Canadian Rural Research Network (CRRN) Réseau Canadien de Recherche Rurale (RCRR)

Announcement: Rural Policy Learning Commons Launched

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Reimer) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 01:24:00 +0000

Source: Rural Development Institute, Brandon U. The 7-year partnership entitled the Rural Policy Learning Commons was officially launched August 27th. by the Honourable Ed Holder at Brandon University. The funds will provide infrastructure for the 30 founding institutions and 60 initial participants to create an international partnership of those supporting rural, remote, and northern research and learning. Details regarding the project can be found via http://rplc-capr.ca

The project will support exchanges, institutes, conferences, workshops, a digital information hub, publications, social media, and international comparative collaboration regarding rural policy and issues. The initial four themes of the partnership are Human Capital and Migration, Natural Resource Development, Governance, and Infrastructure and Services. These themes will change and develop over the 7 years of the project as the analysis proceeds, new partners become involved, and new issues arise.

We welcome inquiries, suggestions, and new partners. Keep an eye on our website and let us know when you sees something interesting.

Events: European Society for Rural Sociology Congress: Aberdeen, Scotland, August 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Reimer) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 14:54:00 +0000

Source: ESRS
The XXVI European Society for Rural Sociology Congress will be held from 18-21 August, 2015 in Aberdeen Scotland. The topic of the Congress is "Places of Possibility? Rural Societies in a Neoliberal World." Details of the Congress can be found via the ESRS website at http://www.esrs2015.eu/.

Positions: Two Studentship opportunities in Forestry - Scotland

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Reimer) — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 14:53:00 +0000

Source: University of the Highlands and Islands. Applications are invited for two, three year fully funded PhD studentships in the area of Forestry. The studentships will be based with Inverness College, University of the Highlands and Islands and will be part of the developing research capability at the Scottish School of Forestry.
PhD Studentship: Mapping and Repositioning Forestry Skills for the 21st Century
The aim of this PhD is to explore the ways in which conceptual and theoretical frameworks such as multi- functionality and / or ecosystem services might be combined with a ‘Systems’ approach to enhance understanding of the educational and skills requirements of forestry in the 21st Century. The PhD will commence in October 2014 and the successful candidate will be based at the University of the Highlands and Islands- Inverness College (Centre for Remote and Rural Studies), Scotland. The funding associated with this project covers the equivalent of three years, full-time UK/EU tuition fees, plus a stipend (at Research Council UK levels) for three years. The project is a collaboration between Inverness College UHI and the University of Aberdeen and is funded by Scottish Forestry Commission (Scotland and GB) and the Scottish Forestry Trust. Informal enquiries about this PhD may be made to Dr Philomena de Lima: philomena.deLima.ic@uhi.ac.uk For further details and information about this studentship and how to apply go to http://www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/research
PhD Studentship: Factors controlling the abundance of pine-tree lappet moth (Dendrolimus pini) in north-east Scotland.
This studentship is offered jointly with Forest Research and builds upon research undertaken since 2009 to investigate population densities and distribution of the newly discovered and only known breeding population of the pine tree lappet moth in the UK, The project will determine what level of risk this species may pose to pinewoods, including Caledonian Pinewood Inventory forests, both now and under future climate scenarios. In particular it will focus on the potential contribution of British native parasites, predators, and other natural control agents and climate in regulating populations of pine-tree lappet moth in north-east Scotland. The known distribution and potential spread of this moth, and incorporation of natural control measures through an integrated land management approach will also be explored The project is jointly funded by Inverness College UHI and Forest Research. Informal enquiries about this PhD may be made to Dr Melanie Smith: melanie.smith.ic@uhi.ac.uk For further details and information about this studentship and how to apply go to http://www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/research Closing date for applications for both studentships: 25th August 2014 Please note that a further studentship opportunity in Forestry will be advertised in Autumn 2014.

Project Coordinator Position - RDI

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Reimer) — Sun, 11 May 2014 04:28:00 +0000

Source: Rural Development Institute
RDI is looking for a Project Coordinator for a 7-year partnership project entitled the Rural Policy Learning Commons. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for the project operations including organizing, facilitating, implementing, monitoring, and tracking project milestones, achievements, and budgets. The Coordinator will interact with regional, national, and international partners to monitor project activities of several committees over multiple years to accomplish the project goals. The position is for a 3-year term with the possibility of renewal. For more details click here.

