BC Rural Centre | BC Rural Centre

Keeping It Rural 2023

June 1st and 2nd, 2023 in Kelowna, BC at the Hampton Inn We are planning to cover many of the challenges and opportunities facing rural BC right now. From mill closures, and mega-projects to innovation in agriculture and rural health updates. The tickets will go on sale in mid-March and due to limited seating we…

20 Years of Fallout in the Forestry Sector

More than 20 years ago, a tiny insect changed B.C.’s forestry future. The fallout is still happening Job losses being seen across the province have been predicted for more than a decade, industry leaders say No one is surprised by the news of Canfor shutting down one of its pulp mills in Prince George. Not…

New and Improved Public Spaces and Tourism Experiences

The Government of Canada is making investments across British Columbia to refresh community spaces, attract new visitors, and stimulate local economies Safe and inclusive public spaces and dynamic tourism attractions are key to vibrant communities. They bring together people of all ages and abilities, in turn supporting businesses and boosting economic vitality. Throughout the East…

Territory Acknowledgment: A Guide

Acknowledging traditional territory is, for many First Nations, a long-standing practice and a regular aspect of governance relationships and ceremony. In recent years, territory acknowledgments have become common across Canada as an act of respect and reconciliation at formal meetings, conferences, or public events. Fundamentally, a territory acknowledgment is a relational process, which means that…

What is Rural Policy Today? A pan-Canadian scan of policies for rural spaces

Rural regions are at the forefront of change. As our great green places—with the vast majority of land and natural resources—they are central to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. Read the full report here: Rural-Policies-CRRF-2022 The rapid need to de-carbonize economies is leading to large new investments in renewable energy infrastructure, transforming rural landscapes…

An Infrastructure Gap Slows Down Adoption of EV

‘The gap is large’: B.C.’s small towns illuminate urban-rural divide in EV infrastructure There’s an infrastructure gap that’s slowing down the adoption of electric vehicles across B.C. Here’s what three small towns — urban and rural — are doing to close it. In areas with less population density, British Columbians outside of city centres are…

Using the Arts & Festivals as a Rural Development Tool

How can rural community-engaged health services planning affect sustainable health care system changes?

A process description and qualitative analysis of data from the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia’s Rural Site Visits Project Abstract Objectives The objectives of the Rural Site Visit Project (SV Project) were to develop a successful model for engaging all 201 communities in rural British Columbia, Canada, build relationships and gather data about community health…

Rankin MacSween of Cape Breton’s New Dawn Enterprises, on Community Development

Rankin MacSween, who gave an amazingly inspirational keynote speech at our 2015 conference, one that people still talk about, followed that up with an equally inspiring address at this year’s Keeping It Rural conference. For over three decades, Rankin has led Canada’s oldest – and most successful – community development corporation, New Dawn Enterprises, on Cape…

Keeping It Rural 2017

The second biennial Keeping It Rural conference was held in Kelowna, June 2017. Attendees from Northern BC to the US border, from Vancouver Island to the Rockies took in two days of inspirational speeches by outstanding presenters and lively and panel discussions on pressing issues ranging from the arts to agriculture. We’ve captured some of…