy Twitter Conference

Highlights from Day 2 of the ICRPS Rural Policy Twitter Conference
  During Day 2 of the Rural Policy Twitter Conference two contributions were shared from researchers on workforce development and housing (Victoria Agyepong) and community investment programs (Alex Petric and Ryan Gibson). Check out the Twitter presentations below: https://twitter.com/VicInnovates/status/1405202528048975879?s=20 https://twitter.com/alectric91/status/1405158640764473346?s=20 The Rural Policy Twitter conference continues unt

Global Pandemic, Local Impacts – Webinar on International Perspectives on COVID19

Global Pandemic, Local Impacts – Webinar on International Perspectives on COVID19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for significant change at a rapid pace. Rural communities across the world have pivoted to address both the short-term and long-term implications for rural people, rural economies, and rural landscapes. Prof. Ryan Gibson joined a panel discussion hosted by the International Comparative Rural Policy Consortium examining three rural regions and their responses to COVID-19. The webinar share experiences of how  rural

ICRPS Rural Policy Twitter Conference

ICRPS Rural Policy Twitter Conference
From June 15-18, rural development practitioners, researchers, and policy analysts from across North America and Europe will share rural policy initiatives through a Twitter conference! Over this period, researchers from Guelph will share a number of research updates. Anyone can follow the conference through the Twitter hashtag #icrps2021. Research contributions from Guelph will include: Beyond City Limit (ations): Place-Based Innovation in Rural Canada...

Facilitating Economic Development through Place-Based Investments

Facilitating Economic Development through Place-Based Investments
Alex Petric and Ryan Gibson recently published an article in the Ontario Professional Planners Institute's Y Magazine sharing lessons learned from across Canada on facilitating rural economic development through place-based investments. The publication examines six community investment fund programs operating across Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The research explores how these progra...

Navigating Rural: Place-Based Transit Solutions for Rural Canada

Navigating Rural: Place-Based Transit Solutions for Rural Canada
  Does your community have an innovative approach to transit? We are looking for examples of community bus systems, car shares, on demand transit, active transportation, and traditional public transit with a twist. Selkirk College, in partnership with the University of Guelph and Simon Fraser University, is looking for existing examples of rural communities where innovative transit solutions have been implemented. If you have an example you wish...

Building the Future project featured at 2021 OGRA Conference

Building the Future project featured at 2021 OGRA Conference
Dr. Ryan Gibson, Ashleigh Weeden (PhD candidate), and Melissa Visser (MSc Student) from the 'Building the Future: Rural Infrastructure & Regional Economic Development' project shared highlights from their research at the 2021 Ontario Good Roads Association Conference, held virtually this week. The presentation was featured as part of the morning plenary on February 23rd and highlighted findings from case studies about innovative approaches rural com...

Gateway Webinar on Rural Wealth and Prosperity

Gateway Webinar on Rural Wealth and Prosperity
Rural communities and regions are home to considerable wealth. A key question is how can this wealth be mobilized to advance long-term rural prosperity? On February 2, the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health organized an online discussion featuring research from Prof. Ryan Gibson, Glenn McNeil (Huron County), Tom Prout (Sunset Community Foundation), Marty Rops (Libro Credit Union), and Louise Wardrop (Oxford Community Foundation). The online discu

‘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...

Final ‘Getting to Work’ Research Reports Delivered to Town of Saugeen Shores

Final ‘Getting to Work’ Research Reports Delivered to Town of Saugeen Shores
The “Getting to Work: Investigating Labour Market Challenges in Saugeen Shores” project is now complete. This project was in partnership with the the Town of Saugeen Shores, University of Guelph, Bruce Power, and Mitacs, in order to research the specific labour market challenges in Saugeen Shores. “We are fortunate to have these partners working together to conduct research and collect data for the Town of Saugeen Shores” says Mayor Luke Charbonneau, “t...