News/Nouvelles Québec's Third Rural Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Reimer) — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 18:44:00 +0000

Source: Bill Reimer and Bruno Jean
Québec signed the Third Rural Policy into law last December. Bill and Bruno have prepared a short summary of the key elements of this policy (in English) to encourage you to look more closely at this innovative approach to rural development. You can access the summary via: http://billreimer.ca/workshop/research/files/ReimerJeanCommentsOnThe3rdRuralPolicyOfQuebec20140314.pdf.

News/Nouvelles: Yahoo News Series on Small Towns

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Reimer) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 16:32:00 +0000

Source CRRF :
Canada's Disappearing Small Towns - 5-part series on Yahoo News This is a series of reports prepared by Yahoo News. The topics are: 1/ Small-town troubles 2/ Big-city dreams 3/ The human factor 4/ Small-town survival 5/ The future of small towns. Several New Rural Economy Sites are featured in this series - along with insights from the project (in part 5).

Presentations/Présentations : 2013 Economic Revitalization Conference Resources Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 02:53:00 +0000

Source: The Monieson Centre, Queen's School of Business.
The 2013 Economic Revitalization conference took place on April 8th, 2013 in Kingston. This year's theme, Building Rural Resilience through Innovation & Entrepreneurship, presented highlights from a series of collaborative projects currently underway between researchers and community partners across eastern Ontario.

The conference welcomed over 120 community leaders, economic developers and academic researchers for a day of rich dialog around building resilient communities through supporting and encouraging entrepreneurship.

Copies of all slide presentations can be found on the conference agenda along with links to The Monieson Centre YouTube channel, where a playlist of all videos has been created.

WWW: www.moniesoncentre.com

Reports/Rapports : Focus on Rural Ontario - Employment, Working Age Population and Aboriginal Identity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 02:47:00 +0000

Source: ROI.
Rural Ontario is experiencing different employment challenges than urban areas. For example, the patterns of job growth and decline are currently heading in different directions. Three new Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets feature employment-related information and another looks at the Aboriginal Identity population in Ontario.

Based on Statistics Canada data, these easy-to-read fact sheets highlight the changing dynamics of rural Ontario’s population, communities and economies. Many larger public organizations have statistical analysts who can access Statistics Canada data directly. For the many who do not have this capacity, the Rural Ontario Institute commissioned this series to help build understanding of key demographic and economic trends affecting this huge region of our province. The fact sheets separate Statistics Canada information into short, digestible snapshots highlighting fundamental information, in an attempt to make it accessible to all.

All Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets can be downloaded from the Rural Ontario Institute website at http://ruralontarioinstitute.ca/resources-reports/

ROI gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of Ontario in making these fact sheets possible. Detailed inquiries as to statistical sources and definitions can be directed to the author Ray Bollman at RayD.Bollman@sasktel.net.

WWW: www.ruralontarioinstitute.ca

RuralTube: Tutorial for communities ― Finding local census data

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 02:38:00 +0000

Source: Statistics Canada / Statistique Canada.
Find local data, for municipalities and community organizations, on StatCan's website.

WWW: http://www.youtube.com/user/StatisticsCanada?feature=watch

Rural and Regional Trends: 2nd quarter, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandro) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 04:26:00 +0000

Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining for 10 consecutive months. In June 2013, 32 economic regions were leading employment growth.
By Ray D. Bollman

Download PDF version.

RRT main page.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Highlights

•  Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining for 10 consecutive months

•  In June 2013, 32 economic regions were leading employment growth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining for 10 consecutive months

Rural and small town (RST) employment is continuing its path of decline that has been on-going since September, 2012 (Figure 1).

Typically, fluctuations in RST employment mirror the fluctuations in larger urban centres. The present pattern is a major departure for RST areas.

The decline is most noticeable in RST Ontario (Table 1).

Figure 1 (PDF)

•  Download the data of this chart in CSV format.
•  Download data from CANSIM.

Table 1 (PDF)
Number employed and percent change by type of geographic area, Canada and Provinces

•  Download the data of this table CSV format.
•  Download data from CANSIM.

In June 2013, 32 economic regions were leading employment growth

• In June 2013, 32 economic regions (out of 73 economic regions in Canada) reported employment growth above the national rate of employment growth (1.33%, compared to the same month in the previous year, using a 3-month moving average). These regions are “leading” Canada’s job growth (Map 1).

The top five leading regions in term of employment growth are:
•  6.38% Lanaudière Economic Region, Quebec;
•  5.90% Camrose-Drumheller Economic Region, Alberta;
•  5.78% Regina-Moose Mountain (incl. Estevan) Economic Region, Saskatchewan;
•  5.36% Kingston-Pembroke Economic Region, Ontario; and
•  5.12% Laurentides Economic Region, Quebec.

