The first year of the Libro Professorship of Regional Economic Development was a busy one! Over the past year, the Libro Professor has been actively engaged in teaching, research, and community engagement across southwestern Ontario. The annual report summarizing the 2016-2017 activities is now available.
2016-2017 Libro Professor of Regional Economic Development Annual Report
How can food and beverages drive local economic development? On October 10, 2017, residents and business leaders in South Huron will discuss opportunities in the food and beverage industries to grow the local and regional economy. The 'All the Right Ingredients for Food and Beverage Businesses' will showcase regional success stories, explore new innovations, and examine opportunities for collective action. Dr. Gibson will speak about the key chal
On July 27, 2017, Dr. Ryan Gibson was re-elected President of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet). CCEDNet is a member-driven, not for-profit, charitable organization made up of community-based organizations, co-operatives, social enterprises, practitioners, active citizens, researchers, and other organizations involved in community economic development. CCEDNet works to strengthen CED in urban, rural, northern and Abori...
The June 29th, 2017 edition of the Manitoba Co-operator profiled an article on the future funding approaches to infrastructure in rural Canada. The article, by Lorraine Stevenson, is based on a recent report and presentation made to the Senate Committee on National Finance. In early May 2017, Dr. Gibson delivered a presentation to the Senate Committee based on research conducted by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, Rural Development I
Learning from other jurisdictions can greatly enhance our understanding of rural policy and rural development. To facilitate comparative rural studies, faculty members from across North America and Europe host a two-week international summer institute for students. The International Comparative Rural Policy (ICRPS) Summer Institute provides a unique opportunity for students to meet and work together on comparative rural policy issues and make inv
One of the largest international networks focused on regional development has a strong voice for rural development and early career researchers in the appointment of Dr. Gibson to the Regional Studies Association. Based in Brighton, United Kingdom, the Regional Studies Association works with its international membership to facilitate the highest standards of theoretical development, empirical analysis and policy debate of issues at this sub-natio...
What makes a healthy rural community was the central question and discussion at the inaugural RuralTalks session held in Exeter on June 23. RuralTalks was designed to bring community leaders, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community residents together to facilitate conversations on how to build vibrant, robust, and sustainable rural futures. The RuralTalks event was co-hosted by the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity and the Gateway C...
How do rural regions recognize the labour force requirements for future developments? What opportunities are there regarding future labour force developments that could increase the competitiveness of rural businesses? On June 19, 2017, over 50 delegates from across the Kootenays Region of British Columbia gathered to discuss these issues. The workshop was part of a larger research initiative led by Dr. Terri MacDonald (Regional Innovation Chair
On June 9, 2017, Neil Stoop and Ryan Gibson joined Marty Rops to enhance the understanding of the current economic and community development landscape in Perth Couny. Marty Rops (Perth-Huron regional manager for Libro Credit Union) arranged a tour of the region with several meetings in place. The day started bright and early at a small café in downtown Stratford. Over breakfast, Ryan Erb from the Perth-Huron United Way joined us. Ryan had great i
Over the years, Canada has accumulated many lessons learned when it comes to developing and implementing policies in rural areas. These lessons were shared with parliamentarians on June 6, 2017 when Dr. Ryan Gibson presented to the Scottish Parliamentary Cross Party Committee on Rural Policy. The presentation reflect on Canada’s rural policies and programs, what has worked, what has not worked, and what lessons emerged from the various experience
