How do approaches to rural economic development differ between rural Ontario and rural Ireland? What can be learned from decades of rural economic development practice in both Canada and Ireland? For five days in May, staff and board members from Community Futures across Ontario engaged in conversations with rural economic development leaders in Ireland. During the five day forum discussions were held with policy makers, local economic development pra...
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
On May 1, Dr Ryan Gibson joined a panel discussion focused on sharing experiences with the Mitacs funding program to support graduate student capacity development during the Perspectives on Experiential Learning Conference. The panel, organized by Nadia Timperio and Ben Bradshaw, consisted of Dr. Angela Canovas (Department of Animal Biosciences), Dr. Jamie Burr (Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences), and Nic Durish (School of Computer S...
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...
What does the future of rural communities across Canada look like? How are rural communities addressing the key challenges and maximizing opportunities to build sustainable places? On April 4, 2019, Dr. Ryan Gibson discussed key trends impacting in rural communities across Ontario, Canada, and internationally.
Community leaders, agricultural producers, and business owners gathered for the breakfast session in Jarvis, Ontario. The session discussed trends ...