The bottom five lagging regions in term of employment growth are:
•  -5.47% Mauricie Economic Region, Quebec;
•  -5.49% Yorkton-Melville Economic Region, Saskatchewan;
•  -6.17% South Central (incl. Winkler) Economic Region, Manitoba;
•  -6.95% London (and area) Economic Region, Ontario; and
•  -7.69% Ottawa (and area) Economic Region, Ontario

Eight economic regions have shown employment growth above the national rate for 12 consecutive months:
•  South Coast-Burin Peninsula Economic Region, Newfoundland and Labrador;
•  Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Region, Quebec;
•  Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Economic Region, Quebec;
•  Prince Albert and Northern Economic Region, Saskatchewan;
•  Red Deer (and area) Economic Region, Alberta;
•  Wood Buffalo (Fort McMurray) - Cold Lake Economic Region, Alberta;
•  Thompson-Okanagan Economic Region, British Columbia; and
•  Cariboo Economic Region, British Columbia

Seven economic regions have shown employment decline for 12 consecutive months:
•  Campbellton-Miramichi Economic Region, New Brunswick;
•  Fredericton-Oromocto Economic Region, New Brunswick;
•  Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Economic Region, Quebec;
•  Estrie Economic Region, Quebec;
•  Ottawa (and area) Economic Region, Ontario;
•  Yorkton-Melville Economic Region, Saskatchewan;
•  Vancouver Island and Coast Economic Region, British Columbia

Map 1 (PDF)
Employment growth performance relative to the national rate of employment growth, June, 2013

Note:
Employment change is calculated by comparing the current month with the same month in the previous year, using a 3-month moving average.
“Leading” indicates employment growth above the national rate of employment growth.
“Modest” indicates employment growth, but the growth is less than the national rate of employment growth.
“Lagging” indicates employment decline.

Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Survey. CANSIM Table 282-0060.

•  Read instructions for uploading the XML files on the CID mapping system.
•  Download XML file to customize Map 1 on the CID (and generate performance maps for April and May 2013).
•  Download XML file to generate percentage change maps for the months of April , May, and June 2013.
•  Download the data of the maps in CSV format.
•  Download data from CANSIM.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Rural and Regional Trends

The purpose of Rural and Regional Trends (RRT) is to facilitate the use, mapping and interpretation of selected timely local economic indicators.

RRT is issued quarterly and will provide the information to address the following questions:
- What are the most recent trends for key local economic indicators of your region?
- How do these trends compare with those of other regions across Canada?

RRT provides summary charts and ready-to-use maps and data. You can use these maps to visualize local economic trends or easily upload the data on the Community Information Database to customize your maps.

RRT is distributed free of charge on the Canadian Rural Research Network (CRRN) and is intended to stimulate debate and further analysis and use of local economic indicators.

RRT is authored by Ray Bollman. For further information and analysis of local economic indicators contact Ray at RayD.Bollman@sasktel.net. Ray recently retired as Chief of the Rural Research Group at Statistics Canada and as Editor of Statistics Canada’s Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins.

About the Canadian Rural Research Network: The CRRN is a vibrant, free and comprehensive on-line community of rural research stakeholders that facilitates information sharing by means of innovative networking approaches. Visit the CRRN web site and subscribe to the CRRN social media (FB, LIn, Tw, RSS) to keep up to date with rural research.

Republishing and redistribution: You can republish and redistribute RRT online or in print for free. You just have to credit the author and the CRRN and link to the online version of RRT on the CRRN.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Call for papers/Appels de communications : Rural Canada - Ready to Grow, CRRF Fall Conference 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 01:49:00 +0000

Source: CRRF.
The 2013 Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) annual conference will be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario from 24-27 October, 2013. The focus of the Rural Canada - Ready to Grow conference is to facilitate a diverse and lively conversation among community leaders, researchers, professional practitioners, government, and private industry about pressing questions facing rural Canada.

Presentations, panel discussion, posters and story telling are being requested. The extended deadline for abstract submissions is now July 31, 2013.

Rural Canada is in a constant state of change. In recent years, many rural areas in more northern and remote regions of the country have experienced changes in their regional economies due to various kinds of resource development. These developments have ushered in new opportunities for growth, while also reigniting questions related to regional development, resource management, governance and co-governance of resources at local/regional levels and with Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) peoples. Rural Canada is ready to grow, but the following questions are critical to how we move forward:

* How do we ensure that some of the benefits of the natural resource industries remain where the resource is extracted?
* What policies and practices need to be in place to ensure that there is a real and lasting positive legacy?
* What governance structures will best ensure positive outcomes for those residing in these regions?
* What are the social ramifications of resource development and how can we mitigate those that are negative and build strong, resilience communities?

