From Conflict to Collaboration: the Tla’amin — Powell River Experience

The coastal town of Powell River shares several similarities with other rural communities in BC. Powell River was established and grew next to a historical First Nations community – in this case on the traditional territory of the Tla’amin Nation.  The town’s economic growth and expansion was primarily due to a heavy reliance on the forest industry.  And…

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Future Food: Getting Beyond the Energy Blindness of Techno-Utopianism

Future food

(The following is adapted from The Future is Rural: Food System Adaptations to the Great Simplification, by Jason Bradford.   How’s this for a party-stopper: Contrary to the forecasts of most demographers, urbanization will reverse course as globalization unwinds during the 21st century. The eventual decline in fossil hydrocarbon flows, and the inability of renewables…

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One Maine Town Tees Up New Economic Development

Biddeford, Maine, saw a dramatic economic turnaround after the Orton Foundation’s Community Heart & Soul program helped shape the town’s Master Plan. Biddeford’s Economic Development Director, Daniel Stevenson, talks about how having a solid road map opened the door for $78 million in new projects downtown, including a hotel, new businesses, apartments, and shops.  …

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Canada’s Rural Economic Development Minister Invites Public Ideas On Ways to Expand Rural Opportunity — News Release

Canada

Ottawa, Ontario, March 25, 2019 – Canadians living in rural and northern communities have unique needs. Access to better and more modern infrastructure, affordable housing, and faster, more reliable Internet Service can make a big difference in the quality of life for rural Canadians.   The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Canada’s newly-appointed Minister of Rural Economic Development, is…

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B.C. Premier Says Wood To Be Used In Two Provincial Megaprojects

B.C. premier John Horgan

B.C.Premier John Horgan announced the provincial government is moving to help revive the provincial forest industry by requiring the use of engineered wood on the new St. Paul’s Hospital and the upgrade to the Royal B.C. Museum, in a speech at the Council of Forest Industries convention in Vancouver on April 5th, as covered in this…

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Report Reveals Ambulance Service Gaps in B.C.’s Rural, Remote Regions

The Auditor General’s report on BC’s Emergency Health Service indicates rural services need to be improved, as highlighted in this article by Betsy Kline originally published in the Castlegar News.   B.C. Auditor General Carol Bellringer released a report this week on the BC Emergency Health Service, confirming what many people in rural B.C. already…

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Rural Healthcare in BC — where are we & where are we going?

Rural healthcare in BC

Rural healthcare — access to excellent medical care on a timely basis — is a challenging issue for many rural British Columbians. The BC Rural Centre invited Dr. David Snadden, Doctors of BC’s UBC Chair in Rural Health, to lead a conversation on issues and innovations on British Columbia’s rural healthcare front. From a BC…

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