Amid economic uncertainties exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario faces challenges in tight labour markets, high unemployment rates, and a significant skills gap, particularly in rural areas, where approximately 250,000 jobs remain unfilled. In response to these pressing issues, a research initiative has been launched to spotlight innovative workforce development strategies aimed at addressing rural labour force challenges. By conducting an online
The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph, in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), hosted a one-day symposium to showcase rural research being conducted at the University of Guelph. The Rural Symposium is an opportunity for graduate students to share their research with researchers, policy analysts and program staff with the OMAFRA, and rural organizations.
Rural research from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development was on display at the recent Liminal Spaces: Two Days of Rural Canada conference. The interdisciplinary conference examined the world between the cities and the wilderness. The following students and alumni presented rural research at the conference:
Danika Hammond (MSc Planning graduate): Defining rural: Advancing a place-based rural criteria matrix
John Dale (Rural Studie...
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
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...
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
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
The COVID-19 pandemic created fluctuations in flight service, both nationally and internationally. Over the past months, researchers have investigated the changes in scheduled flight services in rural and northern Ontario. To gain a greater depth of understanding of these changes, an inventory was created based on information collected from 66 Northern Ontario Airports. The new report creates an inventory of Northern Ontario airports. The information colle...