Check out the conference website for more details: http://crrf.lakeheadu.ca.

WWW: www.crrf.ca

Reports/Rapports : Focus on Rural Ontario - components of population change in rural Ontario

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 01:41:00 +0000

Source: ROI.
This set of fact sheets features information on what accounts for the population declines or growth seen in the different counties and areas of the province.

For example, how many children are being born versus deaths and the numbers of people moving in or out of areas from elsewhere in Canada. The number of immigrants arriving in each partially or fully non-metropolitan Census Division is provided in relation to historic levels. The recent 2012 data provided should be of great interest to the diverse stakeholders working on newcomer attraction and retention. Data is presented on changes in the number of seniors in each area compared to the number of people in the working age population. This “dependency ratio” is very meaningful in reflecting the levels of human or health services needed in particular areas and the proportion of people on fixed incomes.

Based on Statistics Canada data, these easy-to-read fact sheets highlight the changing dynamics of rural Ontario’s population, communities and economies. Many larger public organizations have statistical analysts who can access Statistics Canada data directly. For the many who do not have this capacity, the Rural Ontario Institute commissioned this series to help build understanding of key demographic and economic trends affecting this huge region of our province. The fact sheets separate Statistics Canada information into short, digestible snapshots highlighting fundamental information, in an attempt to make it accessible to all.

We encourage you to forward these Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets to others within your network that would benefit from this information. We hope you find these, as well as the first set of fact sheets informative! The first Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets contained key facts and figures on what the geographic boundaries of rural Ontario are and compared county and regional trends with metropolitan areas.

All Focus on Rural Ontario fact sheets can be downloaded from the Rural Ontario Institute website at http://ruralontarioinstitute.ca/resources-reports/

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of Ontario in making these fact sheets possible. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me. Detailed inquiries as to statistical sources and definitions can be directed to the author Ray Bollman at RayD.Bollman@sasktel.net.

Norman Ragetlie
Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement
Rural Ontario Institute
519 826-4204
www.ruralontarioinstitute.ca

Books/Livres : Rethinking Rural Literacies: Transnational Perspectives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 00:47:00 +0000

Source: Macmillan.
"Linking the terms "rural" and "literacy" often conjures images of deficit and improvement. This book takes a different approach, unpacking both of these laden concepts in diverse national contexts."

"It explores how people in many rural places understand and experience what it means to be rural and the multiple ways that exist of being literate, including ways that are linked to and situated in a particular place and conception of that place. The chapters in this international collection investigate a wide range of theorizations of rurality and literacy; literate practices and pedagogies; questions of place, space, and sustainability; and complex representations of rurality that challenge simplistic conceptions of standardized literacy and the real-and-imagined world beyond the metropolis."

Edited By Bill Green and Michael Corbett. Rethinking Rural Literacies: Transnational Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan, June 2013.

Google Books.

Rural and Regional Trends: 1st quarter, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Rural and Regional Trends) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:42:00 +0000

Indicators to monitor structure and performance in rural Canada
Ray D. Bollman
Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining for 7 consecutive months. In March 2013, 30 economic regions were leading employment growth.

Download PDF version.

RRT main page.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Highlights

•  Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining for 7 consecutive months

•  In March 2013, 30 economic regions were leading employment growth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining for 7 consecutive months

Rural and small town (RST) employment is continuing its path of decline that has been on-going since September, 2012 (Figure 1).

Typically, fluctuations in RST employment mirror the fluctuations in larger urban centres. The present pattern is a major departure for RST areas.

The decline is most noticeable in RST Ontario (Table 1).

Figure 1 (PDF)

•  Download the data of this chart in CSV format.
•  Download data from CANSIM.

Table 1 (PDF)
Number employed and percent change by type of geographic area, Canada and Provinces

•  Download the data of this table CSV format.
•  Download data from CANSIM.

In March 2013, 30 economic regions were leading employment growth

In March 2013, 30 economic regions (out of 73 economic regions in Canada) reported employment growth above the national rate of employment growth (1.67%, compared to the same month in the previous year, using a 3-month moving average). These regions are “leading” Canada’s job growth (Map 1).

