New Project – Pathways to Practice

New Project – Pathways to Practice
  We are excited to share a new knowledge translation and transfer initiative has been funded titled Pathways to Practice: Bridging Knowledge, Practitioners, and Students. The new initiative will build bridges between graduate students, rural economic development officers, and rural community leaders to connect knowledge, ideas, and networks. The project focuses on creating an in-person forum for facilitating these connections, creating a series of

Innovative Workforce Strategies in Rural Ontario

Innovative Workforce Strategies in Rural Ontario
From March 13th to 15th, Heather Graham (MSc Rural Planning and Development student) and Dr. Ryan Gibson attended the 26th Annual Metropolis Canada Conference in Montréal, Québec. They had the opportunity to present their poster, titled, "Innovative Workforce Strategies for Engaging Newcomers in Rural Ontario." The poster highlights the results of a survey they had completed in Fall 2023, which asked workforce planning boards and Community Futures Developm

2024 Rural Symposium

2024 Rural Symposium
Mark your calendars - the 2024 Rural Symposium takes place on March 5! The Rural Symposium is an annual opportunity for University of Guelph graduate students to showcase their rural research to policymakers, policy analysts, and program staff from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The event facilitates knowledge mobilization and network building between graduate students at the University of Guelph, researchers, and ...

Embedding Wealth in Rural Communities

Embedding Wealth in Rural Communities
On 27 November 2023, Ryan Gibson share research on embedding wealth in rural Canadian communities at the International Association of Community Development's Researcher Forum. The presentation explored how rural and small communities can benefit from existing wealth to build their futures. Insights from community wealth building experiences from rural Canada were be shared, focusing on lessons learned, impacts, and transferability. A copy of the presentati...

Measuring the Urban Exodus: Statistics Canada Data Trends in Rural Ontario

Measuring the Urban Exodus: Statistics Canada Data Trends in Rural Ontario
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a visible migration of urban populations into rural communities. A new research initiative is examining the migration trends taking place in Ontario and their impact on rural communities, economies, and environments. As a part of the Urban Exodus: Understanding the Impacts of Migration to Rural Ontario as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic initiative, a set of research insights have been developed by gra

Exploring the Rural Research Landscape across Ontario

Exploring the Rural Research Landscape across Ontario
​The Rural Futures project at the University of Guelph is on a mission to promote the impactful research work happening in Ontario, particularly as it relates to rural people, places, and the environment. As an initiative aimed at promoting rural-focused research by students and faculty, Rural Futures is committed to making these outputs accessible to everyone. Through our dynamic new directory, Rural Futures is shining a spotlight on the diverse resear

‘Building the Future’ Research Team Shares First-Stage Findings with OMAFRA

‘Building the Future’ Research Team Shares First-Stage Findings with OMAFRA
On January 14th, members of the 'Building the Future' research team shared the first-stage of findings from the project with staff at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as well as others from across the Ontario Public Service. Dr. Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph), Dr. Sean Markey (Simon Fraser University), Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, University of Guelph), Melissa Visser (MSc Student, University of Guelph), Jay Maloney (MS...