BC Town Fighting to Recruit Family Doctors

Kootenay community of Creston has its own professional headhunter to find physicians Dr. Nerine Kleinhans came to Creston, B.C., from Saskatchewan. She says the town has had a successful recruiting push, but there are still too few family physicians to go around. (Dan Caverly/CBC News) Whoever said an apple a day keeps the doctor away…

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A Digital Divide Persists Between Rural and Urban Canadians

Are you getting the internet speeds you’re paying for? A digital divide persists between rural and urban Canadians. CIRA is mapping this divide through their Internet Performance Test (IPT) platform so they can help communities understand how best to tackle internet access issues in their area—but they need your help! Run an IPT today! It’s…

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Housing Shortages and Rural Migration

When non-metropolitan communities do not have enough housing supply, or not enough appropriate housing, community and economic development faces challenges, and social and economic momentum can be lost. Attracting new residents, housing a larger workforce, and enabling seniors to comfortably age in place, all while maintaining a high quality of life for all residents, becomes…

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A New Hotline for Rural BC!

The BC Rural Centre has a new direct phone number to call when you need to talk to someone about Rural Issues, Challenges, Opportunities, and Inquiries. Over the past few months, the BC Rural Centre has been adjusting to a few key changes, new staff, including a new Executive Director and a revisit of the…

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Local Immigration: Assessing the Policy Capacity of Smaller Communities

Who should decide whether a smaller community is ready to welcome foreign-born residents? Who should participate in the design and implementation of a local immigration strategy? There has been an increasing policy interest in encouraging immigration settlement in smaller communities, as evidenced by the introduction of Rural and Northern Immigration pilots and soon-to-be Municipal Nominee…

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Rural Development Success Story

Originally Posted on: Nelson Chamber of Commerce   Over the last five years, Canada has been a high-tech job creation machine. Year after year, the Toronto area alone has generated more technology jobs than San Francisco, Seattle or any other U.S. city. Vancouver has seen a similar economic boom. Both cities, with top universities and hospitals,…

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Rural-Urban Inequities in Palliative Care

Many rural communities have few or no palliative care beds. And as financial burdens increase, some health authorities are agreeing to staff new beds only if the local community pays for the design and building costs of new palliative care facilities. When built, residential hospice palliative care programs have often been at least 50% funded…

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Regulations Urged for Short-term Rentals

The Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) has made 13 requests of the province to consider in order to establish a regulatory framework for the short-term accommodations industry, similar to those in place for ride-hailing and other regulated industries.  Read The Report Here

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