The top five leading regions in term of employment growth are:
•  13.9% Swift Current-Moose Jaw Economic Region, Saskatchewan
•  13.8% Centre-du-Québec Economic Region, Quebec
•  10.1% North Central (includes Portage) Economic Region, Manitoba
•  8.8% Abitibi-Témiscamingue Economic Region, Quebec
•  7.2% West Coast-Northern Peninsula-Labrador Economic Region, Newfoundland and Labrador

The bottom five lagging regions in term of employment growth are:
•  -4.1% Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Economic Region, Quebec
•  -8.7% Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region, Ontario
•  -8.2% Cape Breton Economic Region, Nova Scotia
•  -11.1% Muskoka-Kawarthas Economic Region, Ontario
•  -12.6% Mauricie Economic Region, Quebec

Five economic regions have shown employment growth above the national rate for 12 consecutive months:
•  Saskatoon-Biggar Economic Region, Saskatchewan
•  Kootenay Economic Region, British Columbia
•  Edmonton (and area) Economic Region, Alberta
•  Laval Economic Region, Quebec
•  Avalon Peninsula Economic Region, Newfoundland and Labrador

Six economic regions have shown employment decline for 12 consecutive months:
•  Southern Economic Region, Nova Scotia
•  Saint John-St. Stephen Economic Region, New Brunswick
•  Yorkton-Melville Economic Region, Saskatchewan
•  North Coast and Nechako Economic Region, British Columbia
•  Parklands (includes Dauphin) and North Economic Region, Manitoba
•  Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Economic Region, Quebec

Map 1 (PDF)
Employment growth performance relative to the national rate of employment growth, March, 2013

Note:
Employment change is calculated by comparing the current month with the same month in the previous year, using a 3-month moving average.
“Leading” indicates employment growth above the national rate of employment growth.
“Modest” indicates employment growth, but the growth is less than the national rate of employment growth.
“Lagging” indicates employment decline.

Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Survey. CANSIM Table 282-0060.

•  Read instructions for uploading the XML files on the CID mapping system.
•  Download XML file to customize Map 1 on the CID (and generate performance maps for January and February 2013).
•  Download XML file to generate percentage change maps for the months of January, February, and March 2013.
•  Download the data of the maps in CSV format.
•  Download data from CANSIM.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Rural and Regional Trends

The purpose of Rural and Regional Trends (RRT) is to facilitate the use, mapping and interpretation of selected timely local economic indicators.

RRT is issued quarterly and will provide the information to address the following questions:
- What are the most recent trends for key local economic indicators of your region?
- How do these trends compare with those of other regions across Canada?

RRT provides summary charts and ready-to-use maps and data. You can use these maps to visualize local economic trends or easily upload the data on the Community Information Database to customize your maps.

RRT is distributed free of charge on the Canadian Rural Research Network (CRRN) and is intended to stimulate debate and further analysis and use of local economic indicators.

RRT is authored by Ray Bollman. For further information and analysis of local economic indicators contact Ray at RayD.Bollman@sasktel.net. Ray recently retired as Chief of the Rural Research Group at Statistics Canada and as Editor of Statistics Canada’s Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins.

About the Canadian Rural Research Network: The CRRN is a vibrant, free and comprehensive on-line community of rural research stakeholders that facilitates information sharing by means of innovative networking approaches. Visit the CRRN web site and subscribe to the CRRN social media (FB, LIn, Tw, RSS) to keep up to date with rural research.

Republishing and redistribution: You can republish and redistribute RRT online or in print for free. You just have to credit the author and the CRRN and link to the online version of RRT on the CRRN.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Events/Événements : 2013 CRRF Conference, Thundery Bay - October 24-27

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:40:00 +0000

Source: Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation/Fondation canadienne pour la revitalisation rurale.
The 2013 Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) annual conference will be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario, 24-27 October 2013. The conference is being co-hosted by the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN), Lakehead University, and the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA).

Further details on the conference will be provided soon, and can be found at www.crrf.ca/?page_id=2076.

WWW: www.crrf.ca

------------------------------------------------------------------

La conférence annuelle de la l’Institut du développement rural et du Fondation canadienne pour la revitalisation rurale (FCRR) aura lieu à Thunder Bay en Ontario du 24-27 Octobre 2013. Cette conférence est organisée conjointement par le conseil de la nation Nishnawbe-Aski (NAN), l’Université de Lakehead et l’Association municipale du nord-ouest de l'Ontario (NOMA).

Détails sur la conférence sera bientôt disponible, et peut être trouvé à www.crrf.ca/?page_id=2076.

WWW: www.crrf.ca

RuralTube : The Public Policy of Rural Ontario

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:33:00 +0000

Source: ROI.
TV Ontario's 'The Agenda' looks at rural Ontario. Monday March 11, saw Norm Ragetlie, ROI's Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement interviewed as part of The Agenda’s Google+ Hangout – a social media endeavour of the show.

