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Rural and Regional Trends: 1st quarter, 2013

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.

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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

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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.


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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.

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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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"

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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

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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

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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 21st 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

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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

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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

Thesis/Thèse : The Relationship of Landscape and Water Perceptions to Community Engagement in Rural Southern Ontario

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Source: University of Guelph.
"Engagement is an essential component to community building. Among the factors which contribute to engagement is perception. Of specific interest to landscape architecture are perceptions of landscape and water as they reveal environmental attitudes. Rural Southern Ontario has experienced notable land use pressures for resource extraction and renewable energy."

"This study explores the relationship between landscape and water perceptions by rural residents and levels of community engagement in a changing rural landscape. Instruments used for this study were a photo-based questionnaire and Visitor Employed Photography. The study found that individuals who are more engaged with the community have a greater ability to interpret landscape in the context of resource extraction and are more critical in their perception of quarry rehabilitation. Findings of this study can assist rural groups by providing insight into social capital and inform landscape planning and design practices when working with rural groups to increase engagement."

Spence, Kellie (2013). The Relationship of Landscape and Water Perceptions to Community Engagement in Rural Southern Ontario. Thesis. Master of Landscape Architecture. School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.

WWW: http://dspace.lib.uoguelph.ca

Rural and Regional Trends, January 2013

Indicators to monitor structure and performance in rural Canada
Ray D. Bollman
Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining since September, 2012. In December 2012, employment growth was above the national employment growth rate in 32 economic regions.

Download PDF version.

RRT main page.

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Highlights

•  Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining since September, 2012

•  In December 2012, employment growth was above the national employment growth rate in 32 economic regions

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Employment in rural and small town Canada has been declining since September 2012

Up to recently, fluctuations in rural and small town (RST) employment have mirrored the fluctuations in larger urban centres.

RST employment has been declining for four consecutive months, since September 2012 (Figure 1).

RST employment has continued to increase in the goods-producing sectors but is now declining across a number of the services sectors.

The decline in RST employment has been 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 December 2012, employment growth was above the national employment growth rate in 32 economic regions

In December 2012, 32 economic regions (out of 73 economic regions in Canada) reported employment growth above the national rate of employment growth (1.57%, 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:
•  8.7% Montérégie Economic Region, Quebec
•  7.7% Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Economic Region, Quebec
•  7.7% Northeast Economic Region, British Columbia
•  6.9% Bas-Saint-Laurent Economic Region, Quebec
•  6.8% Laval Economic Region, Quebec

The bottom five lagging regions in term of employment growth are:
•  -8.1% Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region, Ontario
•  -8.4% Lanaudière Economic Region, Quebec
•  -9.2% North Coast and Nechako Economic Region, British Columbia
•  -11.4% Muskoka-Kawarthas Economic Region, Ontario
•  -12.7% Mauricie Economic Region, Quebec

Six economic regions have shown employment growth above the national rate for 12 consecutive months:
•  Saskatoon-Biggar Economic Region, Saskatchewan
•  Cariboo Economic Region, British Columbia
•  Edmonton (and area) Economic Region, Alberta
•  Calgary (and area) Economic Region, Alberta
•  Kootenay Economic Region, British Columbia
•  North Shore Economic Region, Nova Scotia

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


Map 1 (PDF)
Employment growth performance relative to the national rate of employment growth, December, 2012
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 October and November 2012).
•  Download XML file to generate percentage change maps for the months of October, November, and December 2012.
•  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.

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(E-)Books/Livres(-E) : Indigenous peoples, rural to urban migration, United States and Canada.

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Source: Wiley.
This essay focuses on rural-to-urban migration by Indigenous peoples (aka American Indian, Native American, Aboriginal, and/or Indian) in the United States and Canada, with an emphasis on the 20th century.

Attention is paid to historical mobility, migration trends, processes of migration, and mobility characteristics of urban Indigenous communities.

Howard, Heather A., and Susan Lobo 2013. Indigenous peoples, rural to urban migration, United States and Canada. The Encyclopedia of Global Human Migration.

Events/Événements : The Farm Economy & Rural Resilience: Coping with Climate Change & Rising Energy Prices

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Source: Ontario Farmland Trust.
February 15, 2013. There is no doubt climate change, increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and rising energy prices have become top of mind within the agriculture sector and rural communities across Ontario and around the world.

How are farmers and rural communities responding to such challenges? How closely tied are a thriving farm economy, land stewardship and rural resilience?

