New Postdoc Fellow to Examine Workforce Development in Rural Ontario

New Postdoc Fellow to Examine Workforce Development in Rural Ontario
Many rural businesses struggle to locate sufficient labour force. Many job vacancies go unfilled. How rural communities and businesses are able to attract and retain workers needed to generate economic development and vitality is a critical question. Lissel Hernandez-Gongora, a new postdoctoral fellow with the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, will examine this issue in partnership with rural communities and businesses. Over the next...

Gibson Shares Innovative Local Economic Development at OGRA

Gibson Shares Innovative Local Economic Development at OGRA
During the recent Vision for a Prosperous Tomorrow Conference hosted by the Ontario Good Roads Association Dr. Ryan Gibson participated in a panel discussion on local and regional economic development strategies. Dr. Gibson was joined on the panel by Kathryn Wood (Eastern Ontario Leadership Council), Elliot Siemiatycki, and Paul Ainslie (Councillor, City of Toronto). Dr. Gibson's contribution highlighted key trends impacting current local and regional eco

Insights on Infrastructure and Rural Economic Development Shared at ROMA 2020

Insights on Infrastructure and Rural Economic Development Shared at ROMA 2020
Rural communities throughout Ontario are struggling with addressing both economic development and infrastructure. During the 2020 Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference Dr. Ryan Gibson participated in a panel discussion exploring the realities communities are confronted and the strategies being pursued across Ontario. The panel included Delia Reiche from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario, Kate Burns Gallager from the Western Ontario Warden

Labelle Profiled in Libranni for Work with NADF

Labelle Profiled in Libranni for Work with NADF
  Helping Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario create comprehensive community plans is exactly the job that Shannon Labelle was searching. Shannon Labelle, a recent graduate of the Master of Science in Rural Planning and Development program at the University of Guelph, was recently interviewed in LIBRANNI. Shannon provides insights into the work she is doing with the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund. You can read about Shannon's work in Northe

Impacts of Mining Corporate Citizenry Initiatives in Canada and the Philippines

Impacts of Mining Corporate Citizenry Initiatives in Canada and the Philippines
The Philippines is ranked as the fifth most mineral-rich country in the world, with approximately 30 million hectares of land in the country endowed in metallic minerals, including but not limited to, gold, nickel, copper and iron ore (Lindon et al., 2013). San Roque Metals Inc. (SRMI) is a large-scale nickel mining company located within the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, one of the country’s Key Biodiversity Areas in Mindanao, Philippines (Ibane...

What is the Role of Senate in Rural Development?

What is the Role of Senate in Rural Development?
The Senate is a key institution in the Canadian parliamentary system. Composed of representatives from across the country, the Senate provide a complementary review of government bills before they become the law and undertakes investigations on important social and political issues. A key role of the Senate is for the representation of regional interests. During the  Sustainable Communities Conference in St John's on October 5, Dr. Ryan Gibson moderated ...

SEDRD Participation at Sustainable Communities Conference

SEDRD Participation at Sustainable Communities Conference
  The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development was well represented at the recent Sustainable Communities Conference, which brought together rural leaders, community-based organizations, government policy makers, businesses, students, and researchers. A total of 16 presentations and posters were delivered by students and faculty from the School! Details of each contribution are listed below: Power in Policy: Measuring Farmland Los

Check Out Hunting’s Thesis on the Great Trail

Check Out Hunting’s Thesis on the Great Trail
Timothy Hunting's recent thesis entitled "Local Trail Development Along Rural Canada's Share of the Great Trail" is now available online through the Atrium at the University of Guelph. You can read the document by clicking here. An abstract of Timothy's thesis is listed below: The development circumstances of small population municipalities along The Great Trail vary widely and numerous expressions of precarious trail development were uncovered through a

The Intersection of Contemporary Rural Policy

The Intersection of Contemporary Rural Policy
Rural places are often presented as “left behind”, especially when it comes to technology. But is that really the case? The Intersection of Things podcast interviewed Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph) in a feature episode about the intersections of the rural and the digital. The interview covers questions about rural data, and what it might mean for national security, different inno...

Weeden featured in series on knowledge mobilization for public policy in i-Vote/je-Vote 2019 Election series

Weeden featured in series on knowledge mobilization for public policy in i-Vote/je-Vote 2019 Election series
Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, School of Environmental Design & Rural Development) has been featured in a collection of researchers, journalists, academics and public figures in sharing insights on knowledge mobilization in advance of the 2019 Canadian federal election. You can read her advice to researchers looking to share their work with policy makers on the iVote/jeVote website by clicking here. To learn more about research on knowledge mobiliza