Rob Hannam, ROI Chair, joined Steve Paikin in the studio in Toronto for a wide-ranging panel discussion about rural Ontario, looking at: What is rural Ontario? Do we idealize the rural lifestyle? And does that idealized rural lifestyle have a future in this province?

The two videos are reported below.

(E-)Books/Livres(-E) : Shaping Rural Areas in Europe, Perceptions and Outcomes on the Present and the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:21:00 +0000

Source: Springer.
Shaping Rural Areas in Europe. Perceptions and Outcomes on the Present and the Future sets out to investigate the effect of urban perceptions about the rural and consequent demands on rurality on the present and future configurations of rural territories in Europe in the early twenty-first century.

This volume presents and discusses a broad range of case studies and theoretical and methodological approaches from different academic fields, mainly Anthropology, Sociology and Geography.

Silva, Luís; Figueiredo, Elisabete (Eds.) 2013. Shaping Rural Areas in Europe, Perceptions and Outcomes on the Present and the Future. Springer.

WWW: www.springer.com

Studies/Études : The Rural Practicum: Preparing a Quality Teacher Workforce for Rural and Regional Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:07:00 +0000

Source: Journal of research in rural education.
"Communities play a critical role in supporting pre-service teachers during rural and regional professional experience. This support, coupled with access to teacher educators and university resources, appears to positively influence graduate attitudes toward taking up a rural appointment."

"These are among the key findings to emerge from open-ended responses within 263 surveys completed for the Rethinking Teacher Education for Rural and Regional Sustainability—Renewing Teacher Education for Rural and Regional Australia project (TERRAnova). The national surveys, collected annually from 2008-2010, monitored the impact of state-based financial incentives designed to promote rural and regional professional experience. Findings discussed in this article have implications for teacher educators and rural school leaders as they work in partnership with communities to support pre-service teachers on rural and regional practicum."

Kline, Jodie, White, Simone and Lock, Graeme 2013, The rural practicum : preparing a quality teacher workforce for rural and regional Australia, Journal of research in rural education, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 1-13.

WWW: www.jrre.psu.edu

Events/Événements : Rural-Urban partnerships, OECD 9th Rural Development Policy Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:48:00 +0000

Source: OECD.
The OECD 9th Rural Development Policy Conference will be held on 23-25 October, 2013 in Bologna, Italy. The conference will launch the report “Rural-Urban partnerships: an integrated approach to economic development”, which is the result of the RURBAN project in collaboration with the European Commission.

The conference will consist of key note addresses, plenary sessions and pre-conference workshops. There will be ample scope for open discussion of the key themes both during the conference sessions and at less formal events.

More information.

WWW: www.oecd.org/gov/regional-policy

Positions/Postes : Founding Executive Director Rural Futures Institute, University of Nebraska

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 18:48:00 +0000

Source: Rural Futures Institute.
The University of Nebraska seeks a visionary and dynamic leader for the position of founding Executive Director of the newly established Rural Futures Institute. Founded in 1869, the University of Nebraska (NU) is a four-campus public land-grant university that serves the people of Nebraska through quality teaching, research, outreach, and engagement.

NU comprises the land-grant and comprehensive research campus in Lincoln, the medical center in Omaha, the University campus in Omaha, and the Kearney campus as well as research, extension, and service facilities statewide. NU employs approximately 13,000 people and enrolls approximately 50,000 students.

The new Rural Futures Institute (RFI) is a groundbreaking, innovative and ambitious effort to redefine the land-grant mission of the University of Nebraska in 21st century terms. Envisioned as a model for how public universities and individuals from a range of different disciplines can interact with their communities and regions, RFI aims to be the world’s premier university-based program to provide research-based information, facilitation, and learning opportunities to enable rural people to create genuine economic opportunity, vibrant communities, and better and more sustainable rural futures. A university-wide, multidisciplinary institute, RFI is committed to improving economic opportunity and increasing community capacity as well as the confidence of rural people to address their challenges and opportunities. Building upon the strengths and assets in rural Nebraska, the Great Plains, and globally, the RFI, through a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, will mobilize the resources and talents of the University and its partners to create knowledge and action that supports rural people and places to achieve unique paths to their desired futures. Initially RFI will be housed on or near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, but it is expected that its research, programs, and engagement activities will involve all of the University’s campuses.