Join the Ontario Farmland Trust and the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the 2013 Farmland Forum in Guelph on Friday, February 15.

Forum Details

Date: February 15, 2013
Time: 8:30 - 3:15
Place: Arboretum Centre, University of Guelph (Click Here for directions)
Cost: $65 non-members; $50 Ontario Farmland Trust members
(includes lunch)

More information and registration.

WWW: ontariofarmlandtrust.ca

Reports/Rapports : Tools and Recommendations for Successful Rural Sustainability Planning in BC

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Source: Smart Planning for Communities, Fraser Basin Council.
Key sustainability planning issues for rural BC residents are part of a new study released today by the Fraser Basin Council’s Smart Planning for Communities (SPC) program. The study, funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), finds that communities in rural areas of the province consider protecting drinking water supplies (80%) and pursuing economic diversification (60%) as the most important aspects of a successful sustainability strategy.

Over one hundred local government elected officials and staff, along with academics and consultants, participated in surveys and focus group sessions as part of this research.

“The future supply and quality of water are quickly becoming critical concerns as the climate changes, even in a temperate province like BC” says PICS executive director Tom Pedersen. “The impacts now upon us impose requirements to adapt that affect rural agriculture as much as they affect municipal supplies. This report reinforces the need for regional planning in BC that firmly recognizes the climate changes that are rushing down the pipeline towards us.”

The research shows differences between rural municipalities and regional districts. In addition to protecting drinking water supplies, regional district respondents chose protecting agricultural land and preventing rural sprawl as their top priorities. Municipal respondents chose pursuing economic development and supporting higher density development suitable for a small town, as their top priorities, in addition to drinking water.

“Another strong message from the rural local governments regarding their ability to become sustainable communities is the importance of economic diversification, particularly the influence of natural resource based sectors, along with health and education - all of which are provincial jurisdiction.” says Joan Chess, lead researcher and sustainability facilitator with the Smart Planning for Communities Program.

The respondents also identified support from elected officials and community leaders (79%), access to funding (78%) and implementation costs (75%) as the most important factors for choosing actions for a sustainability strategy in rural areas.

The results of the research suggest that rural sustainability planning and the resulting processes, strategies and actions must be adapted to local circumstances to be effective.

More information

The full report with a summary of tools and recommendations for successful ICSP action for rural BC is available at http://smartplanningbc.ca/tools_resources.html.

For more information about the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), visit http://pics.uvic.ca.

Contacts

Joan Chess, MCIP, RPP
Sustainability Facilitator
Smart Planning for Communities, Fraser Basin Council
Phone: 250 612-0282
E-mail: jchess@fraserbasin.bc.ca

Jim Martin
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George
Toll Free (BC): 1-800-667-1959
Phone: 250-960-4400
E-mail: jmartin@rdffg.bc.ca

Tom Pedersen
Executive Director
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions
Phone: 250-853-3678
E-mail: jworsley@uvic.ca

Positions/Postes : Tier II Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures in Atlantic Canada

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Source: Dalhousie University.
The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology (SOSA) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Dalhousie University invites applications for a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures in Atlantic Canada. Deadline: April 15, 2013

The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Programme has been established by the Government of Canada to enable Canadian universities to foster research excellence and enhance their role as world-class centres of research excellence. This will be a tenure stream appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, and will be conditional on the successful applicant being approved as a Tier II Research Chair by the CRC secretariat. Further information about the CRC programme is available at http://www.chairs.gc.ca.

The CRC Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures will provide a catalyst for launching a new era of social science research in the region to foster more productive ties between the university, government agencies, community organizations, and rural communities. Unlike other Canadian regions, the Atlantic remained steadfastly rural through the 20th and into the 21st century. More of its population lives in small cities or towns, its infrastructure is more spread out and costly to maintain, its main economies remain resource and energy based, and much of its population migrates westward in search of better opportunities. In recent years, Atlantic Canada’s population, excepting First Nations, is also documented as older than in other regions, less healthy, more religious, and less ethnically and racially diverse. This has led to widespread interest in whether or not immigration can offset population trends and perhaps even trigger growth and renewal of the region’s economy. Other political and economic re-orientations include a shift from fisheries, lumber and minerals to gas, oil, aquaculture, alternative energy, new agricultural initiatives, and more recently, industrial shipbuilding. Creative enterprises in information technology, health, and the cultural sectors are also on the increase.

