The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging local governments on every level. Infrastructure investments are often used as critical mechanisms for supporting economic recovery.
This crisis, combined with anticipated challenges associated with climate change and opportunities presented by technological breakthroughs, requires new approaches addressing the connection between infrastructure and economic development. However, there is very little information avail...
On February 25, 2020, in partnership with the Ontario Good Roads Association, the Building the Future research team launched a survey for rural municipal officials and staff to learn more about their experiences in planning for and connecting infrastructure initiatives and economic development strategies.
Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, Rural Studies) launched the survey to a standing-room-only session of more than 75 delegates at the 2020 Ontario Good
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...
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
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
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
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...
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 ...
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
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