As the founding chief executive, the Executive Director will have the unique and exciting opportunity to develop a premier research, education, policy and engagement institute that has positive impact on building resilient and sustainable rural futures. S/he will provide leadership, strategic direction, and oversight for the Institute’s mission, initiatives, and activities. The Executive Director’s primary charge is to establish the Institute as a global leader in rural Futures through the development of local, regional, national and international partnerships with the public and private sectors and the pursuit of collaborative opportunities. The Executive Director will report to NU Vice President & IANR Harlan Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and be advised by a small Board of Directors. The Executive Director will be expected to oversee the development of a strategic action plan with milestones and metrics for measuring progress; build a core team; and build the internal relationships, processes for local and regional collaborations, and external partnerships with communities that will be central to the work of RFI.

The successful candidate may come from a background of substantive leadership within the academic community; relevant federal, state and county agencies; foundations that are interested in rural issues; research institutes; community organizations; community development agencies; non-profit organizations or the business sector dealing with rural issues or economic development. S/he must have appropriate academic credentials and a demonstrated record of accomplishing results through the development and facilitation of collaborations and partnerships. The Executive Director will demonstrate inspirational leadership skills, strategic thinking, strong communications and servant leadership abilities, great collaborative and teamwork skills, a high degree of organizational skill, entrepreneurial instincts, creativity, a passion for rural America, the ability to ensure that initiatives and programs achieve their desired results, a global mindset, and a track record of commitment to diversity and to building diverse teams. The Executive Director will be able to create networks that leverage a broad array of regional resources and build strong relationships with other regional university partners, grassroots, organizations, community residents, and statewide, regional, national and international organizations. In building this new entity, the Executive Director must be able to catalyze the immense enthusiasm for this project and its potential in serving the University, the state of Nebraska, and the world.

The University of Nebraska has retained the services of Diversified Search for this assignment. Screening will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. All communications will be treated confidentially. Nominations, inquiries, and applications (including a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the names of five references) should be directed electronically in confidence to Nebraska.RFI@divsearch.com.

For further information, please contact:

Kim M. Morrisson, Ph.D. Managing Director and Practice Leader
Manuel A. Gongon, Jr., Principal
Diversified Search
2005 Market Street, Suite 3300, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-656-3588

Full description.

WWW: http://ruralfutures.nebraska.edu

Events/Événements : 21st Annual Rural and Remote Medicine Course "Sea To Sea To Sea"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:48:00 +0000

Source: Society of Rural Physicians of Canada.
April 4th-6th, 2013. Victoria, British Columbia. Over 200 workshops, lectures and plenaries in a collegial peer-to-peer interactive learning environment. Based largely on small group sessions allowing you to interact both with speakers and each other in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia.

Program at A Glance.

Online Registration.

Registration Form.

WWW: www.srpc.ca

Webinars : From Rural Divide to Rural Dividend: Broadband in Rural Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:36:00 +0000

Source: RDI.
Thursday, March 21, 2013. High numbers of people use broadband daily for business, school, and personal interest yet disparity exist between those in urban centers and those in rural areas. Urban dwellers have a choice of providers and those in rural areas have limited access or none at all. This digital divide means missing out on economic and social dividends in rural areas.

Canada’s broadband case is precarious because of the size and distance of our communities. Identified broadband challenges include building partnerships, selecting appropriate technology, gaining community support, keeping an eye on big picture policies like spectrum and fostering innovation with integrated action planning. In overcoming the challenges facing rural broadband, we need to rethink the way we perceive broadband technology and start to see it as a necessity worthy of investment in order to create and enable more opportunity for rural Canada.

Four webinar presenters will share their experience and their role in tackling some of the challenges on rural broadband in Canada.

Free Webinar
When: Thursday, March 21, 2013 (please RSVP by March 19)
Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CST)
For more information or to register contact Rural Development Instiute at:
rdi2@brandonu.ca / 204-571-8550

PRESENTERS

Lisa Severson
Has worked in the municipal sector for ten years in a variety of positions; in 2007 she began working with the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC). She is the Communication and Stakeholder Relation Officer for the EOWC Eastern Ontario Regional Network Project, a $170 million high –speed, high capacity broadband network. She is the key liaison between First Nation community, over 100 municipalities and companies that are involved in the government private partnership project.

Dr. Helen Hambly Odame
From Capacity Development and Extension program at the School of Environment Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph. Her research interest crosses information, communication and rural society. She sets up and oversees a Multi-Media lab for rural communication studies with links to universities around the world as well as community partners.

Dr. Samuel Trosow
An associate professor at the University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Information and Media Studies and Faculty of Law. Network Investigator and Theme Leader in Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND) NCE, and he is currently examining Broadband Spectrum. He is the co-author of Canadian Copyright: A citizen’s Guide. He frequently speaks on copyright and other information policy issues.

