BC rural development Archives

ABCD Toolkit

In this toolkit by DePaul University’s ABCD Institute, Dan Duncan sets out the concept of asset-based community development, or “ABCD.” Duncan argues that, to improve individual and family well-being, communities, neighbourhoods and their residents need to be involved as co-producers of their own and their communities’ well-being. Everyone has something to contribute, Duncan asserts, and…

Cormac Russell Explains Asset-Based Community Development

Cormac Russell is Managing director of Nurture Development, one of eleven strategic partners of the ABCD Institute, and the lead partner in Europe. Russell and his Nurture Development colleagues have worked as ABCD social explorers, trainers, mentors, facilitators, researchers, and consultants with change partners and disruptive innovators around the world. These include communities, charities, NGOs/NPOs, faith-based organizations,…

Affordable Housing in Rural Communities

Affordable housing is a pressing issue in many small rural communities, this webinar features Lisa Byers, Executive Director of OPAL (“Of People And Land”) Community Land Trust on Washing State’s Orcas Island. Providing affordable housing that’s place-appropriate is the real challenge facing many rural and remote communities across North America. There are different approaches that…

BC Rural Centre’s Recommendations for Rural Development

What kind of provincial policies and tools would help us with rural development in BC? This is an issue the BC Rural Centre/SIBAC has spent a lot of time and effort researching. We have developed a brief document (see below) that provides a summary discussion of the top five recommendations the BC Rural Centre would…

Kaslo First Impressions Summary

A brief summary of the impressions and suggestions registered by a “secret” team of visitors to Kaslo from New Denver and the Slocan Valley is now available.

BC Rural Dividend Program Announces Fourth Intake

Applications for funding in the fourth intake of the BC Rural Dividend program will be accepted Nov. 15 to Dec. 15, 2017, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Doug Donaldson announced today. “I encourage local governments, not-for-profit organizations and First Nations to get their applications submitted,” said Donaldson. “We’re committed to…

Creston Picks Its Future

Creston Picks a Fresh Approach It’s hard to know if you’re winning without a strategy. And a strategy is precisely what had been missing in Creston, BC, for years. When it was decided it was time to create a new Official Community Plan (OCP) for Creston, the first question was how to inspire enthusiastic resident…

Freshly Picked Future

Freshly Picked Future — Creston’s OCP Challenge was an experiment in community planning and in rural placemaking. The process used a mobile app, a website, and paper scavenger hunt maps to get citizens exploring community issues and the community itself. They were directed to locations around Creston where Challenge Stations invited targeted feedback on specific…

Mobilizing Rural Investment Capital

The Need for Rural Investment Capital in BC Access to investment capital is crucial to business and economic development anywhere – but is especially important in rural areas. However, research completed by SIBAC and others has noted that it is often difficult to access business financing – and specifically patient equity investment financing – in…