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 highlighted the school’s ongoing commitment to supporting healthy, resilient, and sustainable rural communities.

The conference provided an opportunity for current students, alumni, and faculty members to share research and professional experiences on issues affecting rural Canada. Topics ranged from artificial intelligence, migration, and health care access to housing, governance, economic development, environmental stewardship, and community resilience. Together, these contributions reflect the strong connections between research, policy, and practice that characterize SEDRD’s work in rural development.

SEDRD contributions to the conference included:

• Addressing Veterinary Service Scarcity in Northern Ontario: A Resource Management Perspective — Ferdous Farhana Huq (RST PhD student)
• Anchor Industries, Reshaping Economies, and Environmental Stewardship: Lessons from the Nuclear Energy Cluster in Bruce County, Ontario — Natasha D’Souza (RST PhD alumni), Ryan Gibson (SEDRD faculty)
• Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Comparing AI and Human-Generated Research Summaries in Rural Development — Varinder Nandhra (MSc RPD student), Ryan Gibson
• Building Resilience Through Community Champions: The Role of Local Leaders for Rural Economic Development Capacity and Diversification — Lucas Berek (MSc RPD alumni), Joshua Barrett (RST PhD alumni)
• Developing and Implementing Rural Programs and Policy — Danika Hammond (MSc RPD alumni)
• From Research to Action: Making Rural Research Work for Rural People — Damilola Oyewale (MSc RPD alumni), Camilo Jimenez (MPlan alumni), Heather Douglas (MSc RPD alumni), Ryan Gibson (SEDRD faculty)
• Home Away from Home: International Agricultural Workers Housing Policy, Lessons from Ontario — Damilola Oyewale (MSc RPD alumni), Ryan Gibson (SEDRD faculty)
• How the Federal Government is Advancing Rural Priorities — Sarah Minnes (MSc RPD alumni)
• Navigating the New Rural Realities: Prospects for Policy and Practice in Turbulent Futures — David Douglas (Professor Emeritus)
• Normalizing a Crisis: The Increasing Regularity of Emergency Department Closures in Ontario — Sage Milne (MSc RPD student), Leith Deacon (SEDRD faculty)
• Philanthropy in Place: Community, Care, and Rural Resilience in Atlantic Canada — Joshua Barrett (RST PhD alumni)
• Rooted in Place? Designing Community-Centered Responses to Mega-Manufacturing in Rural Ontario — Shahrear Towhid (RST PhD student), Ryan Gibson (SEDRD faculty)
• Rural Governance in the Iron Cage: Exploring Pressures on the Economic Identity and Autonomy of Ontario’s Rural Municipalities — Jayden Cote (MSc RPD alumni)
• The Living Room of Rural Communities — Lucas Berek (MSc RPD alumni)
• Understanding the Impacts of the Urban Exodus in Rural Ontario — Natasha Gaudio Harrison (RST PhD student), Sara Epp (SEDRD faculty)
• Who Belongs in Rural Futures? A Systematic Review of Belonging Economies, Migration, and Equity — Daniel Layden (RST PhD student)

The strong presence of SEDRD students, alumni, and faculty at the conference demonstrates the school’s leadership in rural research and practice. By sharing knowledge and engaging with researchers, practitioners, and community leaders from across Canada and beyond, SEDRD continues to advance solutions that support thriving rural communities.