Archive for November 2018
Public Participation — a Conversation with Lisa Moilanen
Public participation — without it, democracy simply can’t function. The International Public Participation Association (IAP2) was established in the 1990s to help foster public participation. The organization’s British Columbia chapter partners with other organizations to provide training for the public, zeroing in on issues such as Dealing with Opposition & Outrage, and Public Participation for Decision…
Read MoreRural Innovation & Youth Attraction
If rural communities are to survive — let alone prosper — in the 21st century, they need to innovate. And through that innovation, attract a new wave of creative, entrepreneurial Millennials to our small towns and rural regions. This audio version of a BC Rural Centre webinar features two inspiring advocates of rural innovation —…
Read MoreGovernment Takes Action on Abbott/Chapman Report
The Government of BC has released its action plan in response to the government-commissioned, independent Abbott/Chapman report on the unprecedented 2017 wildfire and flood seasons in British Columbia. The plan outlines actions taken and underway, and identifies next steps to address the report’s 108 recommendations. It also considers recommendations from other recent reports, such as…
Read MoreNew Community Investment Co-Ops!
Two new BC Interior-based community investment co-ops have recently been formed — the East Kootenay Columbia Investment Co-op, and the West Kootenay Boundary Investment Co-op. Both are for profit Co-operative Association registered in British Columbia. They are member-owned, locally controlled and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. East Kootenay Columbia is designed to finance businesses…
Read MoreYouth Exodus to Art Epicentre?
What kind of future should a struggling rural town choose? In the town of Green River, Utah, population 950, a nonprofit called Epicenter aims to use art and architecture to bring youthful new energy, life, and economic development to the community, as Jeffrey Brown reports in this PBS video.
Read MoreYouth Attraction: Rural Challenges, Successes
Introduction We have become a culture of nomads. “Where do you come from?” is a question we now routinely ask one another because we rarely expect the answer to be “here.” Discovering where someone comes from tells us about who they are and what their story is — but we never ask, “When…
Read MoreKimberley Embraces the Great Outdoors!
Anyone who has visited the South Island New Zealand town of Queenstown knows that building a local economy around outdoor adventure activities can work — and work well — for a small mountain town, boosting the local economy and attracting large numbers of youthful creative types, some of whom decide to stay. Many alpine…
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