Wayne Kelly
Researcher with Brandon University Rural Development Institute, his activities focus on exploring and applying information and communication technology to improve decision-making and policy development for communities and government. Wayne believes that applying innovative development research to help rural Canada realize the challenges and opportunities facing it as society, the economy and technology change. Wayne has a blog on rural broadband technology.

WWW: www.brandonu.ca/rdi

Events/Événements : 2013 Economic Revitalization Conference - Building Rural Resilience Through Entrepreneruship & Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Dixon) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:56:00 +0000

Source: The Monieson Centre.
April 8, 2013. Kingston, Ontario. Hosted by The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business, the 2013 Economic Revitalization Conference - Building Rural Resilience through Entrepreneurship & Innovation, showcases emerging research from communities in Ontario on forward-thinking approaches to rural economic transformation.

Presentations and interactive forums will provide strategies and best practices for how communities can use creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship to build economic resilience.

This one-day conference is a high-impact event connecting academics, policymakers, community leaders, and business people around this pressing rural economic development issue. Outcomes from real-world research collaborations between The Monieson Centre at Queen’s School of Business and over 40 rural Ontario partners will advance the agenda of rural Canada’s future.

This must-attend conference offers:

* Practical applications of new, leading-edge research from rural Ontario on how communities can encourage entrepreneurship, immigration, and business investment.

* A dynamic keynote address on “Building a 21^st Century Economy in Small Town Canada” from Dr. Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.

* Reflections from practitioners on developing rural resilience through policy and action.

* Opportunities to network with academic researchers and economic development practitioners.

* Ability to engage in ongoing economic revitalization research projects being done by The Monieson Centre at Queen's School of Business.

* Examples of and best-practices in community-based research.

Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through the Monieson Centre's Research Partnerships to Revitalize Rural Economies project.

With support from:

* Leadership Team Partners: Northumberland County Economic Development; Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation; Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus; RDÉE Ontario; Rural Ontario Institute; The Monieson Centre.

* Steering Committee Partners: The Ontario Association of CFDCs; Eastern Lake Ontario Regional Innovation Network; Queen's Sustainable Bioeconomy Centre; City of Kawartha Lakes; Queen's University Office of the Vice-Principal (Research).

Details, agenda and registration are online at: http://business.queensu.ca/centres/monieson/events/2013%20Economic%20Revitalization%20Conference%20.php

WWW: http://www.economicrevitalization.ca

Thesis/Thèse : Competing and Conflicting Land Uses at the Rural-Urban Interface: Understanding the Impacts of Residential Development on Agricultural Landscapes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:37:00 +0000

Source: Brock University.
"Rural communities are currently undergoing rapid restructuring as globalization impacts the future viability of many small towns. Agricultural regions throughout Canada, in particular, Niagara-on-the-Lake, are forced to adapt to changes within the industry. In addition to these challenges, sprawling residential developments from nearby urban centres are changing the dynamic of this town, resulting in conflicts between the residential and agricultural land uses."

"This thesis explores these conflicts from the perspective of the residents and the farmers. It was found that the initial sources of conflict related to noise-generating farm activities are no longer a concern, while the use of pesticide have become a source of contention among the residents. The farmers, alternately, were found to be proactive and strived to limit the potential for conflict with adjacent residents. Lastly, it was determined that planning legislation aggravates land use conflicts within Niagara-on-the-Lake and need to better address these land use conflicts."

Epp, Sara (2013). Competing and Conflicting Land Uses at the Rural-Urban Interface: Understanding the Impacts of Residential Development on Agricultural Landscapes. Thesis. Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University.

WWW: dr.library.brocku.ca

Thesis/Thèse : Exploring the built environment and physical activity in rural ontario health units

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:20:00 +0000

Source: McMaster University.
"The purpose of this thesis was to explore how health units servicing large rural populations in Ontario are integrating the built environment into public health interventions related to physical activity for the purpose of fostering healthy and sustainable communities. Additionally, this research sought to identify barriers and/or enabling structures that rural health units face in addressing the built environment within physical activity programming aimed at chronic disease prevention."

"This exploratory research study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of fourteen public health practitioners and managers from participating Ontario health units serving large
rural populations. Participants were health unit staff (public health nurses, health promoters, and managers) identified as those most knowledgeable about program planning, implementation, and policy development in relation to physical activity and the
built environment."

Coghill, Cara-Lee M.(2013). "Exploring the built environment and physical activity in rural Ontario health units" (2013). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7677.

WWW: digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca