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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ABCDE, a la Peter Kenyon!

asset based community development with Peter Kenyon

“Shift the development mindset from needs and deficiencies to assets and capacities — from consumer, customer, and client, to co-producer, co-owner, and citizen.” Peter Kenyon   If your rural or remote community can use a boost, here are some primers, courtesy one of the world’s leading asset-based community development advocates, Australia’s Peter Kenyon.    …

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Small Town Canada Strives to Survive

Small towns strive to survive

Here’s an informative report by CBC on how rural Canadians are striving to cope with change in the 21st century.  TRANSFORMATION How Canada’s small towns are trying to survive and thrive in changing times All summer CBC News will showcase communities adapting to demographic and other changes Chris Iorfida · CBC News · Posted: Jul 09, 2018 4:00 AM…

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Rural Innovation — Communities As Engines Of Change

by Rupert Downing, June 1, 2018   This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in Scotland, one of the most impactful examples of community partnerships for change in rural areas anywhere.  It was fitting that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) chose to hold its 8th international conference on rural development, Enhancing Rural Innovation,…

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Highlands & Islands Enterprise — Prickly Thistle

Highlands & Islands

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is an ambitious Scottish organization with a unique mandate, one that successfully integrates economic and community development in rural northern Scotland. HIE, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year,  works in a diverse region which extends from Shetland to Argyll, and from the Outer Hebrides islands to Moray, covering more…

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By Their Own Hands — St. Andrews, Nova Scotia

By their own hands — the people of St. Andrews take charge!

Building on the legacy of pioneering Scottish and, later, Dutch immigrants, St. Andrews, Nova Scotia, a rural agricultural community, has been able to muster active and enthusiastic volunteers for a series of ambitious community initiatives and has maintained a thriving community into the 21st century. This 22 minute video explores some of the reasons why…

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Cooperation At the Heart of One Small Community’s Success

Community is crucial

  Community — pulling together collectively to affect real change — is often the key in small town turn-arounds. In this informative article written by Spotify’s Dayna Winter, we’re introduced to Almonte, Ontario, a town of 5,000 that has managed to revitalize itself through developing a collaborative consensus around development.   Small towns exist in snow…

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New Denver/Silverton Report Summary Released

New Denver/Silverton

New Denver/Silverton were recently the unsuspecting hosts for a contingent of “secret visitors” from Kaslo, who spent an October day checking out everything from the highway entrances to the two villages, to their take on the local economy. The project, called First Impressions, was carried out under the auspices of the BC Rural Centre with…

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Millennials Make the Move to Rural Ontario?

Tony Scott is a Millennial, and the founder and president of Akira Studio, an established tech company based in London, Ontario that designs, develops, and hosts websites for over 450 companies across the globe. Akira employs web developers, software engineers, network analysts and content creators that work together to optimize the online presence and competitiveness…

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