Candidates must have a PhD, an outstanding research profile and a demonstrable research emphasis of relevance to sustainable rural futures in Atlantic Canada generally and Nova Scotia in particular. The researcher’s profile could reflect research from comparable international locations, perhaps on the Atlantic or Pacific coasts, or a different region of Canada such as the Prairie Provinces, Ontario, or Quebec.

The Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology maintains a carefully structured curriculum covering selected strategic areas in our disciplines. Masters and Doctoral programmes are offered in both Sociology or Social Anthropology but faculty from each discipline collaborate in teaching and research. Our graduate teaching and recruitment mirrors faculty research expertise in three research concentrations; Critical Health Studies; Economy, Work, and Development; and, Social Justice and Inequality. The successful applicant for this position will identify one or more of these areas in their research priorities. While the position prioritizes research, it is expected that the CRC Chair will contribute to our graduate programmes and the core undergraduate curriculum. We anticipate that the appointment will be made to a researcher with a background in either Sociology or Social Anthropology, but candidates from related disciplines with appropriate expertise and knowledgeable about SOSA theory and methods, such as development studies, geography, political science, and related interdisciplinary studies, are also encouraged to apply.

Dalhousie is the leading graduate and research university of Atlantic Canada, with more than 18,000 students from over 100 countries (more than 3500 in graduate programmes). It is located in Halifax – the major centre in the scenic Atlantic region and a city widely known for its high quality of life. Further information about the Faculty and the university can be obtained at www.dal.ca/fass. Dalhousie University is an Employment Equity/Affirmative Action employer. The University encourages applications from qualified Aboriginal people, persons with a disability, racially visible persons and women.

Applications should include a detailed curriculum vitae, a two-page summary of the candidate’s proposed research programme, a statement of research and teaching interests and philosophies, and three confidential letters of reference forwarded by the referees. All applications materials should be sent in hard copy.

Deadline: April 15, 2013
Dr. Pauline Gardiner Barber
Chair, Department of Sociology & Social Anthropology
6135 University Avenue, Room 1128
PO Box 15000
Halifax, NS Canada. B3H 3E7
pgbarber@dal.ca

Application Information
Postal Address: Dr. Pauline Gardiner Barber
Sociology and Social Anthropology
Dalhousie University
6135 University Ave.,
Halifax, NS
Canada B3H 4R2
Phone: 902-494-6595
Fax: 902-494-2897

Events/Événements : Putting Our Money Where Our Mouths Are: The Federal Budget and Food Insecurity

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Source: Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning.
Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. (EST). The Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project invites you to the project launch and a panel discussion on: Putting Our Money Where Our Mouths Are: The Federal Budget and Food Insecurity. The event will be available live streamed.

The link to live streaming will be available at the following link on the day of the event.

http://newsroom.carleton.ca/2012/05/25/community-first-impacts-of-community-engagement-program-receives-sshrc-partnership-grant/

Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. EST
Locaion: 2nd Floor, River Building Conference Rooms
Carleton University

Background on CFICE.

WWW: www.communityservicelearning.ca

Reports/Rapports : Determining Needs of Southern Alberta Rural Communities for Improved Sexual Assault Services

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Source: Mount Royal University.
Funded by the Alberta Rural Development Network, this project sought to identify educational and resource needs of professionals in rural and Aboriginal communities that would assist them in either keeping female sexual assault victims in their communities and providing care, or to be able to better assist these women when they return to their communities.

If comprehensive, sensitive services are not provided after a sexual assault, women face exceptionally high risks of mental illness, substance abuse, job losses and chronic health problems, and resulting high health care utilization.

Researchers administered an online survey and performed three focus group interviews at a medium-sized and a small rural hospital and at an Aboriginal health centre.

Link to plain language summary

Link to report.

WWW: www.ardn.ca

Announcements/Annonces : Canadian Sustainability Plan Inventory (CSPI) launched

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Source: Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities.
The University of Alberta’s Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) is proud to announce the launch of the Canadian Sustainability Plan Inventory (CSPI). This searchable online inventory is the most comprehensive collection of sustainability plans in Canada.

The CSPI can be accessed via www.augustana.ualberta.ca/cspi/

Sustainability in rural communities of Canada has received increased attention at the local and national scales. Canada’s Federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) made sustainability planning a key part of infrastructure and socio-economic development of communities across Canada. Slated to ultimately invest approximately $13 billion in sustainable municipal infrastructure such as transit, waste management, water and green energy by 2015, the GTF also provided support to municipalities for the development of Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSPs).

Many communities have now completed ICSPs or a provincial variant and these represent a wide range of approaches, toolkits, strategies and content within Alberta and from across the country. As such, there is no single solution or model for sustainability planning. Indeed, there is considerable variation in emphases among the targeted dimensions of sustainability and these emphases vary by region and by population size. This inventory provides a means for rural communities, researchers, and development practitioners to access how other communities from across Canada have approached sustainability planning in terms of process, content and areas of concentration.

With the launch of the CSPI, the ACSRC hopes to provide a valuable resource of previous ICSPs to rural communities, an up-to-date source of information and a mechanism that may support rural sustainability as communities shift from plans to implementation. We hope this inventory and sharing of ICSPs will foster collaboration and information exchange among the many and diverse rural communities in Canada, so that they may learn from and support each other in their quest for sustainability.

Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities
Augustana Campus
Camrose, Alberta, Canada T4V 2R3
Tel: 780.679.1672
Fax: 780.679.1129
acsrc@ualberta.ca
www.augustana.ualberta.ca/centres/acsrc/

Presentations/Présentations : OECD 8th Rural Development Policy Conference

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Source: OECD.
The presentations of the OECD 8th Rural Development Policy Conference are now available online.

Pre-conference workshops presentations.

Main conference presentations.

WWW: www.oecd.org/rural

Reports/Rapports : Planning for Food Access and Community-Based Food Systems

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Source: APA.
The American Planning Association (APA) published a new report that outlines the results of a three-year, multi-phased research study that identified and evaluated the food access and food system components of local government plans in the U.S.

The report is divided into four main sections and provides detailed results and analyses for each phase of the study:

Section 1: National Survey
The survey identified 80 comprehensive plans and 25 sustainability plans that explicitly addressed an aspect of local or regional food systems. The five most-cited food system topics in the identified comprehensive and sustainability plans were rural agriculture, food access and availability, urban agriculture, food retail, and food waste.

Section 2: Plan Evaluations
A sample of plans (13 comprehensive plans and 8 sustainability plans) was selected for in-depth plan evaluation. Plans were evaluated for how they support and advance principles of a healthy, sustainable food system; how they promote access to safe, nutritious, affordable, culturally appropriate, and sustainably grown food; how they address implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the food-related goals and policies; and the overall quality of food-related goals and policies.

Section 3: Case Studies
The research team conducted and recorded semi-structured, key informant phone interviews with local government planners and other stakeholders from 15 of the 21 selected plans to learn more about the food access and food systems planning process.

Section 4: Recommendations and Sample Plan Language
The final section of the report provides recommendations for municipalities and counties that are engaging in (or beginning to engage in) food access and food systems planning; sample plan language of food systems related vision statements, goals, policies, action items and implementation mechanisms; as well as data collection and assessment tools to monitor and evaluate changes in the local food system over time.

Download the report.

WWW: www.planning.org

Thank you to the PAFN (planning-for-agriculture-and-food-network-pafn@googlegroups.com) for sharing this post.

Reports/Rapports : Rural Land in Australia

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Source: RIRDC.
This report presents the first ever comprehensive national study of rural land ownership in Australia. Changing patterns of rural land ownership provide important evidence on the character of rural restructuring.The report presents rural land ownership data across the six states of Australia. Data available at the time has limited the scope of this project to a period between 2004 and 2008.

This report provides important insights for investors and policy-makers keen to understand the dynamics of how changing patterns of land ownership intersect with rural economy and society. In particular, it has relevance for stakeholders in industry, public policy and research communities interested in the productive and environmental ramifications of changing patterns of land ownership.

Download full report: "Rural Land in Australia: A framework for the measurement and analysis of nationwide patterns of ownership change, aggregation and fragmentation".

WWW: www.rirdc.gov.au

Studies/Études : Mapping Frontier and Remote Areas in the U.S.

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Source: ERS/USDA.
Researchers and policymakers focusing on rural development issues commonly use the term "frontier" to denote relatively remote and sparsely settled territory, found largely but not exclusively in the Great Plains and Intermountain West.

ERS's newly developed Frontier and Remote (FAR) area codes are both geographically detailed and adjustable within reasonable ranges to facilitate their use in diverse research and policy contexts. The initial set, based on urban-rural data from the 2000 decennial census, provides four separate FAR categories, ranging from one that is relatively inclusive (18 million FAR residents) to one that is more restrictive (4.8 million FAR residents).

Read more.

Download PDF version.

WWW: www.ers.usda.gov

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