News
Funding success for a Slocan micro-hydro project
Funding success for a Slocan micro-hydro project, recently announced, demonstrates that consensus-based vision, with a large measure of determination, can make all the difference when it comes to making big things happen in small places. Two years ago, the Village of Slocan council renewed its commitment to the development of the Springer Creek micro…
Read MoreSIBAC announces upcoming Keeping It Rural 2017 conference
In the wake of 2015’s highly successful Keeping It Rural conference, SIBAC is pleased to announce that Keeping It Rural 2017 will take place this June 20th and 21st in Kelowna. As with the 2015 event, this year’s Keeping It Rural event will feature outstanding presenters from Australia and across North America, delivering presentations and…
Read MoreCommunity forum on investing in clean energy coming to Nelson
A community forum on investing in clean energy coming to Nelson. Ever wonder how small towns manage to find the funds needed to kickstart innovative new ventures? Are you concerned about the West Kootenay’s environmental future? Then you won’t want to miss the third in the Forum Series of gathering on Thursday, April 6 in…
Read MoreBC Government Releases Rural Strategy
The BC Government, represented by Premier Christy Clark and Secretary of State for Rural Economic Development Donna Barnett, announced the release of the provincial government’s rural strategy in Merritt on March 3rd. To access the strategy document, simply click on the cover below.
Read MoreRural revitalization & the arts — a conversation with John Davis
Rural revitalization and the arts — few places have linked the two more successfully than the small Minnesota towns of New York Mills and Lanesboro. So what do these communities have in common? Among other things, John Davis. Currently the Executive Director of Lanesboro Arts, Davis has helped bring various community factions together in both towns,…
Read MoreSicamous mayor Terry Rysz speaks out on rural economic development & a new community forest initiative
Sicamous mayor Terry Rysz candidly admits that his community — like many other small, rural, forestry-dependent communities across BC — was hard-hit when the major sawmill in the area closed, taking with it around 200 well-paid jobs. For him, spurring rural economic development — or rural economic culture — is extremely important. Recognizing the importance…
Read MoreShould Rural British Columbians Accept Sub-Par Emergency Services?
In this CBC News report (including the full podcast interview), BC’s Forest Safety Ombudsman Roger Harris says “many in charge think people in rural areas ‘made a choice’ to get worse care in emergencies.” A report from B.C.’s Forest Safety Ombudsman criticizes an attitude in B.C.’s emergency services that views rural living as “a choice” that comes…
Read MoreSome Canadian Towns Give Away Land to Attract New Residents
Large parts of Canada were settled thanks to government policies of giving out free land to anyone willing to show up and farm it. And although the federal government largely stopped giving out Crown land in the 1930s, some small towns are continuing the tradition by giving their land away for free. Morgan Lowrie of the…
Read MoreYale First Nation & Britco team up to create a new generation of energy efficient housing
In the Fall of 2016, Yale First Nation signed on with modular builder, Britco, one of the largest commercial modular construction companies in North America, to start a housing revolution. For the past few years, Yale, a First Nation located in Yale, BC, with approximately 160 band members living on and off reserve, has been…
Read MoreCommunity Forestry in Canada — Professor Sara Teitelbaum
Community forestry in Canada has taken root over the past three decades. Locally run forestry initiatives have been hailed as welcome alternatives to large corporate and industrial logging practices, yet little research has been done to document their tangible outcomes or draw connections between their ideals of local control, community benefit, ecological stewardship, and economic…
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