The October 2026 newsletter contains updates to graduate students working with Prof. Gibson and recent alumni. This newsletter shares information about academic programs updates, celebrates receive achievements, profiles an RPD alumni, and share insights on upcoming events. If you have information to share in the monthly update do not hesitate to let Ryan know via email.
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A new article in Place asks a practical question: what helps communities attract skilled workers and make it possible for them to stay? Natasha D’Souza, Ryan Gibson, and Wayne Caldwell show that a job offer is only part of the answer. Workers and their families also need suitable housing, healthcare, schools, childcare, and opportunities to feel at home.
Drawing on Bruce County’s growing energy sector, the publication explores how major employers can brin
Rural Studies PhD alumnus Josh Barrett has co-authored a new article, “Place-Based Social Innovation: An Exploratory Study of Community Foundations in Rural Atlantic Canada,” with Edmund Yirenkyi. Published in the Journal of Rural and Community Development, the study examines how community foundations can help rural communities respond to challenges such as rising inflation and volatile natural resource markets.
Community foundations play a distinctive
The September 2026 newsletter contains updates to graduate students working with Prof. Gibson and recent alumni. This newsletter shares information about academic programs updates, celebrates receive achievements, profiles an RPD alumni, and share insights on upcoming events. If you have information to share in the monthly update do not hesitate to let Ryan know via email.
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 August 2026 newsletter contains updates to graduate students working with Prof. Gibson and recent alumni. This newsletter shares information about academic programs updates, celebrates receive achievements, profiles an RPD alumni, and share insights on upcoming events. If you have information to share in the monthly update do not hesitate to let Ryan know via email.
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
The July 2026 newsletter contains updates to graduate students working with Prof. Gibson and recent alumni. This newsletter shares information about academic programs updates, celebrates receive achievements, profiles an RPD alumni, and share insights on upcoming events. If you have information to share in the monthly update do not hesitate to let Ryan know via email.
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...
