Stephanie Patzer, recent Rural Planning and Development graduate, shared her research on housing in Honduras at the “Inclusive Development? Expanding Circles of Development Research and Practice” Conference that took place from June 5-7, 2019 in Vancouver. Stephanie's presentation, titled "Lessons from Participatory Community Development in Informal Settlements in Honduras", explored housing development in two Honduran communities in partnership with Techo
Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Student, Rural Studies - School of Environmental Design & Rural Development) offered reflections on women's leadership in rural innovation as the opening keynote for the PEI Business Women's Association 2019 Spring Symposium on May 23, 2019 in Charlottetown, PE.
Ashleigh's keynote lecture, titled “We Can Do It – Reflections on Rosie, Robots, and Rural Innovation”, offered insights into the often untold stories of women's leadershi
Ever wondered what the implication of cannabis legalization are for rural communities or if rural communities are benefited at all? On May 7, 2019, Tracey Harvey (PhD in Rural Studies Candidate at the University of Guelph) shared information on how rural communities are transitioning with the adoption of the Cannabis Act from the Kootenay region of British Columbia. The webinar examined current challenges and opportunities associated with
On April 26, 2019, a collection of researchers, healthcare practitioners, workers’ rights activists, and volunteers met at the University of Windsor for the annual Migrant Farm Worker Health Forum. This event, organized by Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), is a venue for emerging research and practices intended to better the health, conditions, and overall well-being of participants in Canada’s various Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW)
On May 2, Ashleigh Weeden (PhD student, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development) shared insights from her career and research into rural community innovation with approximately 150 leaders in economic development from across Saskatchewan at the 2019 Intersections for Growth Conference, the annual conference hosted by the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA).
Ashleigh's presentation focused on the importance of developing a stro
For the past ten years, the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health has been changing health and well-being in the Huron, Bruce, Grey, and Perth counties. On May 2, 2019, community leaders, volunteers, health practitioners, and researchers marked the 10th anniversary of the Gateway and its achievements.
Gateway is a not-for-profit corporation with charitable status striving to improve the health and quality of life of rural resident
Women are an inherent and critical part of the global agri-food sector and are a valuable resource for farming within Canada. Women have important roles to play in addressing current challenges, such as rising land values, fluctuating and uncertain commodity markets, new disease risks and climate change. However, the role of women in agriculture has traditionally been less visible than that of men. Women are becoming more prominent in some subsectors...
Rural economic development practices are often applied under the same instances across all rural towns as it is believed that what will work for one rural town will work for the next. However, not all rural economic development practices work in smaller rural towns. I had the opportunity to attend the 2019 Teeny Tiny Town Summit on April 11th, 2019 in Orono, Ontario.
The day was spent learning from Peter Kenyon (a social capitalist and community enth...
Rural Canada is doing immigration differently. Although historically not sites of large-scale immigration, rural communities and regions throughout Canada continues to welcome new immigrants. This session explores how rural communities and regions are building strategies to attract, settle, welcome, and integrate new immigrants. These strategies, however, can not simply replicate urban-based strategies. This session highlights lessons learned from the pers...
During the 2019 Rural Symposium, five graduates supervised by Dr. Ryan Gibson, presented their research focused on evidence-based policy, rural policy interventions, rural innovation, opioid crisis, trail development, and rural infrastructure. Copies of the presentations and posters can be found below:
Making a Difference: Provincial Policy Reflections on Knowledge Mobilization (Ashleigh Weeden)
Creating Effective Rural Policies: Rural Lenses and thei...
