The News
The latest articles and news relating to rural living...
Book it! Literature lives large on the Sunshine Coast
Literature is a big deal on BC’s Sunshine Coast. The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, now in its 34th year, is the longest-running writer’s festival in the country. It celebrates Canadian writers…
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Culture & rural development — how culture revitalized New York Mills, Minnesota
Culture & rural development — are they, or should they be, linked? Zachary Mannheimer, founder of the Des Moines Social Club, VP of Creative Placemaking for Iowa Business Growth, who has led numerous revitalization efforts…
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John Davis to speak at Keeping It Rural 2017
We’re excited to report that John Davis, executive director of Minnesota’s Lanesboro Arts organization, will be speaking at the Keeping It Rural 2017 conference in Kelowna, June 20-21. John is internationally recognized for his success in using culture…
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Keeping It Rural 2017 funding support from CBT
We’re pleased to announce that Columbia Basin Trust plans to help up to 20 Basin-based residents attend this year’s Keeping It Rural conference (June 20-21 in Kelowna), by offering up to $1,000 each to offset…
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Paul Muir on the arts & small rural communities
For many small remote rural communities, the key to renewal and revitalization may well lie in the pent-up creativity of local residents. Culture, even if it starts out small, as it did in tiny (population…
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Peter Kenyon to speak at Keeping It Rural 2017
We’re delighted that internationally recognized rural development leader Peter Kenyon will be joining us at this year’s Keeping It Rural conference, in Kelowna (June 20-21). A community enthusiast and social entrepreneur, Peter has worked with…
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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…
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SIBAC 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…
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Community 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…
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BC 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,…
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Economic development in the Lower Columbia region — a chat with Terry Van Horn of LCIC
Economic development in the Lower Columbia region has been bolstered since 2010 by an organization formed through a partnership featuring the City of Rossland, the City of Trail, the Village of Warfield, the Village of Montrose, the Village of Fruitvale…
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Rural 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,…
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Rural schools are vital, says Kaslo principal Dan Rude
Rural schools are vital — it’s difficult to imagine a rural community prospering without offering its children access to an adequate school. This fact was hammered home at a open house on February 24th in…
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China Creek Micro-Hydro — Hupacasath First Nation leads the green energy charge
The Hupacasath First Nation pioneered the development of a First Nation micro-hydro operation with the China Creek Micro-Hydro Power Plant that has been in operation since 2006. The China Creek Micro-Hydro Project began in 2001,…
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Robin Billy of SX Cloud Services talks tech
Sexqeltkemc Cloud Services (“SX Cloud Services” for short) co-founder Robin Billy is a young man on a mission. He and his colleagues are determined to grow SX Cloud Services into a significant technology provider to Shuswap…
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Sicamous 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…
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Food, glorious food, Shuswap style
Surveys show a sizeable majority of British Columbians would prefer to buy and consume food grown close to home. Yet no more than five percent of the food we eat is locally sourced. Some see…
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CBT is looking for a new Chief Operating Officer for Columbia Basin Broadband
Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) is looking for a Chief Operating Officer for its Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation (CBBC) subsidiary — certainly one of the most important technology positions in rural British Columbia. CBT is looking for someone…
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Small, Remote — and Successful!
Small can be beautiful. Remoteness and rugged surroundings are often cited as negatives in discussions regarding rural communities and regions. But there are cases where these apparent challenges are turned into positives. Mountain Trek, a…
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Should 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…
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Some 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…
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Harrop-Procter Community Forest shines
This article by Virginia Rasch excerpted from Kootenay Business highlights the Harrop-Procter Community Forest, one of the most innovative community forestry initiatives in the country. From conflict comes success. That’s the origin of the Harrop-Procter Community…
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Yale 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,…
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Seabird Island First Nation showcases its capacity for partnerships
The Seabird Island community is well positioned within British Columbia with natural beauty, abundant natural resources, and sound agricultural and light industry business sectors. The community has a population of 850 people and is located…
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